What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fright Before Christmas: Surviving Krampus and Other Yuletide Monsters, Witches, and Ghosts
Step into the dark roots of Christmas past where the Krampus punishes the bad boys and girls.
Christmas time is truly the darkest and creepiest time of the year filled with devilish creatures lurking in the shadows waiting to get us. Best known is the Krampus who has been the subject of films and songs. There was a time in the late 1800s when people sent Krampus cards, not holiday greetings. There are other violent and dangerous monsters from all over northern climes who have been hunting naughty children for centuries. From shapeshifters to mountain trolls, to elves, to heavy-handed cohorts of Saint Nicholas, the Christmas holiday has been filled with ghosts and monsters ready to dole out punishment to those who need it.
The Fright Before Christmas will delve into the folklore of Krampus and his friends with the elf-like Tomten and the goblinesque Karakoncolas. The Belsnickel is ready to hit us with his switch of sticks and Gryla may drag you back to her mountain lair. And watch out for the Yule Cat ready to pounce! These are just a few of the yuletide beasties coming for us in The Fright Before Christmas in the hope they can save us from ourselves.
The folklore roots of Christmas under its many other guises (Yule, the Winter Solstice, Saturnalia) is examined in a different, darker light. The Winter Solstice is a time to be afraid. It’s the shortest day of the year. The longest night. In some parts of the world, the sun doesn’t rise at all. It’s dark, and we have to wonder if the sun will ever come back at all. Christmas has always been creepy and with The Fright Before Christmas you'll see the other side. This is a book for everyone who loves a little darkness around the holidays.
Be good or the Krampus will get you!
Christmas time is truly the darkest and creepiest time of the year filled with devilish creatures lurking in the shadows waiting to get us. Best known is the Krampus who has been the subject of films and songs. There was a time in the late 1800s when people sent Krampus cards, not holiday greetings. There are other violent and dangerous monsters from all over northern climes who have been hunting naughty children for centuries. From shapeshifters to mountain trolls, to elves, to heavy-handed cohorts of Saint Nicholas, the Christmas holiday has been filled with ghosts and monsters ready to dole out punishment to those who need it.
The Fright Before Christmas will delve into the folklore of Krampus and his friends with the elf-like Tomten and the goblinesque Karakoncolas. The Belsnickel is ready to hit us with his switch of sticks and Gryla may drag you back to her mountain lair. And watch out for the Yule Cat ready to pounce! These are just a few of the yuletide beasties coming for us in The Fright Before Christmas in the hope they can save us from ourselves.
The folklore roots of Christmas under its many other guises (Yule, the Winter Solstice, Saturnalia) is examined in a different, darker light. The Winter Solstice is a time to be afraid. It’s the shortest day of the year. The longest night. In some parts of the world, the sun doesn’t rise at all. It’s dark, and we have to wonder if the sun will ever come back at all. Christmas has always been creepy and with The Fright Before Christmas you'll see the other side. This is a book for everyone who loves a little darkness around the holidays.
Be good or the Krampus will get you!
200 pages, Hardcover
Published September 4, 2023
About the author
Jeff Belanger
45 books106 followersJeff Belanger is one of the most visible and prolific researchers of folklore and legends today. A natural storyteller, he’s the award-winning, Emmy-nominated host, writer, and producer of the New England Legends series on PBS and Amazon Prime, and is the author of over a dozen books (published in six languages). He also hosts the New England Legends weekly podcast, which has garnered over 5 million downloads since it was launched.
Always one for chasing adventures, Jeff has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, he’s explored the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, he’s searched the catacombs of Paris, France (where he encountered his first ghost), he faced his life-long struggle with basophobia on his birthday by going skydiving, and he’s been ghost hunting all over the world from a former TB asylum in Kentucky, to medieval castles in Europe, to an abandoned prison in Australia.
Jeff got his start as a journalist in 1997, where he learned how to connect with people from all walks of life. For his work, he’s interviewed thousands of people about their encounters with the profound.
His books include the best sellers: The Call of Kilimanjaro, The World’s Most Haunted Places, Weird Massachusetts, Our Haunted Lives, and Who’s Haunting the White House?. He’s a noted speaker and media personality. He’s spoken at MENSA’s national conference, has given a prestigious TEDx talk in New York City, and provides dozens of live lectures and programs to audiences each year.
