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Witch Crafts - DIY Yule Log
I had planned to write an extensive post about Yule, the history of the Yule log, and create a really gorgeous log and write up a coordinating tutorial.
Well, the season got away from me and tomorrow is Yule.
And nothing I planned to do was done. *Sigh*
So instead you get a very basic, super simple Yule log.
All you need is:
A log about 15-18 inches long. I used white birch. Birch is symbolic of rebirth, renewal, and protection. It can ward off evil. Stripped of its bark, Birch is the traditional Yule Log. (You can use a Birch Broom the morning after the Winter Solstice to brush out the old year.)
A drill
A paddle drill bit (spade bit) the diameter of your taper candle base
3 taper candles (you can use more or less depending on the size of your log and your personal preference but I use 3 because I follow a Triple Goddess based branch of witchcraft)
How to Make It:
Get your log
Drill out your holes deep enough that the candles fit snuggly
Add your candles
Decorate to your liking
My Log:
Last Yule season we purchased a bundle of birch logs from someone on Marketplace. They were freshly cut and too wet to do anything with.
This year they were perfect. My husband sliced up several for me so I could paint ornaments on them.
But I kept one log from the saw, a nice gnarly one that sits on a flat surface without any help. Perfect for a modern Yule log.
I had my husband drill 3 evenly spaced holes for my candles (Yes, fake candles. I have 5 cats so I don't often burn taper candles. My candles are all in jars and not easy to tip over.)
I planned to create an arrangement with antlers, pine cones, fresh pine, and cinnamon sticks... but I couldn't get the antlers to look right. And then I just kinda lost my steam because my vision wasn't working. Then I actually forgot about it and now Yule is tomorrow. Oops.
Oh well, sometimes simple elegance is best.
Witch Crafts - DIY Pine Cone Wish Ornament
Pine cones are a wonderful holiday craft medium.
You can make all kinds of ornaments and holiday decor with them, and if you live in an area full of pine trees you can get them for free.
Pine's metaphysical properties include new beginnings, prosperity, strength, grounding, & growth so they also make a wonderful item to use for witch crafts.
During the Yule season, we often reflect upon our blessings & misfortunes of the year and set goals for the coming new year.
Use the pine cone to set your goals and wishes.
Grab a piece of parchment or regular paper and cut into small strips. Write down wishes, goals, and hopes for the new year.
Roll up the wishes and stick them into the pine cones.
Burn your wish cones on Yule, the Winter Solstice, December 21 as an alternative to your Yule log or in addition to your log. This releases your wishes to the universe.
If you don't want to burn your cones, or can't burn your cones, you can hang them on your Yule tree or place them on your altar as a reminder of the wishes you set.
If you are not burning them you can add fun decorations like glitter and charms to them. Even add herbs like cinnamon and cloves for love and prosperity and crystals like carnelian, sunstone, and orange calcite for festivity.
Save your cones and next year on Yule open up the wishes up and reflect on what came true and what you still need to work for. Add new wishes for the following year.
I'll have a bonfire on Yule and my family members will all be adding our cones to the fire, so nothing fancy was added to them.
But I think I might make one for the tree and fancy it up, just to see how cute they can be.
Queen’s Ascension Blood Prophecy Book Three by Barb Jones ~ Deck the Halls with Books Holiday Extravaganza
HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS MOVIES WITH TEENS
Whether you look forward to the presents, the cookies, the food, the music, there is one part of Christmas that also stands out. Yes – THE CHRISTMAS MOVIES! No Christmas season would be complete without the movies. I’m not really talking about the Hallmark Christmas Movies, but the movies that can be seen with the whole family, all ages, for a night of laughter and fun. I mean, who doesn’t like Buddy the Elf, for one?
Take for example, a family with teens (that’s me!). It is hard nowadays to pull them away for baking cookies, decorating the tree, all those holiday memories that they participated in when they were smaller. That time has been replaced with technology, video games, social media, you name it. Let’s be honest here. Not many teens nowadays want to bake cookies but they will be the first in line to take a cookie fresh out of the oven.
