A collection of 18 original horror stories set in the winter solstice, some had Christmas themes but others were more connected to winter in general or myths surrounding the winter solstice. Like all collections of short stories, some were real stand-outs while others where not as strong. I think the stories that were very abstract were not my favorites although they did have the same unsettling atmosphere as those I liked the best. With authors such as Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman and Tananarive Due, you can expect some well written horror.

My favorite stories were "The Lord of Misrule", "Return to Bear Creek Lodge" and "The Importance of a Tidy Home". Each story contains an afterword by the author describing their inspiration for the story. There are stories for everyone here from those who celebrate Christmas, to a story set in Hanukah and even one story set to a Festivus celebration. Many of the stories are steeped in legends and myths and this would be a perfect read on a cold, snowy day with a cup of mulled wine to keep you company and your doors firmly locked! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

I love a great short story collection!

I saw a couple of the names that I recognized and HAD to check this out. Most of these stories are about the Solstice, so you won’t get a bunch of specifically Christmas related tales which was a tad surprising based on the title. A few of them do have holiday themes and atmosphere and I definitely love a good snowy horror setting.

This collection has a nice variety so there really is something for everyone in this book. If you do want that cozy, at home curled up by the fire for the holidays with your horror, there's some of that in here too!

If you are looking for true, consistent horror with all the blood and gore that comes along with it - this may not be the collection for you. There are some bloody and graphic moments throughout some of the stories, but most are more the psychological or slow-burn variety.

Live every short story collection - there are some stories I loved, and some that didn't work for me but I did enjoy reading this collection especially during spooky season.

Typically, with any kind of anthology, I end up liking some of the stories while others are more forgettable. Unfortunately, in this case of this anthology, all of the stories were forgettable. I do like many of the authors who contributed stories to this collection, but I just couldn't get invested in any of the stories, and none of them stuck out in my mind after I finished reading.

Short stories that are so fun to read and perfect for the Christmas horror fan. Most are solstice related, and they're a psychologically thrilling/slow burn collection rather than blood and gore. I appreciated some stories more than others but there's something for everyone in here.

Ho-Ho-Horror! This holiday horror anthology begs you to no let the Christmas spirit in.

The holidays may be the most magical time of year, but what if that magic turns against you? In this short story anthology, some of our top horror writers imagine the winter solstice as a time of dark and brutal cosmic retribution. We are introduced to stories about spirits, gods, witches, saints and more whose powers are used to punish as easily as they are to reward. Stories represent all different religions, myths, folktales and more (not just Christmas). "There's nobody who deals in joy and horror more than the big man - Santa - who is always watching, always judging, and punishes or rewards us like a terrible god."

I picked up this anthology because it included one of my favourite horror writers, Cassandra Khaw. Her story, 'Cold', is a stand out because of her trademark prose and her folkloric inspiration. "She was a girl when the saint collapsed at her door, which is how all such stories begin." Wear a sweater for this one.

I may never get into a sauna again because of Josh Malerman's story, 'Löyly Sow-na". Our main character is visiting his Finish girlfriend's parents, and has been invited to sauna with her dad. The sauna experience turns suffocating and mystical. Just like Malerman's most famous book, BirdBox, this story makes you feel the world tightening around you with no real answers as to why, or what to do next.

The surprise stand out for me is Christopher Golden's 'The Importance of a Tidy Home'. It's based on Germanic folklore about spirits who visit houses during the new year and reward tidy homes. In this version, our main character is homeless, and is able to see these spirits enter and inspect homes. However, if the home isn't up to par, the spirits resort to gruesome punishment.

If you are like me, and get overstimulated by holiday cheer, this book is a great balance. Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the advanced reader copy.

This book is best read during the winter solstice, but only after you’ve locked all your doors and checked that the chimney flue is closed tight.

I thought this was an interesting collection of stories. I thought that including different holidays and folklore really gave this anthology variety and kept each story fresh. Of course I liked some more than others BUT there were none that I specifically disliked. If you want some variety in your holiday horror, his does a better job than most winter holiday anthologies I've read!

This was a short story collection featuring horror stories about Christmas and other winter holidays. I've read a few of the authors in this collection but not all of them and I think that I discovered a few new (to me) authors that I really liked! I think that my favorite story out of all of them was The Importance of a Tidy Home, but all of these stories are fantastic. It was nice to be able to pick this up and read one of the stories whenever I needed a horror fix.

Like all anthologies, some stories worked more for me than others. A good handful of the stories felt like a lot of buildup to no real payoff of horror or scare, and maybe would have been more effective fleshed out into a full novel. But the majority brought a great amount of suspense, horror, and holiday tradition. I appreciated the many different kinds of folklore utilized and the length of the stories that made it a quick read overall.