Belanger has written for newspapers like The Boston Globe and USA Today, and has served as the writer and researcher on numerous television series including every single episode of Ghost Adventures (25 seasons and counting), Paranormal Challenge, and Aftershocks on the Travel Channel, and Amish Haunting on Destination America. He’s been a guest on hundreds of radio and television networks and programs including: The History Channel, The Travel Channel, Biography Channel, Reelz, PBS, NECN, Living TV (UK), Sunrise 7 (Australia), Bell (Canada), The Maury Show, The CBS News Early Show, CBS Sunday Morning, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates, National Public Radio, The BBC, Darkness Radio, Australian Radio Network, and Coast to Coast AM.
Always one for chasing adventures, Jeff has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, he’s explored the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, he’s searched the catacombs of Paris, France (where he encountered his first ghost), he faced his life-long struggle with basophobia on his birthday by going skydiving, and he’s been ghost hunting all over the world from a former TB asylum in Kentucky, to medieval castles in Europe, to an abandoned prison in Australia.
Jeff got his start as a journalist in 1997, where he learned how to connect with people from all walks of life. For his work, he’s interviewed thousands of people about their encounters with the profound.
His books include the best sellers: The Call of Kilimanjaro, The World’s Most Haunted Places, Weird Massachusetts, Our Haunted Lives, and Who’s Haunting the White House?. He’s a noted speaker and media personality. He’s spoken at MENSA’s national conference, has given a prestigious TEDx talk in New York City, and provides dozens of live lectures and programs to audiences each year.
Belanger has written for newspapers like The Boston Globe and USA Today, and has served as the writer and researcher on numerous television series including every single episode of Ghost Adventures (25 seasons and counting), Paranormal Challenge, and Aftershocks on the Travel Channel, and Amish Haunting on Destination America. He’s been a guest on hundreds of radio and television networks and programs including: The History Channel, The Travel Channel, Biography Channel, Reelz, PBS, NECN, Living TV (UK), Sunrise 7 (Australia), Bell (Canada), The Maury Show, The CBS News Early Show, CBS Sunday Morning, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates, National Public Radio, The BBC, Darkness Radio, Australian Radio Network, and Coast to Coast AM.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
December 29, 2023
3.5 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/EMgU50NWDe4
This was an interesting history of Christmas that focuses on the creepy aspects of the holidays. I'm glad it was short because there didn't seem to be enough meat to justify a longer book. I appreciated the Office references. I enjoyed it bit I wish it had a little more depth. Most of the information was stuff I basically already knew from pop culture.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Video Review: https://youtu.be/EMgU50NWDe4
This was an interesting history of Christmas that focuses on the creepy aspects of the holidays. I'm glad it was short because there didn't seem to be enough meat to justify a longer book. I appreciated the Office references. I enjoyed it bit I wish it had a little more depth. Most of the information was stuff I basically already knew from pop culture.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
December 8, 2024
I listened to the audiobook which the author narrates. He has an easy, accessible voice that is pleasant to listen to. His storytelling style is entertaining as well as informative. I learned so much!
The chapters dedicated to Christmas folklore, tradition, and history from all over the world are compiled into short chapters. I especially enjoyed the history of Santa Claus and the evolution of his look/purpose during the Great Depression.
There are so many monsters and evil entities associated with Yule! All these mischievous ones like the "Yule Cat" "Pot Scraper" and the "Door Slammer" cracked me up. I loved the beginning with the different festivals and I want to go back to celebrating Saturnalia--especially the way farmers celebrated. It sounds fun :)
Listening to this during my walks was so enjoyable and put me in the Christmas spirit :)
Highly recommend the audio! I checked it out from my library
The chapters dedicated to Christmas folklore, tradition, and history from all over the world are compiled into short chapters. I especially enjoyed the history of Santa Claus and the evolution of his look/purpose during the Great Depression.
There are so many monsters and evil entities associated with Yule! All these mischievous ones like the "Yule Cat" "Pot Scraper" and the "Door Slammer" cracked me up. I loved the beginning with the different festivals and I want to go back to celebrating Saturnalia--especially the way farmers celebrated. It sounds fun :)
Listening to this during my walks was so enjoyable and put me in the Christmas spirit :)
Highly recommend the audio! I checked it out from my library
November 6, 2023
If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the legends and lore behind the holiday season that are of a stranger nature; The Fright Before Christmas is your book.
This book takes us back to times of yore. From Krampus, to the Belsnickel, Grylla, and more. Exploring the history behind Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus. Exploring traditions such as the use of mistletoe and getting to the root of where they came from.