But one thing I can count on in spending time with my teens during Christmas is watching Christmas Movies. Not all, but certain ones. Buddy the Elf, for example, brings forth a sense of humor, comedy antics and his high level of energy that will engage the teens as well as the rest of the family. I put Buddy the Elf on at least once a Christmas season and my teens will curl up on the couch, with iPhones in their hand, but mostly they are watching and laughing. I even had my oldest text her friends about the funny scenes and soon, one after another, asked to come over to watch it with us. To me, it’s not about keeping the same traditions as your child grows, but to find ones that still warm them up to the holidays. The other movie that is a hit is Nightmare Before Christmas! With these two, we have always had so much fun keeping the Christmas spirit alive!
I will still bake the cookies, decorate the house, even if I do it by myself or with my mother. But the one tradition I can keep in my heart as my teens continue to grow up is a Christmas Movie. The key is to find that one movie or two that they will laugh at, they will love, and no matter how much time is spent on the movie, you are together with them and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. I know this year will be different. Not a lot of people can gather in one place, but there are creative ways to go about this. I already told my daughter to set up a watch party for her friends when we turn on Buddy the Elf! I will even deliver Christmas cookies to her friends so the only thing they are missing is being in the same room with us!
In fact, I am enclosing a chocolate bark recipe to make that teens will love!
Ingredients:
Ghirardelli’s Dark or Milk
Chocolate (4 oz at least)
Ghirardelli’s White Chocolate (4
oz at least)
*Miscellaneous toppings of your choice (I use broken candy cane pieces, sprinkles, etc.)
Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Melt Dark or Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate. I prefer to melt in a pot compared to the
microwave. Use a double boiler if you
have one. You want it to be smooth and
creamy, fully melted.
3. Pour the dark/milk chocolate over the parchment paper.
4. Drizzle the white chocolate over the chocolate.
5. Using a toothpick, swirl the white chocolate into the
dark/milk chocolate.
6. Decorate the top as you desire.
7. Place in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. Longer is sometimes necessary.
8. Once hardened, break into pieces.
*Serve this with a tasty chex mix
snack on the side! The combination of
flavors will be a hit – My teens take a bite of bark then a handful of chex
mix!
Queen’s Ascension
Blood Prophecy
Book Three
Barb Jones
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: World Castle
Blood Prophecy
Book Three
Barb Jones
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: World Castle
Date of Publication: August 17, 2020
ISBN: 9781953271013
ISBN: 9781953271020
ASIN: B08DKK66PM
Number of pages: 236 pages
Word Count: 86107 words
Cover Artist: Steven J. Catizone
Tagline: Bloodshed. Heartbreak. Revelation.
Book Description:
When the darkness was compelling and the heart knew no bounds, was there really a right choice? With Michael’s life hanging in the balance, Amber had a choice: save her star-fated love or keep on the crusade to unite the magical community.
For Amber, her fate was sealed even before her birth and it was her destiny to fight the great battle ahead of her. But, when it came to her heart -- her friends, her great love -- Amber’s torn. Not only was she the Queen, but she was a human in every sense of the word. She was vulnerable. And so the very people -- Chloe and Michael -- that gave her strength, quickly became her weakness. It wasn’t her fault she loved too much, was it?
Nevertheless, the Tall Dark Man had set a plan in motion that could threaten the very existence of the Blood Prophecy. Would he gather his dark forces and succeed in destroying Amber once and for all? Or, would she assemble her powerful friends and save the world?
Excerpt:
Malakai, Seattle, Present Day
With the betterment of both Michael and Rae, Malakai was glad that they were well and fine; nevertheless, he needed some time to decompress. All the magical commotions that had occurred were too overwhelming for him. He needed some sort of release.
