Free horror stories, perfect for Christmas and shadowy winter evenings

Why did we stop telling ghost stories at Christmas? In the antique days in Victorian England, it was a tradition to gather together and tell each other ghost stories. Often the action takes place in icy and shadowy castles or somewhere far away on a icy, icy night. Here are some great tiny stories you can read for free, perfect for Christmas.

The tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas is an antique one, especially in Britain and Northern Europe during the Victorian era. Big names like Charles Dickens with his celebrated “Carol” this is one example.

Today, many of these classics have entered the public domain and can be read and shared by anyone for free. Here we have collected some horror and ghost stories set during Christmas and perfect for shadowy and snowy evenings.

First published in 1820 in Irving's masterpiece, The Sketchbook, Christmas Dinner is the charming story of the great American writer, creator of such timeless classics as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. Painting the scene of a Christmas dinner spent around the table at Bracebridge Hall, a country house, the merry songs and stories around the table echo the joy of Christmases long gone. A charming but melancholic story in which the narrator joins a established English Christmas dinner in an antique country house, filled with fun, archaic customs and the bittersweet shadow of absent loved ones. More of a spooky warmth than straight horror.

One of James's lesser-known but fascinating stories – set at Christmas and told in the form of a series of letters about a disturbing Punch and Judy show, a mysterious disappearance and a ghostly visit on Christmas Eve. It first appeared in print in the June 4, 1913 issue of the magazine Cambridge Review. It was republished in 1919 as part of an anthology Thin ghost and others.

Christmas Re-union is a story from the collection NOT EXACTLY GHOSTS by Andrew Caldecott, maintaining the antique tradition of Christmas ghost stories. This is a slightly newer publication, published in 1947. During a holiday gathering, antique family secrets come to lithe, leading to a sinister discovery about a long-dead relative – and a chilling presence that suggests some sins don't stay buried.

In this chilling tale by JS Le Fanu, the death of a corrupt sexton on Christmas Eve triggers supernatural events in his graveyard – as if his ghost lingered, disturbing the peace. First published in 1871

A spooky card game? During Christmas? Yes! Charlotte Riddell was a well-known writer of Victorian times, at least her stories were published under a male name. This was published in 1863. Siblings inherit a haunted mansion and on Christmas Eve witness a spooky reenactment of a long-forgotten murder, finally revealing the truth behind a hundred-year-old disappearance.

Set on Christmas Day, this gothic moral thriller follows a man who murderously enters an classic shop and is visited by a mysterious figure – perhaps the devil, perhaps a savior – who challenges the darkest impulses of his soul.

Between the Lights is a tiny horror novel published in 1912. Between the Lights is part of the tiny story collection “The Room in the Tower and Other Stories”, also published in 1912. At a Christmas party, a man recounts a bright vision he experienced while playing hide and seek – a shapeless, sinister figure moving in the gathering darkness, blurring the line between memory and premonition.

On Christmas Eve, guests exchange scary stories at a cozy inn – until a real, bloody intruder named “Jerry Bundler” shows up and turns the Christmas warmth into real fear.

Equipment Bag Author: Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) From the December 1908 Pall Mall Magazine. A law clerk preparing for a holiday trip is tormented by the ghostly presence of a hanged murderer, whose belongings – including the titular bag – may still carry his restless spirit.

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