I was so keen to read this anthology. I was anticipating demonic Santas, murderous reindeer and a bunch of unfortunates getting impaled on Christmas trees and strung up with lights. Basically, a not so silent night.

I was so focused on the cover image that I entirely missed where it clearly states ‘and other horrors’ and ‘winter solstice’. My initial surprise quickly turned into delight because, while I got Big Bad Santa, I also encountered an array of local legends and the darkness that lurks during the longest night of the year.

The Importance of a Tidy Home by Christopher Golden

Freddy knows all about the Schnabelperchten, who come one night a year to ensure households are prepared for the new year. Being homeless, it’s as though Freddy is invisible to them. This year will be different.

I loved the growing dread of this story. I hadn’t heard of the Schnabelperchten. I would be so dead.

“Chi chi chi.”

The Ones He Takes by Benjamin Percy

Joel’s family made it onto Santa’s naughty list last year and I am more delighted than I probably should be that Santa is the Big Bad of this story.

“You’re safe here, buddy. I’ll protect you.”

His Castle by Alma Katsu

Trevor and Cate have come to Wales for the holidays. A few of the locals are keen to introduce them to the tradition of Mari Lwyd, the grey mare. But Trevor and Cate grew up in Wales and they know a thing or two themselves.

“There’ll be revellers coming to your door one night”

The Mawkin Field by Terry Dowling

This story is set in Australia so of course there’s a fridge filled with beer in a random field. Colin Traynor stops by for a cold one.

“Don’t disturb the cupboards!”

The Blessing of the Waters by Nick Mamatas

Nasos has come to implore Father Gus to go ahead with the blessing of the waters. Father Gus may not believe in Christmas goblins but Nasos sure does.

“You can’t cancel it, Father. It’ll be your fault, what happens next, if you do.”

Dry and Ready by Glen Hirshberg

Aliyah’s father made his family promise to honour their Hanukkah tradition. She doesn’t know why it was so important to him but they grudgingly go through the motions every year.

I was lulled into a false sense of security for some of this story before being blindsided in the most wonderful way.

“So they know they’re remembered.”

Last Drinks at Bondi Beach by Garth Nix

Light and darkness, Bondi Beach and predators.

“Then you must bring her here. Into the dark. Bring her to me.”

Return to Bear Creek Lodge by Tananarive Due

Johnny comes face to face with the creature from his nightmares.

“Always take your shot, Johnny.”

The Ghost of Christmases Past by Richard Kadrey

Every year, the scar on Laura’s arm begins to itch and she prepares for her Christmas lockdown.

“I’m not going to end up like Reiner”

Our Recent Unpleasantness by Stephen Graham Jones

Jenner absolutely didn’t see what he saw that solstice night.

“I want my two seconds back, please”

All the Pretty People by Nadia Bulkin

It’s time for the Airing of Grievances portion of Festivus night.

“Grievances should be directed toward a person you know”

Löyly Sow-na by Josh Malerman

Russell has travelled to Finland with Hannele, his partner of six months. It’s time for him to meet her father.

“What are your motivations?”

Cold by Cassandra Khaw

Welcome to the apocalypse.

“It had died slowly, by degrees, choking wetly on denial of its circumstances.”

Gravé of Small Birds by Kaaron Warren

As the most attractive woman on the island, Jackie is sure that she will be the Beauty this year.

“If they got this wrong, there could be consequences - and had been, in the past.”

The Visitation by Jeffrey Ford

This Christmas Eve, there may be an angel at Jill and Owen’s door. Or maybe it’s just an elderly man who farts a lot.

“From sunrise on the day of Christmas Eve to sundown on the day after Christmas, if a stranger comes to your door seeking shelter and assistance, you are compelled to help them.”

The Lord of Misrule by M. Rickert

Darla is going to meet her partner’s son. Don’t let his cute teddy bear slippers fool you. This kid is in charge.

“I can send you away too if I want.”

No Light, No Light by Gemma Files

This story brings an apocalypse that’s climate change and vulcanology, with what’s quite possibly my favourite ship, the Naglfar.

“Everything about me is a lie.”

After Words by John Langan

Thirty years ago today, he last saw Maria Granza.

“There were thirty-three days left for her to complete the Great Work we had begun. Until the winter solstice.”

My favourite stories in this anthology were by Christopher Golden, Benjamin Percy and Glen Hirshberg but there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. My inner bah humbug was satisfied, my love of mythology was catered to and I found some new (to me) authors whose work I need to catch up on.

This is one of those books that you’re likely to enjoy regardless of whether you’re on Santa’s naughty or nice list.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this anthology.