He enjoyed the brisk jog in the park, as he cut through the sharp wind of the cold night. But this did nothing to lift his spirits. He was happy that Amber’s smile finally met her eyes. That was all he’d ever wanted for her: happiness, that’s it. There was nothing more he could ask for—she was his priority. Yet, in the back of his mind, as in his heart, he couldn’t help but believe the ancient legend that he’d heard so long ago was the certifiable truth, as it was written in Eschmun’s scroll.
…her fate is tied to the true alpha of the wolves. A blood drinker will stand formidable, but it is the nature of the child to call upon the true alpha and bring him to the queen’s inner heart.
Could this be the truth? he often wondered as he traveled the world collecting artifacts and evidence supporting this notion. Yes, he’d crafted a reliquary, quite accidentally, and people assumed it was to keep the magic insulated, away from the humans. But that wasn’t the case, at least not for him. He so wanted to believe, just from the sheer fact that it was said in the scroll. But Malakai was a man of logic, driven by cold hard data. Although wanting to romanticize that his destiny was tied with Amber’s, he needed confirmation. He wanted validation for the strong emotions he was feeling.
***
Zaraquel, Seattle, Present Day
Walking the cemetery grounds as she so often did without the knowledge of her parents, Zaraquel wandered at a leisurely pace. She whipped out her phone and checked the time, which read midnight. Her brow quirked in confusion, as she had expected Loquiel some time ago. With her long hair styled in two braids and her bright red coat to keep her warm, she sat down on a bench.
She was elated that her best friend, other than the one that was currently running late, was alive and breathing. Rae had given Zaraquel a terrible fright, for she had never known the death of someone close to her heart. She shook, not from the cold, but from remembering the tragic vision she had of Rae’s demise.
A throaty growl awoke her from her thoughts. She heard the fast footfalls of someone, something, running toward her, and she put her fight training to use. Zaraquel spun around, so much so that her wings unfurled. But that did not deter the undead man from attacking her. His decaying flesh was a sight she instantly wished she could unsee, but she had to fulfill her duty and protect the people, which meant ridding the world of this monster.
She punched him in the stomach as her father had taught her, but that did nothing to stop him from throwing his fists at her. She dodged his poor attempts at aiming for her and grabbed his arm, twisting him around so he fell to his knees. Her weight on his back caused the corpse to fall to the ground. It growled in anger, shaking its head savagely, as if it couldn’t wait to get back to its feet. Zaraquel, however, had plans of her own. She stood briefly to step on his neck to keep him from moving, and whispered a spell she’d learned from a book.
“Capite obtruncato intestinisque extractis.”
She heard the cracking of his bones, the stretching of his skin; with a pop! his head flew off, gore spattering in every direction. His body went limp, as it was before he had risen from the ground.
Zaraquel sighed in frustration as she walked off, disappointed from another unnecessary and unjustified kill. She continued to walk the grounds and felt a rush of warm wind, the kind she felt every time Loquiel was near. She turned and there he was, right behind her.
About the Author:
Barb Jones was born in Hawaii, a place rich with culture and storytellers. As a little girl, scary tales about vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, and witches were her favorite kind — much to her mother's dismay. Her love for the supernatural never went away, even after moving to Seattle, far from Hawaii's majestic beaches with unusual colors. Despite the unmatched beauty in Hawaii, Seattle stole Barb’s heart and it’s here where her stories took on a new form, in a book of her own: The Adventures of Little Arthur and Merlin the Magnificent.
Then, the idea for The Blood Prophecy came while she was sleeping. In a dream, Barb saw a unique storyline involving all the races and an epic battle of good versus evil. It was a modern-day plot with a three-thousand-year-old prophecy, The Blood Prophecy. Barb finished the first book in 2014, The Queen's Destiny. Two years later, she released The Queen's Enemy, and the third book in the series, The Queen's Ascension, arrives on August 17, 2020.
She is not only a paranormal thriller author but an IT professional and mother of two fantastic children. Today, she resides in Florida but is still a Seattle girl at heart.
