Here's a decent collection of tales centered around various celebrations that occur at the closing of the year. There's nothing too gory here, though the creepiness feeling is strong. All stories are enjoyable; some far more memorable than others. With tales set all over the globe, I really loved the international feel to this one. Recommended to anyone who loves to see a good celebration ruined by a demon or two.

This is the perfect read for the run up to Christmas. I really enjoyed the fact that each story was based on a different Christmas tradition or story from cultures all around the world. Some stories were stronger than others but I feel like that is the joy about an anthology of short stories, if you didn't enjoy one story there will be another you love. I'm definitely going to look up a few of the authors I enjoyed to read their other works. Overall a great read and great to have something different to the usual Christmas romances we get at this time of year.

I love Christmas centered horror and this one didn't disappoint! Plus it's full of all the new upcoming horror writers that I currently enjoy. A definite win-win. I loved this.

Christmas and horror are an unlikely fun mix to curl up with as the weather turns colder.
The short stories in this anthology are perfect for a grown up bedtime story. Well.... Some of them are. I found the stories to be hit and miss in how enjoyable and interesting they were.
For me the first story was the best (keep your house clean) and they went down hill from there in their enjoyment, but not their creepiness.
Not bad, just lacking. I think I prefer longer stories.
Grab this book, a blanket for a cozy, but spooky seasonal read.

I am not a big anthology reader, but I love horror and Christmas is my favorite time of the year, so I couldn't skip the latest stories collection edited by Ellen Datlow "Christmas and Other Horrors".
The title is already badass and I enjoyed the majority of the stories included in this collection. I particularly enjoyed those that originated from folklore or traditions, here are my favorites:
- The Importance of a Tidy Home, by Christopher Golden (my number 1)
- Return to Bear Creek Lodge, by Tananarive Due
- All the Pretty People, by Nadia Bulkin
- After Words, by John Langan
I would recommend this for horror lovers and readers who enjoy short stories!
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

* I'd like to thank Titan Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Horror and Christmas are two of my favorite things so I was so excited for this collection and overall it didn't disappoint! It's hard for every story in an anthology to be a hit, but I liked the vast majority of them. And a few of them were so good I didn't want them to end! There's a great mix of authors (some I'm very familiar with and others I'd never heard of, which is ideal in a collection like this), as well as a great range of subjects covered (I'm glad we get so much more than just Santa!). It's a perfect book for horror fans to easily dip in and out of throughout December.

I felt like this book had a perfect pace. They also had a really good mix of authors. It was nice being able to pick one up and put one down without them all feeling overbearingly long. It's also nice that it follows the solstice and not just Christmas don't let go of the other Horrors. This was a really fun book 10 out of 10 do recommend

Christmas and Other Horrors is an eclectic short story anthology that touches on many different holiday rituals and traditions found around the world. For me this was a delight because I often say in my reviews how thankful I am to journey around the world through fiction. I learn so much!

With stories written by several incredible writers: Alma Katsu, Garth Nix, Stephen Graham Jones and Cassandra Khaw, I found myself enthralled, unsettled and even terrified. The subjects range from surviving nightmarish creatures who exact a hefty price if they find that your home isn’t tidy enough to the lingering damage caused by generational trauma to the horrifying consequences of gazing at a neighbor’s window on the night of the Winter Solstice.

A small detraction from the wonderful stories was the writers’ commentary accompanying each one, I felt like it took away from the other worldliness of the stories to have the authors immediately explain their writing process at the end of it in italics. I would have preferred this to be in an Epilogue or Footnotes section that I could read when I was finished.

I was drawn into this collection by two of my favorite authors: Alma Katsu and Stephen Graham Jones, and while the other authors' stories were fantastic, theirs were definitely my favorites.

“Our Recent Unpleasantness,” by Stephen Graham Jones was the story that left me the most unnerved, while “The Mawkin Field,” by Terry Dowling was beautifully written, but had me feeling more perturbed than frightened.

Overall this is a great holiday collection for horror lovers so definitely get your hands on it!

This was a fairly solid anthology, with only a few weak links, filling what is (to me) an otherwise empty niche of a holiday horror collection with top-tier authors. It seems like it will be perfect to re-read in the lead up to Christmas.

I am a big fan of horror and of course Halloween but do love a good yule/Christmas tale but so often we don’t get horror. We might get ghostly stories of apparitions visiting people to change their ways before it’s too late. But for so long I have wanted a collection of Christmas horror and I am pleased to report that I have finally found it! Ellen Datlow has presented a perfect collection of yuletide horror that will tick the boxes of most, if not all, horror fans who want a festive chill.

Now, of course with any anthology you may get hits or misses and while for me there were not misses I did like a few abit more than others. My absolute favourites being The Importance of a Tidy Home by Christopher Golden, His Castle by Alma Katsu and The Ghost of Christmases Past by Richard Kadrey. That said all of the collection was amazing! Each writer’s style and voice was so varied and brought their own unique take on what yuletide terror can or should be. If you are looking for the perfect way to spend the darker nights then the stories in this collection offer just that. Be sure to be snuggled up with some hot chocolate or hot beverage of choice because this collection will bring the shivers and chills.

