People have long believed that the festive season is the time of year when the world of the spirit stands at the shoulder of the world of the living. That can be a cheery thought, filling the heart with the warmth of a roaring fireplace. But not always. Sometimes that thought can bring an icy chill like the first frost of winter. Collected here are 7 short tales which will fill you with the Christmas Spirit….one way or another
Seasons bleatings, my festive tribe! I thought we’d kick off this month with a collection of short, festive horror stories. Before I go into the actual book, I have to say that I really love that the cover looks like one of those old style Christmas cards. It’s so retro and fills me with seasonal nostalgia.
Overall, I have to say this collection is very strong. The writing is consistently good, and the stories, though strung together through the theme, aren’t alike each other at any point, so there’s some great variation in the styles and degrees of horror here.
Without further ado, let’s get into my 3 favourites…
PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE
I’d read this one before in Lex’s other short story collection, Whistling Past the Graveyard, and didn’t site it as one of my favourites in that one. However, of all the stories there, it’s the one I remember most vividly, and I was delighted to see it again here. It starts off sort of normal and gets a bit weird in a really unsettling way, and will make you rethink that Christmas carol…
RED FROST
Ronald and Larry are old friends that served together in the military, which you’d think would make them really loyal to each other, but Ronald is a bitter asshole that betrays Larry in the worst possible way. A year to the day of said betrayal, Ronald realises that he might not be getting away with it after all. It’s a very chilly, frosty story, and perfect for this time of year. I don’t want to spoil anything but I feel compelled to mention that ordinarily I’m not really that interested in ghosts, but if there’s one thing that Lex excels in, it’s ghosts.
THE LIGHTS AREN’T AS GOOD AS THEY USED TO BE
Cyril is a total monster! This puts a whole new spin on the idea of Christmas decorations (think less mistletoe and silver bells, and more hanging decor of human and animal remains). This one really took me surprise because with this author, I’m used to a subtle building of dread and suspense, not an all-out bloodbath. It was WAY more violent than I expected, and thus, a pleasant surprise.
Overall, this is a great read if you’re looking for horror with a festive spin at this time of year, and I’d recommend it to general horror fans. If you’d like to get a copy or check out the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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