Then, the idea for The Blood Prophecy came while she was sleeping. In a dream, Barb saw a unique storyline involving all the races and an epic battle of good versus evil. It was a modern-day plot with a three-thousand-year-old prophecy, The Blood Prophecy. Barb finished the first book in 2014, The Queen's Destiny. Two years later, she released The Queen's Enemy, and the third book in the series, The Queen's Ascension, arrives on August 17, 2020.
She is not only a paranormal thriller author but an IT professional and mother of two fantastic children. Today, she resides in Florida but is still a Seattle girl at heart.
Newsletter sign-up: https://www.thebloodprophecy.com/#Newsletter
Website: https://www.thebloodprophecy.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blood_Prophecy1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebloodprophecy/
Witch Crafts - DIY Yule Witch Balls
Yule Witch Balls are also known as Blessing Balls.
They follow the same principle as jar spells and
witch bottles but they get dressed up to look prettier for the holidays and
often focus on something positive for your home or the person you are giving
them to, like prosperity, protection, fertility, etc.
Witch Balls are most often used for protection
against negativity, evil spells, harmful spirits, and sickness.
Traditionally they were hung in the windows of homes
and barns, often an east facing window where they could catch the morning
light, but you can hang them anywhere including on your Yule tree.
They are a wonderful craft to make with family and
friends.
All you need are clear holiday ball ornaments, glass
or plastic, and a bunch of witchy craft supplies.
Gather bits and piece of items to include in your
balls like dried herbs, glitter, feathers, sea shells, small bits of crystals, cinnamon
sticks, ribbons, beads, charms, twine, and string, and tiny holiday accessories
like glitter snowflakes, pine needles, moss, and dried berries…everything just
has to be small enough to fit in the opening of the ornament.
Some people also write intentions on a small piece
of parchment paper, roll it up, and place it in the ball.
You can’t do this wrong.
You can seal the ornaments with glue or wax
drippings. Wrap them with string, twine, or ribbon and adorn them with beads or
charms.
Here are some corresponding items for different
types of witch balls.
Prosperity:
Shredded Bits of Play Money or a folded
Dollar Bill
Bay leaf
Basil
Chamomile
Clover
Green, Silver or Gold Glitter
Cinnamon
Cloves
Patchouli
Ginger
Amethyst
To Focus on Prosperity in the New Year add:
Cinnamon Stick
Pine Needles
Juniper Berries
Cloves
Love:
Allspice
Catnip
Lavender
Peppermint
Heart-shaped Cutouts
Pink or Red Glitter
Rose Petals
Jasmine
Dried Lime Peels
Granulated Sugar
Chamomile
Daisy
Ginger
Mistletoe
Yarrow
Apple seeds
Pink (romantic love) or red
(passionate love) feathers
Paper hearts
Seashells
Crystals: Rose Quartz, Garnet, Moonstone, Red Agate
Creativity
and Inspiration:
Feathers
Sage
Tobacco Leaf
Birch Bark
Peppermint
Symbols of your artistry such as
paintbrush tips, crayons, or colored thread
Crystals: Clear Quartz, Lapis
Lazuli, Jade, Flourite, Tiger’s Eye
Apple Blossom
Lavender
Barley
Comfrey
Eucalyptus
Fennel
Chamomile
Allspice
Olive
Rosemary
Rue
Sandalwood
Wintergreen
Peppermint
Vetiver
Allspice
Cedar
Cinnamon
Ginger
Mugwort
Nettle
Crystals: Obsidian,
Amber, Amazonite, Larimar, Amethyst
Festivity:
3 Vanilla Bean Pods
Whole Allspice
Dried Tangerine or Orange Peels
Sprig of Pine
Crystals: Carnelian, Orange Calcite, Sunstone
Family Peace:
Lavender buds
2 Sprigs of Thyme
Dried Cilantro
Rose Buds
Crystals: Rose Quartz , Clear Quartz, Selenite, Smoky Quartz
Anise
Bay Leaf
Geranium
Clary Sage
Angelica
Basil
Bay Leaf
Clove
Coconut
Holly
Rose
Crystals: Black
Tourmaline, Onyx, Obsidian, Labradorite
Grounding:
Sandlewood
Patchouli
Myrrh
Clary Sage
Frankincense
Black Tourmaline
Before crafting you can call a circle to protect your magic.