Whimsical, weird, wild, and a wee bit scary. The writing pulls you in and is quite captivating. I highly enjoyed my time with this book.
This book takes us back to times of yore. From Krampus, to the Belsnickel, Grylla, and more. Exploring the history behind Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus. Exploring traditions such as the use of mistletoe and getting to the root of where they came from.
Whimsical, weird, wild, and a wee bit scary. The writing pulls you in and is quite captivating. I highly enjoyed my time with this book.
September 20, 2023
Christmas roots and traditions are so far from what we believe them to be and Jeff Belanger is here to set us straight by highlighting the holiday’s dark origins!
What can I say? I loved this. It’s informative and fun. The best way to present retainable information (in my opinion) is to add a good dose of humor. Belanger succeeds.
I listened to this on audio, but I’d like to get a physical copy to re-read in the near future. I enjoy exploring the fascinating roots of holidays and discovering how we’ve been misled, both within religion and within the commercialized popularity of any highly celebrated day.
I am immensely grateful to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.
What can I say? I loved this. It’s informative and fun. The best way to present retainable information (in my opinion) is to add a good dose of humor. Belanger succeeds.
I listened to this on audio, but I’d like to get a physical copy to re-read in the near future. I enjoy exploring the fascinating roots of holidays and discovering how we’ve been misled, both within religion and within the commercialized popularity of any highly celebrated day.
I am immensely grateful to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.
December 13, 2023
Just a super quick review today because I'm still on a break.
The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Belanger is a well-researched, entertaining, and informative look at the history of Christmas, Santa, Krampus, Belsnickel, The Yule Cat, and more. It includes the traditions, beliefs, and origins of Christmas trees, wreaths and several winter time creatures that I was not familiar with. I quite enjoyed it.
This is a must read for anyone who loves folklore as well as Christmas. I never knew where the tradition of hanging garlands came from or why we kiss under the mistletoe. I learned this and so much more in this fascinating and educational book. The illustrations are spectacular too!
The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Belanger is a well-researched, entertaining, and informative look at the history of Christmas, Santa, Krampus, Belsnickel, The Yule Cat, and more. It includes the traditions, beliefs, and origins of Christmas trees, wreaths and several winter time creatures that I was not familiar with. I quite enjoyed it.
This is a must read for anyone who loves folklore as well as Christmas. I never knew where the tradition of hanging garlands came from or why we kiss under the mistletoe. I learned this and so much more in this fascinating and educational book. The illustrations are spectacular too!
December 16, 2024
4.5⭐️
A perfectly creepy little Krampus book! Contains lovely illustrations throughout and is packed full of fascinating Yuletide lore. This handsome little hardcover includes a red satin bookmark and its compact size makes it the ideal side table book for browsing.
A perfectly creepy little Krampus book! Contains lovely illustrations throughout and is packed full of fascinating Yuletide lore. This handsome little hardcover includes a red satin bookmark and its compact size makes it the ideal side table book for browsing.
December 5, 2023
“The Winter Solstice is a time to be afraid. It’s the shortest day of the year. The longest night.”
As a lover of the long, dark, cold nights of winter and the holiday season, I was thrilled to receive a copy of this gorgeous book, written by Jeff Belanger who is a paranormal researcher, podcaster, and author of several books that speak on legends and folklore!
This book not only dives into the history of the winter holidays—the raucous Roman celebration of Saturnalia, the growing popularity of Christianity that brought on Christmas, the Nordic Yule feasts with the sacred ashes of the burning Yule log—but readers can also expect a proper introduction to frightening winter legends and their monsters.
Belanger states that while we live throughout spring, summer and fall, “we survive the winter”. And thus, throughout history we, mankind, have prayed to gods and spirits for our harvested food to withstand the cold months. We’ve revered creatures that stalk the chilly, shadowy woods at night, and we’ve manifested monsters that reward children for being good or (depending on culture) eat children for being naughty.
From the chain-clad Krampus to the shape-shifting Karakoncolos, from Yuletide witches to the child-beating Belsnickel, this book briefly breaks down their lore in quick, compelling chapters complete with whimsical (or frightening) illustrations! And of course Santa makes an appearance as well, because "...in the bleakest days of Midwinter, people need a good guy."
I absolutely loved this book! Definitely add this to your holiday wish lists, or better yet, your holiday reading lists!