Christmas and Other Horrors
Horror
Various authors
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I love Christmas and I love horror films so this book seemed like the perfect one for me.

Some stories were better than others. I felt like a few of them didn't even make sense and I was left thinking "what did I just read?".

Other stories I really liked though. The Importance of a Tidy Home by Christopher Golden was my favourite one. It had good world building and a great MC. I loved how creepy the Schnabelperchten were!

The Ghosts of Christmases Past was another good story. I wasn't expected the twist that happened and I really felt sorry for Laura's husband, Jordan.

Although there were 18 stories all together, I wish some of them were longer.

I'll definitely be checking out some other books by some of the authors featured in this anthology!

*Thank you to @Netgalley, the author and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

4..7 stars.
I really enjoyed the stories in this anthology. I loved how they drew upon all different folk lores. I also loved how it mixed both Christmas and horror together. I had not heard of some of the authors so it gave me some new authors to look up.

Solid anthology with some really interesting short fiction. Enjoyed the winter theme.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy to read and review.

Not a huge short story reader, but this is fantastic. Stories of all different lengths by a variety of amazing authors. In addition , I have already hand sold all the copies in my store and am eagerly awaiting more.

Title: Christmas and Other Horrors
Tagline:
Author: Multiple

Release Date: October 24th, 2023

Category: Short Story Collection

Synopsis: The winter solstice is celebrated as a time of joy around the world—yet the long nights also conjure a darker tradition of ghouls, hauntings, and visitations. This anthology of all-new stories invites you to huddle around the fire and revel in the unholy, the dangerous, the horrific aspects of a
time when families and friends come
together—for better and for worse.

From the eerie Austrian Schnabelperchten to the skeletal Welsh Mari Lwyd, by way of ravenous golems, uncanny neighbors, and unwelcome visitors, Christmas and Other Horrors captures the heart and horror of the festive season.

Because the weather outside is frightful, but the fire inside is hungry...

Featuring stories from:

Nadia Bulkin, Terry Dowling, Tananarive Due, Jeffrey Ford, Christopher Golden, Stephen Graham Jones, Glen Hirshberg, Richard Kadrey, Alma Katsu
Cassandra Khaw, John Langan, Josh Malerman, Nick Mamatas, Garth Nix, Benjamin Percy, M. Rickert, and Kaaron Warren.

The UnReel Take (based on averages across the collection):
Story(s): 2.5
Writing: NA
Characters: NA
Setting: NA
UnReel AR: 2.5

Bottom Line: Christmas and Other Horror is a collection of terrifying tales about the holiday season. The contributor list is a veritable who's who of popular spooky authors and I was excited to read some of their shorter pieces. As with all anthologies, I've rated each story individually and my overall rating is just the average of those. Each story ended with a paragraph from the author, explaining how they engaged with the prompt. A few of these were interesting, but they didn’t add much to the collection overall.

The Importance of a Tidy Home by Christopher Golden
3 – A bit heavy-handed but with an MC that’s easy to root for. Mostly just creepy but there is some body horror sprinkled in. I’d also never heard of Schnabelperchten but was unsurprised to learn the Austrians have tidiness demons.

The One He Takes by Benjamin Percy
3.5 – Felt more like an opening to a novel than a self-contained story. That said, the characterization was solid and the overall atmosphere was bittersweet as December 26th.

His Castle by Talma Katsu
3.5 – Beautifully written and imaginative but not particularly scary.

The Mawkin Field by Terry Dowling
2 – Any story about a terrifying scarecrow will capture my attention, but the ending of this was highly unsatisfying.

The Blessing of the Waters by Nick Mamatas
2 – Deep water is horrifying but this story was not.

Dry and Ready by Glen Hirshberg
1 – Short stories require a certain amount of ruthless writing and I think Hirschberg could’ve been more ruthless here. A shorter word count would’ve maintained the tension better.

Last Drinks at Bondi Beach by Garth Nix
3 – The experimental format and Australian setting made this story stand out from the bunch. Not particularly scary though, more a cool idea than anything.

Return to Bear Creek Lodge by Tananarive Due
4 - Atmospheric and a solid example of how scary sorrow can be.

The Ghost of Christmas Past by Richard Kadrey
2 stars – I think I’m just bored of the “crazy b**ch trope.

Our Recent Unpleasantness by Stephen Graham Jones
1 – I know SGJ is the hot-girl of the horror world but his writing style just doesn’t work for me.

All the Pretty People by Nadia Bulkin
2 – Well-written but the characters were more pathetic than frightening.

Loyly Sow-Na by Josh Malerman
5 – Best story in the collection by far; Finish sauna horror is the sub-genre I never knew I needed.