You can also put your intent into
the creation of the ornaments.
You may even say a little incantation over them as you work.
Something like:
Magic
shall come today
To
bring blessings my way
Magic
to hang on the Yule tree
As
I will it, so it shall be
DIY Santa Skull Ornaments
These are pretty easy to make.
What You Need:
Wood Slices (You can buy these at craft stores)
Acrylic Paints in White, Black, Red, and Green
Clear Polycrylic
Fine Point Paint Brushes
Drill and Small Drill Bit
String or Wire
How To Make Them:
Grab your wood slices and determine where your top will be.
Drill a small hole in the top center of your wood. This is where you will put wire or string for hanging the ornament. I always drill first because if you want until your painting is done you can mess up your paint. Sometimes the wood may split and that could ruin all your work. So always drill first.
If you plan to have a background color paint that first. I usually leave the outer ring of the tree and bark visible.
Once your background is dry paint a skull shape. Doesn't have to be perfect, make it fun.
Once skully is dry you can add the Santa hat. Start with the red area, let that dry then add the white fluffy parts.
Add your skull face last.
Once your paint is dry, clear coat with a clear polycrylic to seal your design.
Wait for the clear coat to dry then add your string and hang your ornament on your Creepmas Tree.
On the Thirteenth Day of Creepmas... Zombie Christmas Carols
This is the Creepmas book you didn't know you needed!
Zombie Christmas Carols!!!!
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies!: A Book of Zombie Christmas Carols
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies!
This delightfully depraved book of classic Zombie Christmas carols by Michael P. Spradlin is guaranteed to spread Yuletide cheer to all those good boys and ghouls who devoured the monster New York Times bestsellers Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and World War Z, as well as fans of 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead.
With an introduction by the inimitable Christopher Moore—bestselling author of Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck, and the classic “heartwarming tale of Christmas terror” The Stupidest Angel—It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies is a great gift for stuffing into a Christmas stocking…provided you remove the bloody severed foot first!
On the Twelfth Day of Creepmas...Creepy Christmas Coloring Books for Adults
Creepy Creepmas - an adult colouring book: a holiday adventure for colourists
Rick is known for his detailed illustrations and this book won't disappoint-hours and hours of fun and relaxation in these pages and sharing the finished projects with your friends will be ghoulish fun.
Recommended for intermediate to advanced colourists using dry media (coloured pencils, crayons etc).
The Beauty of Horror: Ghosts of Christmas Coloring Book
May your days be scary and bright! Ghouliana sinks her fangs into The North Pole, causing all kinds of chaos and havoc on Christmas Eve with this spooktacular holiday-themed coloring book!
Ghosts of Christmas is a perfect stocking stuffer with its new 7" x 7" size... and for the first time in the series, enjoy one-sided, perforated pages. Now you can color, frame, and display your GOREgeous creations under the mistletoe.
Intricately illustrated by best-selling artist Alan Robert, this new volume is overflowing with limb-filled stockings, zombified elves, burning gingerbread houses, and decaying reindeer. Even good ol' St. Nick is terrified to turn the pages! A terrific gift idea for horror enthusiasts and fans of the Beauty of Horror series.
Mister Sam's is by far the best. I'm not a huge coloring fan and I want to order this book.
Mister Sam Shearon's Creepy Christmas
The happiest time of the year is also the creepiest.
Winter has an even darker and richer lore than Halloween. For centuries, people have feared creatures from ancient legends born of this time of year. Tales such as giant hairy monsters who live in the mountains and will snatch you up and eat you were used to ensure children didn't wander off in the snow and become lost.
