Halloween might seem like the spookiest time of the year but Charles Dickens, M. R. James, Edith Wharton, and other literary greats felt otherwise. They were among the many authors who set their most terrifying stories during the dark and chilly days of Christmastime. Reading a ghost story on Christmas Eve was once as much a part of traditional holiday festivities as turkey, eggnog, mistletoe, and Saint Nick.

On this episode we share a submitted holiday ghost tale from one of our listeners as we dive into the lost tradition of sharing ghost tales during Christmas accompanied with a few California Christmas ghost tales.