Cold by Cassandra Khaw
1 – The only post-apocalyptic story included, with beautiful imagery bug not as shocking as it tried to be.

Grave of Small Birds by Kaaron Warren
DNF – To boring to finish, despite the attempted shock-factor with the language.

The Visitation by Jeffrey Ford
2.5 – A fine story but I didn’t connect with the writing style.

The Lord of Misrule by M. Rickert
2 – Strong “insufferable cottagecore girl” energy but by design.

No Light, No Light by Gemma Files
3 – Great setting and I loved the Norse influence.

After Words by John Langan
2.5 – You know how in horror movies the girl who has sex always gets murdered? Imagine that but add Christmas and remove anything that isn’t dialogue.

Ideal Reading Location: The living room, at night, in the red glow of the Christmas tree.

Drink Pairing: Hot chocolate. Dealer’s choice if it’s spiked with something…

Easy to pick up and put down when you’re in need of a horror fix, or feeling like a little change of pace from your current read. I often read 1-2 stories a day and it was a perfect pace for me.

This book was a terrifying delight! Comprising of multiple short stories set around the holiday season, this one has fun and spooks for all. Some of the stories were down right scary. I loved that each story had an author's note at the end explaining any lore that inspired the plot.

Wow. I loved these stories so much. Properly spooky and creepy, and even semi-nightmare inducing. I can't stop thinking about a few of the stories. I will definitely be recommending this anthology to the people in my life. So good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

The first story by Christopher Golden really motivated me to clean my house. That is some effective horror. This is why we have legends and fairy tales. I will clean my car and office as well. I will never recover.

The second story, The Ones He Takes" was also nightmare worthy. So thanks for that. I will let the kids sleep in my bed on xmas eve.
I can't review all of them. I know that now but omg I love this entire collection.


Oh I love this book! Thank you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a delightfully creepy collection of tales all set around winter holidays, from Solstice to Christmas to Kwanzaa. The highlights for me were The Importance of a Tidy Home (a homeless man encounters the Schnabelperchten on the wintery streets of Austria), The One He Takes (Santa always expects his due), His Castle (a couple on holiday in Wales are not all they seem), The Blessing of Waters (an escaped convict explains to a Greek orthodox priest why he must bless the waters of the Long island sound - or face the consequences), The Ghost of Christmases Past (a woman who once survived Gryla spends every holiday season in lockdown fighting off other Christmas child-eaters), All the Pretty People (a girl literally ghosts her group of friends), The Lord of Misrule (a woman tries to escape her past, but every winter solstice it catches up with her) and After Words (a man tells his wife all about his high school love, while he slips in and out of reality).

I found this to be the perfect creepy read for the festive season and highly reccomend it to anyone who likes their scares bite sized. The stories span a wealth of genres so there's sure to be something for everyone!

Individual ratings:

The Importance of a Tidy Home - Christopher Golden 4/5
The One He Takes - Benjamin Percy 4/5
His Castle - Alma Katsu 4.5/5
The Mawkin Field - Terry Dowling 2/5
The Blessing of Waters - Nick Mamatas 4/5
Dry and Ready - Glen Hirshberg 3/5
Last Drinks At Bondi Beach - Garth Nix 3.5/5 (I actually wish this had been longer)
Return to Bear Creek Lodge - Tananarive Due 3.5/5
The Ghost of Christmases Past - Richard Kadrey 4/5
Our Recent Unpleasantness - Stephen Graham Jones 3.5/5
All The Pretty People - Nadia Bulkin 4.5/5
Loyly Sow-Na - Josh Malerman 3/5
Cold - Cassandra Khaw 3/5
Gravé of Small Birds - Kaaron Warren 3/5
The Visitation - Jeffrey Ford 2.5/5
The Lord of Misrule - M. Rickert 4.5/5
No Light, No Light - Gemma Files 3.5/5
After Words - John Langan 4/5

Christmas and Other Horrors is an anthology novel written by renowned horror authors like Josh Malerman and Stephen Graham Jones.

This collection of short stories was perfect for me. I normally don't review horror, but I definitely like the genre. I decided to read this anthology just before Halloween. It was the perfect mood setter; a lot of the stories sent a chill up my spine. The darker side of a celebrated holiday was explored quite well.

What I liked most about these stories is that they were based off actual legends from different cultures. This not only added a layer of realism to the stories, but it also encouraged me to look up the original mythology and get a visual . The authors also mentioned their thoughts about writing the story, which I found very interesting to read about.

Most of the stories were concise and I was quite entertained . A few stories fell short for me, but otherwise, I couldn't stop reading. The cover was also a factor in me reading this novel; hats off to the designer.

Thank you so much to all the authors, Titan books and NetGallery for the ARC! These are my honest thoughts.