These were indeed just stories … or were they?
This festive feast of fear contains 40 original hand-drawn and inked illustrations from a variety of traditional beliefs and legends from around the world, including British, North American, Nordic, Icelandic, Austrian, and Germanic folklore. Mister Sam Shearon’s Creepy Christmas features characters such as Krampus, Grýla, Santa Claws, Rabid Rudolph, the Grimace Tree, the Wendigo, the Snow Bear, the Yule Cat, the Abominable Snowman, and many more. Ready for you to bring to colorful life with fearsome festive cheer, each page is also accompanied with a poem—a guide to these creepy creatures from the season of ice and snow!
www.CreepyChristmasColoringBook.com
Mr. Cthuhlu presents: A Krampus Christmas: Frighteningly fun holiday activities
Ok the description below is awful - obviously whoever wrote this...well I don't think English is their first language. But the book preview looks pretty cool. So if you love Poe and Christmas maybe give it a try. If it is awful you can get a refund from Amazon.
Edgar Allan Poe Christmas Coloring Book
Edgar Allan Poe Christmas Coloring Book
PERFECT!!! The Christmas atmosphere is coming to the art world of Edgar Allan Poe now! Let's wake up your creativity and enjoy the great time you have with this Edgar Allan Poe Christmas Coloring Book right away!!
An outstanding collection of appealing illustrations and gorgeous drawings of Edgar Allan Poe based on the Christmas theme will be portrayed to you when you open this Edgar Allan Poe Christmas Coloring Book!
Just grab your favourite pack of crayons and help Edgar Allan Poe - the great artist to decorate his world with your own creativity!! Christmas decorating is never a big deal!!
Wrong coloring? Who cares!! Flush all of that hesitation away and get ready to be an excellent Christmas masterpiece maker!!
On the Eleventh Day of Creepmas....Christmas Horror Stories
Love Christmas Horror?
Here are some of this year's newest HolidayHorror releases.
I think I need to add The Christmas Bell to my Kindle.
From horror master Rick Wood, author of The Sensitives and This Book is Full of Bodies, comes ANOTHER twelve horrifying stories to spook up your Christmas season!
From a festive family of cannibals, to a terrifying present, to a psychotic Santa... here are twelve stories guaranteed to make your Christmas sick and twisted!
Features stories such as:
- The Present
- Christmas With the Cannibals
- 'Twas the Night Before Murder Part Two
- Christmas Night of the Living Dead
- My and My Christmas Jumper
- Carolling With Killers
- Interview With Krampus November 2020
- Tiny Tim: The Trauma Years
- A Letter From Simon
It's time to bring some horror to your festivities...
This Christmas, e-art now presents to you this unique collection of the darkest tingling Christmas mysteries and horror tales:
Who would ever say no to the master storytellers when they have to offer their darkest tingling Christmas mysteries and horror tales as a holiday present:
The Silver Hatchet (Arthur Conan Doyle)
What the Shepherd Saw: A Tale of Four Moonlight Nights (Thomas Hardy)
Markheim (Robert Louis Stevenson)
The Wolves of Cernogratz (Saki)
Mustapha (Sabine Baring-Gould)
The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance (M.R. James)
The Christmas Banquet (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
The Ghost's Touch (Fergus Hume)
Glámr (Sabine Baring-Gould)
The Ghosts at Grantley (Leonard Kip)
A Terrible Christmas Eve (Lucie E. Jackson)
Ghosts and Family Legends (Catherine Crowe)
The Ghost: A Christmas Story (William Douglas O'Connor)
Thurlow's Christmas Story (John Kendrick Bangs)
The Mystery of My Grandmother's Hair Sofa (John Kendrick Bangs)
The Abbot's Ghost; or Maurice Treherne's Temptation (Louisa M. Alcott)
Old Applejoy's Ghost (Frank R. Stockton)
Wolverden Tower (Grant Allen)
The Christmas-Eve Vigil (James Bowker)
Told After Supper (Jerome K. Jerome)
The Box with the Iron Clamps (Florence Marryat)
Joseph: A Story (Katherine Rickford)
The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton (Charles Dickens)
The Ghost of Christmas Eve (J. M. Barrie)
The Dead Sexton (Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu)
Uncle Cornelius His Story (George MacDonald)
The Grave by the Handpost (Thomas Hardy)
Number Ninety (Bithia Mary Croker)
At Chrighton Abbey (Mary Elizabeth Braddon)
The Haunted Man (Charles Dickens)
Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions (Charles Dickens)
The Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
The Black Bag Left on a Door-Step (Catherine L. Pirkis)
Between the Lights (E. F. Benson)
Transition (Algernon Blackwood)
The Kit-Bag (Algernon Blackwood)
Some Christmas ornaments should be left in the attic.