As a lover of the long, dark, cold nights of winter and the holiday season, I was thrilled to receive a copy of this gorgeous book, written by Jeff Belanger who is a paranormal researcher, podcaster, and author of several books that speak on legends and folklore!
This book not only dives into the history of the winter holidays—the raucous Roman celebration of Saturnalia, the growing popularity of Christianity that brought on Christmas, the Nordic Yule feasts with the sacred ashes of the burning Yule log—but readers can also expect a proper introduction to frightening winter legends and their monsters.
Belanger states that while we live throughout spring, summer and fall, “we survive the winter”. And thus, throughout history we, mankind, have prayed to gods and spirits for our harvested food to withstand the cold months. We’ve revered creatures that stalk the chilly, shadowy woods at night, and we’ve manifested monsters that reward children for being good or (depending on culture) eat children for being naughty.
From the chain-clad Krampus to the shape-shifting Karakoncolos, from Yuletide witches to the child-beating Belsnickel, this book briefly breaks down their lore in quick, compelling chapters complete with whimsical (or frightening) illustrations! And of course Santa makes an appearance as well, because "...in the bleakest days of Midwinter, people need a good guy."
I absolutely loved this book! Definitely add this to your holiday wish lists, or better yet, your holiday reading lists!
August 31, 2023
A fun and snappy look at the creepy side of Christmas.
I love reading about the history of holiday traditions, and it’s pretty much a tie between Halloween and Christmas for my favorite. This book is sort of a blend of both, looking at the more sinister figures connected to Christmas lore and how they came to be.
Belanger has combined solid and thorough research with clever tone and a sense of humor, and the book is just the right length for the subject matter.
Highly recommend the audiobook format if you’re able to read that way. The author narrates and he’s fantastic.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I love reading about the history of holiday traditions, and it’s pretty much a tie between Halloween and Christmas for my favorite. This book is sort of a blend of both, looking at the more sinister figures connected to Christmas lore and how they came to be.
Belanger has combined solid and thorough research with clever tone and a sense of humor, and the book is just the right length for the subject matter.
Highly recommend the audiobook format if you’re able to read that way. The author narrates and he’s fantastic.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
December 11, 2023
This is an interesting short book about the dark and scary history and traditions of Christmas. I initially picked it thinking it was a Christmas-themed horror fiction, but it was a pleasant treat to realise from the introduction that it was a historical nonfiction about a lovely holiday.
It's a short and concise read, which I appreciated as it didn't try to drag on unnecessarily just to hit a page length goal. While it didn't blow me away to earn a 4-5 stars rating, I would still give it a solid 3.5 stars and definitely recommend it as a short, light, and quality book that is perfect for the holiday season.
It's a short and concise read, which I appreciated as it didn't try to drag on unnecessarily just to hit a page length goal. While it didn't blow me away to earn a 4-5 stars rating, I would still give it a solid 3.5 stars and definitely recommend it as a short, light, and quality book that is perfect for the holiday season.
December 24, 2023
This is an awesome short book featuring the history of the horrifying characters of Christmas that is perfect to listen to as you wrap presents. The author argues that Christmas is more terrifying than Halloween, and I agree. Belsnickel, the Christmas cannibal scarecrow, the Yule cat-are you kidding me?!
I especially loved the history of St. Nicholas Day, as I have been celebrating it with my Polish family my entire life without really knowing much background.
I loved learning about the Yule lads and their calendar of mischief (today is Door Sniffer’s Day) and I loved the story of La Befana. I also liked the author’s assertion that we benefit from primal fear and the darkness of winter. We put up lights as a symbol that our neighbors can come to us in times of darkness-metaphorical and physical. While there is a lot of talk of pagan traditions, I loved the final message of Christmas as a time of renewal of our spirit and opportunity to become changed through charity.
I especially loved the history of St. Nicholas Day, as I have been celebrating it with my Polish family my entire life without really knowing much background.
I loved learning about the Yule lads and their calendar of mischief (today is Door Sniffer’s Day) and I loved the story of La Befana. I also liked the author’s assertion that we benefit from primal fear and the darkness of winter. We put up lights as a symbol that our neighbors can come to us in times of darkness-metaphorical and physical. While there is a lot of talk of pagan traditions, I loved the final message of Christmas as a time of renewal of our spirit and opportunity to become changed through charity.
December 24, 2023
Super fun to read. Great illustrations, interesting lore, all written in a way that is approachable to multiple ages and types of readers.
