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Huge thank you to the composers at Pixabay for the music in this week's episode. If you would like to support the artists, you may do so at the links provided below--

Music by Ashot-Danielyan-Composer from Pixabay

It has long been a holiday tradition to tell ghost stories on Christmas Day. I know it sounds sort of silly when said out loud, but trust me on this. Today is a lot more chilling than you might think. 

 

This practice spans over hundreds of years, dating back to a time when paganism was still quite popular throughout Europe. Although, instead of on Christmas Day, these ghost stories were shared around a blazing fire during the sabbath called Yule. 

 

For some context here, this feast is celebrated during the Winter Solstice--or rather the shortest and darkest day of the year. During Yule, it's quite common to burn a traditional Yule Log as a metaphorical yet practical way to fend of this vast darkness and the bitter cold that often comes along with it. 

 

Now even though times have definitely changed, there are some aspects of the Human Spirit that will always remain. In other words, just as we do today, our ancestors too loved to share ghostly tales within the warmth of a fires glow. And what better time to tell these stories than on the darkest night of the year?

 

Of course, as Christianity became more and more popular, Yuletide traditions began to shift. But the connection between Christmas and chilling stories of the great beyond remained ever-present in our holiday celebrations. In fact, as someone who maintains an eclectic sort of spiritual beliefs myself, burning a Yule Log has been tradition in my own home. And well we all know that I love a good ghost story. 

 

All of this is to say that I have a Christmas tale to share with you. Although, be forewarned, this story is anything but merry. 

The full show notes are available on the Haunts website. For more information about today's topic, along with a list of my sources, follow link provided below!

https://www.hauntscast.com/show-notes