When Candace Mills, 26, heads home for the holidays to visit her mother and ailing grandmother, she's expecting a peaceful, dull Christmas. She has no idea, though, that a single Christmas ornament is about to send her into a whirling chasm of evil.
It starts with the Christmas bell, scratched and worn in one of Grandma Anne's boxes in the attic. Once they put it on the tree, Grandma Anne starts to say terrifying things and act strangely. Candace and her mother assume it's her dementia talking—until they start to have dangerous encounters with a fiendish being.
As the secrets of Anne's past involving her twin sister rise to the surface, the women face sinister horrors from a dark force looking for revenge.
The Office meets Stephen King, dressed up in holiday tinsel, in this fun, festive, and frightening horror-comedy set during the horror publishing boom of the ’80s, by New York Times best-selling satirist Andrew Shaffer.
Out of work for months, Lussi Meyer is desperate to work anywhere in publishing. Prestigious Blackwood-Patterson isn’t the perfect fit, but a bizarre set of circumstances leads to her hire and a firm mandate: Lussi must find the next horror superstar to compete with Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Peter Straub. It’s the ’80s, after all, and horror is the hottest genre.
But as soon as she arrives, Lussi finds herself the target of her co-workers' mean-spirited pranks. The hazing reaches its peak during the company’s annual Secret Santa gift exchange, when Lussi receives a demonic-looking object that she recognizes but doesn't understand. Suddenly, her coworkers begin falling victim to a series of horrific accidents akin to a George Romero movie, and Lussi suspects that her gift is involved. With the help of her former author, the flamboyant Fabien Nightingale, Lussi must track down her anonymous Secret Santa and figure out the true meaning of the cursed object in her possession before it destroys the company—and her soul.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree... what lurks among thy branches...
Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year. Candy canes and hot cocoa. Snowmen and sleigh rides. The love and hope that the Nativity brings. Cold milk and warm cookies for Santa. Family, friends, and the cheerful laughter of children.
But, beneath the festive wrapping paper and the gleam and glitter of the lights and tinsel, things less jubilant may lie in wait. The holiday season can bring love, peace, and benevolence... but it may also spawn a darkness lurking amid the shadowy boughs of the Christmas tree, ornaments that should have never seen the light of day, let along hung on festive branches, and bones that jingle and dance, in search of Santa's crimson suit... and the flesh that resides within.
In this collection of harrowing holiday tales, Ronald Kelly leaves ten frightful and horrific gifts in the Christmas stockings that hang from the mantle of your cheerful fireplace. Ghastly and gruesome presents that slowly unwrap and burst into life while you are tucked, snug and warm, in your bed and take on nightmarish form in the icy winter hours of Christmas Eve, turning comfort and joy into terror and dread.
Stories included in this collection:
Jingle Bones
The Skating Pond
Depravity Road
Heirlooms
The Winds Within
Then Came a Woodsman
As for Me, My Little Brain
Beneath the Branches
Papa’s Exile
The Peddler’s Journey
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