December 7, 2023
This book defies genres. It is a feast of European folklore and holiday traditions, seasoned with Belanger's personal insights and experiences and his trademark cheeky humor. (My favorite holiday monster is the Welsh Mari Lywd, the creepy horse skeleton that enters your home to demand prezzies. Yikes.) The depth of Belanger's historical research is impressive, stretching from the pre-Christian period to the present day. He encourages readers to embrace the darker side of the holiday season, and under the veneer of humor his concluding message is genuine: We can only survive the monsters if we do it together. The book itself is beautiful and highly gift-worthy, and the illustrations are incredible. One of Belanger's best!
December 8, 2024
A fun read that can be accomplished in a sitting or two. Written in an easy, informal style and accompanied by plenty of charming illustrations, this book lays out the origins of Christmas and introduced me to a few delightfully nefarious characters, such as Grýla and the Karakoncolos, whom I'd never met before.
December 3, 2023
I thought this was going to be a horror book on Christmas, but it turned out to be a non-fiction book about how Christmas (as we know it) evolved from some pretty creepy stories!
Read
December 25, 2023Bardzo interesująca, klimatyczna i dobrze napisana książka o folklorze świąt.
December 4, 2024
Whoops, looks like this took me two Christmas seasons to finish 😂 I don’t read much nonfiction, but the writing was really engaging and it had lots of really interesting information!
December 20, 2024
Si sienten curiosidad por los orígenes de la natividad y los horrores que la envuelven, este libro puede ser un buen parte aguas, ligero y entretenido.
December 29, 2023
Give this a listen or a read if you enjoy learning about folklore. Jeff Belanger does the narration himself on audiobook, which is how I followed along. Lots of interesting info!
September 17, 2023
This is the kind of Christmas book that I can definitely get behind it is a bookful of the scary beast that only come out around Christmas time it talks about the different traditions where they come from and some we even find out where they began and where they sit in popular media. This book is narrated by the author and I thought he did a phenomenal job I really enjoyed this book and learned so much I didn’t know about the scary things that could happen on and around Christmas I thought Krampus and the three ghost from Charles dickens a Christmas Carol where is scary as it gets but oh no it gets a lot scarier and it’s all in this book The Fright Before Christmas there’s even a ghost called Greela who has 13 kids that also stock at Christmas time this is a definite five star review and a book I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend I just loved it! I want to thank the Author an Netta Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
December 14, 2023
The author's voice is pervasive and intrusive, making this a far from enjoyable read. Worse, spotting a few factual errors on subjects I do know about made me instantly distrustful of all the material that I'm less familiar with. Ultimately I bought this as a resource to reference and found it untrustworthy for that role. It is a very nice-looking book, so I guess there's that.
November 20, 2024
A fun lil Xmas eve read!
December 6, 2024
4.3⭐️
“Krampus and Saint Nicholas are cohorts. The original bad cop/ good cop. Krampus handles the dirty work while Saint Nicholas keeps his hands clean.”
I had such a fun time reading this book! I absolutely love Christmas, so the chance to dive into the history of the holiday learning about the religions that celebrate it, where their traditions originated, and the creatures associated with it was perfect. Plus, it’s such a quick read! I wouldn’t have minded if it were longer since I enjoyed it so much, but honestly, it felt like the perfect length. I’m planning to read something more substantial next, so this worked well in the meantime.
What I loved most was how this book made me even more excited for Christmas. It gave me a deeper appreciation for the holiday by showing why people celebrated it in the past and where those traditions came from. The writing style was humorous and had me laughing at times, and the illustrations were great. I loved seeing the different creatures come to life on the page, and the inclusion of actual source material and postcards from the 1800s was such a nice touch.
The visuals really brought everything together, giving me a clear representation of the various holidays, characters, and creatures the book explored. Honestly, I feel like this is a must-read for anyone who loves Christmas or just wants to understand why we celebrate the way we do. It’s a great read, and I can already tell this will be a book I revisit every December. Highly recommend it!
“Krampus and Saint Nicholas are cohorts. The original bad cop/ good cop. Krampus handles the dirty work while Saint Nicholas keeps his hands clean.”
I had such a fun time reading this book! I absolutely love Christmas, so the chance to dive into the history of the holiday learning about the religions that celebrate it, where their traditions originated, and the creatures associated with it was perfect. Plus, it’s such a quick read! I wouldn’t have minded if it were longer since I enjoyed it so much, but honestly, it felt like the perfect length. I’m planning to read something more substantial next, so this worked well in the meantime.
