It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Cover Art by Charles Daniel Ross
"There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago”
For many of us, the most wonderful time(s) of the year are approaching, and Macabre Maine is putting the finishing touches on our latest anthology: Spirits of Yuletide, An Anthology of Ghosts and Lore. This anthology will be published around Winter Solstice, just in time to share haunting Yuletide-themed stories. We enjoy keeping the season going from sacred October holidays such as: Samhain, Day of the Dead Dia de los Muertos, Muertos, All Saints Day/All Souls Day, and all those blessed holidays around Halloween, where many celebrate the thinning of the veil, and honoring spirits in one form or another.
The celebration continues with Winter Solstice approaching in December, along with the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories during the Yuletide season. As we know from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, spirit visits from friends, relatives, and others, are common in December.
December 21, the longest night of the year might hold spiritual energy at a time where the birth of the new sun rises at dawn on December 22, bringing forth spirits and ghosts, along with the love of lore and storytelling of the season. It is with these things in mind that we look forward to sharing stories by some of our Macabre Maine writers from around the globe.
Since so many folklore traditions are woven into the Christmas and Yule Season, we like to keep traditions of lore and ghost stories of yore going with retellings and new stories to share in our forthcoming anthology, Spirits of Yuletide.