Short story collections generally don't get the love they deserve. This is one that deserves all the love! Horror's best writers are here, and able to step out of their mainstream successes to do some different themes in this format. As always, some shone brighter than others, but they all shared a bit of magical horror focused on the winter solstice. Perfect book for the horror fan to get in the mood for Christmas and stop mourning the end of Halloween

If I see an anthology curated by Ellen Datlow then I just know it's going to be a hit. And this is Titan Books?! AND IT'S SEASONAL HORROR?? And the T.O.C.!?! Stop reading this review right now and just grab the book. A story a day keeps The Ghost of Christmas Future away!

The stories vary, and while they were not quite what I anticipated, they were still enjoyable. They take the dark and eery parts of the winter and play with them. Definitely recommend reading if you want lingering scares of Halloween, or just like dark stories to accompany a long dark night!

2.5 Stars (50/50 ) - Didn't love it, didn't hate it!

Tananarive Due saves this one!! I love a good snowy setting and she delivered. Plus, I'm left speculating and wishing I could find out more about what happened... and that's exactly what I love to get out of a story!

These stories are all quite slow and psychological too which I do typically enjoy but when a story is this short, I'm not sure it works for me in this instance, sadly!

Don't get me wrong though there are definitely some gory moments sprinkled throughout the collection (especially the first story) but you're definitely in for a slow-burn ride.

From early reviews this seems to be working fantastic for a lot of people so I think I'm just the minority on this one. I'm still quite new to diving into the Horror genre so it could also just be that I haven't found out my preferences yet, so until then, I'll be trying everything!

-Sarah

I don't know how Ellen Datlow does it, but with Christmas And Other Horrors she's put together another stellar collection of creative, contemporary horror, this time around the theme of Christmas. There are some truly spectacular, eerie, and horrifying takes on the season and I promise you will find much here to relish and recoil from!

Thanks to Titan and netgalley for the ARC.

Every once in a while - masochist that I am - I decide to read some horror. Now if you know me personally, you know that I am a notorious scaredy-cat. But I do love a bit of pure terror now and again (I work in healthcare, whaddaya know).

Living in South Africa means that my Christmases are sunny, hot, and mostly near the beach (or water, at least). So diversifying the Christmas experience is a lifelong hobby.

Long story short, that’s what drew me to Christmas and Other Horrors. This anthology covers December-ish traditions around the world - Kwanza, Hanukah, Solstice Celebrations and the traditional Christmas, as well as a variety of rituals and beliefs, many that I’d never heard of (they’re real - I googled them).

There is a smorgasbord of horror elements in this rather meaty anthology, certainly more than enough to entice this occasional dabbler. Settings range from the expected USA and UK, but also travels beyond, including Australia and Finland.

Although two of the short stories did not appeal to me, overall I really can’t recommend Christmas and Other Horrors enough. The reader must be willing not to consider their own holiday traditions too holy, though, lest they ruin it all by taking offence!

***NO SPOILERS***

I've wanted a collection of Christmas horror for so long.
I was always afraid that I'd only find Krampus stories.
This collection satisfyed that need to every degree, and now I have hope that I will find more.
All of these stories had their own unique, twisted take on the one holiday that some people dread the most.
I recommend, and dare you all, to read this.
You will absolutely love it!

I think the cover of this and the title really made me hope for scary Christmas frights. That cover really is gorgeous. It's one of those books I'd just buy to have that on display!😂
But, the stories lacked the scares I was looking for, and I found myself a bit disappointed and a little bored at times.

I will say that a couple of stories did stick with me. I did enjoy Tananarive Due's story. She had the well written story that you'd expect from her and a nice creep factor. Also, M.Rickert's The Lord of Misrule had that a well done evil little kid horror trope.

All together, I gave this 3⭐️. I really just wanted more bloody scares!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this e-arc. I really enjoyed this short stories collection.

Everyone always associates Halloween with horror and ghost stories. What people forget is before recent times, Christmas and the Solstice was the traditional time for ghosts to come out and stories to be told. Think Dickens, one of the most iconic and well known stories, A Christmas Carol, is centered around Scrooge's experiences with ghosts and the supernatural. Halloween, Samhain, whatever holiday you celebrate in the fall, is only the beginning of stories surrounding the supernatural and entities unseen.

I've really been enjoying anthologies lately. There were a few well-known authors I've read before, but I was introduced to the writings of many I didn't know, which I love. I can then go and check out some of their other writings. There were also stories based in folklore and myths that I had not heard before, and I felt like I was getting to explore stories from around the world in a genre I enjoy. The stories were eerie and dark, and left me thinking. Some left me unsettled. As with any anthology, there were some stories I was drawn to more than others and that resounded with me, but all were solid and worth the read. I highly recommend this for someone looking for a non-traditional holiday book, that goes back to the roots of Christmas, Yule, Solstice, etc. storytelling.

Please be advised I received a free copy of this anthology in exchange for an honest review.