What I loved most was how this book made me even more excited for Christmas. It gave me a deeper appreciation for the holiday by showing why people celebrated it in the past and where those traditions came from. The writing style was humorous and had me laughing at times, and the illustrations were great. I loved seeing the different creatures come to life on the page, and the inclusion of actual source material and postcards from the 1800s was such a nice touch.
The visuals really brought everything together, giving me a clear representation of the various holidays, characters, and creatures the book explored. Honestly, I feel like this is a must-read for anyone who loves Christmas or just wants to understand why we celebrate the way we do. It’s a great read, and I can already tell this will be a book I revisit every December. Highly recommend it!
December 9, 2023
Christmas is so much more interesting when you focus on the history, the lore, and the creators we had around the world before we let Santa Claus conquer it. This breezy read is a short introduction into some of that history (covered more thoroughly in older, out of print books) and an overview of a cast of characters only recently being discovered outside of their countries of origin. It's a fantastic read.
A criticism I've read is that it's not in depth enough for some people. That's fair. There is undoubtedly more to be said about these creatures. But these are creatures essentially shared word-of-mouth. There aren't many published texts to share. They mostly exist as symbols and habits. The fact that the author interviewed individuals who grew up with these traditions and characters was enough for me. What was it like to grow up with these characters? Like that? Cool. That's what you get here.
A criticism I've read is that it's not in depth enough for some people. That's fair. There is undoubtedly more to be said about these creatures. But these are creatures essentially shared word-of-mouth. There aren't many published texts to share. They mostly exist as symbols and habits. The fact that the author interviewed individuals who grew up with these traditions and characters was enough for me. What was it like to grow up with these characters? Like that? Cool. That's what you get here.
December 10, 2024
This is quite a mess.
Chapters veer off into not necessarily related tangents, the author seems to consider numerous people he interviewed a lot more interesting than I do, there’s numerous repetitions of points already made, half the chapters end in sensationalist “and monster x is biding it’s time in the shadows” nonsense and the decision to put quotes from a given chapter somewhere in the text in bold, magazine-layout style, irritated me irrationally.
And yet, I learnt several things I’m likely to annoy my surroundings with, the author’s politics are correct, there’s many an amusing turn of phrase, and, as somebody who in the past has been likened to the Grinch more than once , the entire thing left me in an oddly festive mood, so I can’t help but recommend the entire thing despite it’s shortcomings.
Chapters veer off into not necessarily related tangents, the author seems to consider numerous people he interviewed a lot more interesting than I do, there’s numerous repetitions of points already made, half the chapters end in sensationalist “and monster x is biding it’s time in the shadows” nonsense and the decision to put quotes from a given chapter somewhere in the text in bold, magazine-layout style, irritated me irrationally.
And yet, I learnt several things I’m likely to annoy my surroundings with, the author’s politics are correct, there’s many an amusing turn of phrase, and, as somebody who in the past has been likened to the Grinch more than once , the entire thing left me in an oddly festive mood, so I can’t help but recommend the entire thing despite it’s shortcomings.
December 8, 2023
A very informative and fun book to read. It provides historical facts of how holiday traditions are celebrated in different parts of the world. It takes a rather dark and macabre dive into the origins of these traditions but it also gives true meaning and purpose to this holiday season. Overall, it puts things in perspective that perhaps these fables and yule tide monsters are not necessarily outside of ourselves but that we alone have the power to make our lives more meaningful and merry especially during this dark and cold Winter Solstice. A great read.
December 24, 2023
Truly enlightening regarding the traditions around Midwinter and the large cast of characters that appear in folklore throughout the global North. Easily readable and fun, this will probably become a book I revisit every Christmas!
January 15, 2024
Fun spooky folklore read for celebrating the darkness of winter. Curl up for an afternoon in a cozy corner while sipping cocoa or hot tea and learn about different intriguing yule monsters from around the world.
August 29, 2023
*Audiobook
This is a book about the dark side of the Christmas season.
I learned some stuff about all sorts of creepy monsters and lore.
It was interesting and fun. Sometimes I had a hard time staying focused on it but the narration was good.
This is a book about the dark side of the Christmas season.
I learned some stuff about all sorts of creepy monsters and lore.
It was interesting and fun. Sometimes I had a hard time staying focused on it but the narration was good.
November 26, 2023
A quick, fun, and easy read about the monsters of Christmas, but I was not a big fan of the personal stories interjected here and there. Still a good holiday read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews