I didn’t dislike Christmas and Other Horrors, but I did think it could have been better. It’s good that the stories don’t just revolve around Christmas, and there’s some interesting stuff here featuring other winter holidays and traditions. It would have been good, considering the types of stories included, to have more non-American authors featured, instead there’s American ‘takes’ on different cultures’ folklore and winter traditions. To a point, it’s fine, but if an aim of an anthology is to include stories from beyond North America, why not include writers who aren’t from North America?

I found this particularly evident in “His Castle” by Alma Katsu. This story is about a pair of immortals who return to their ‘home village’ at Christmas to enact revenge on the ‘gentry’. The short story is set in the modern day, but it kind of paints a particular area of Wales as ‘behind the times’, with locals who are hostile towards the couple for “being from London”, and identify them as such based on their car. Despite the fact the area the story is located in isn’t as remote as made out in the story, the locals are backwards and aggressive in a way that just feels insulting. Fact is, the details feel off throughout it, but in ways you’re only going to identify if you’re familiar with the area. I can’t speak for the other countries represented throughout the anthology, but although mostly enjoyable, one or two had the same sense of something being off, a kind of unfamiliarity or stiffness in the way they tried to evoke specific areas.

There were, though, stories I did like in this anthology. “The Blessing of the Waters”, “Dry and Ready”, “Return to Bear Creek Lodge” and “All the Pretty People” are intriguing, memorable stories that each gave a varied flavour. As for the others, on the whole I found myself more frustrated than entertained by these. “The Lord of Misrule” I struggled through, and found the MC deeply unpleasant, and something about “The Ghost of Christmases Past” put me off.

I do think these anthologies might serve as good introductions for people who aren’t as familiar with horror, or who are looking to find more authors within the genre beyond big names like King, as there are really great authors with solid stories included here.

Winter is for horror, too! While many readers are grabbing cozy mysteries and Hallmark-esque romances, I'm glad to see our favorite horror authors writing something seasonal and downright terrifying. Highly recommend to other horror readers.

4-4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this. It is one of my favorites by Ellen Datlow and was perfect for the holiday season. It is at its best when it digs into the various solstice lore, but even those that venture out are usually solid. This is more good than bad, but there were a few stories that were a bit of a slog that make it hard to give this 4.5-5 star. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it.

So I've read half of this book. And will probably finish the other half next Christmas. I was reading them with my husband which was a really nice activity to do together. There is a real mix of stories. But they all seem genuinely founded and I like the reasonings behind each story. It has also helped me discover some authors I will read full works of.

Not a bad collection of stories! I have always loved tying Halloween/horror into Christmas and this hit the mark. Most were pretty solid with a few weaker ones in the mix but still enjoyable. My favorite was Josh Malerman's contribution. Thank you for the ARC!

I was hoping that I would be able to read it before it got archived but I wasn’t able to. I will look at it now that it’s available in physical copy as it does sound great.

Thank you so much to Titan Books for the e-ARC of Christmas & Other Horrors!

Christmas & Other Stories has it’s hits & it’s misses. I loved reading stories centered around different Christmas legends and exploring authors I’ve never read before, but unfortunately some of these stories didn’t really stick with me.

just like every short story collection, there are some great stories and some that I didn't love. but overall it was a well thought out collection.

Excellent collection of short stories from a variety of authors. Some definite favourites in here, everyone should find at least a few stories that appeal to them.

As compared to other horror anthologies I’ve read I really appreciated the author's notes at the end, sometimes for clarification and others just to get an insight into the author's head. I also appreciated that these stories actually felt like they fit the theme. It wasn't just winter or just Christmas, it explored other traditions and religions. Also it wasn’t just one aspect of horror. I was worried it would be all bleak and depressing but it wasn’t. There were genuine ghost tales and explorations of older folk tales and myths as well as just tales of being with family and friends. It felt sometimes like The Twilight Zone.

I devoured this a story-a-day, sometimes reading physically and sometimes by audio and can say the narration is very good if you choose the audiobook route. Also some of these authors I had never read a story from before and it gave me a good taste of what they sound like. Like Glen Hirshberg and Tananarive Due. This was also my first Stephen Graham Jones story and I appreciated the quirky mixed with horror.

Some favorites include:
-The Ghost of Christmases Past by Richard Kadrey (gory but was surprised where this went)
-Return to Bear Creek Lodge by Tananarive Due (the narrative and pacing in this one was really well done)
-His Castle by Alma Katsu (Not all is what it seems)
-After Words by John Langan (I'm still thinking about what happened)

I really think it’s best to treat this like an advent calendar and digest one by one. Every story held up.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

This was an original and unique set of stories! Perfect for any fan of horror but strictly a Christmas narrative! This one was perfect to ease into the holiday season for a reader who likes to center their reading around the holidays and such. I loved a few stories more than others but overall, I really enjoyed the entire experience!

Being someone who loves the dark season I always like to save a few wintry books to read in the middle of summer. Its mid-June and I have just finished this collection of winter short stories. I enjoyed it overall and it certainly gave me all the spooky, festive vibes that I miss at this time of year. If you love winter and spooky tales, but find the heat of summer depressing and draining, then this is the ideal anthology to curl up with. It will transport you back to the pagan roots of the winter solstice and leave you with tingles down your bikini clad spine! I loved it.

This was an interesting mix of stories and styles, and it felt like a good length. I also loved the immersion in culture and folklore - particularly in 'The Importance of a Tidy Home' and 'Löyly Sow-na'.

As with all anthologies, there were a couple of stories I didn't enjoy as much. In particular, I found 'The Malkin Field' and 'Dry and Ready' particularly hard to follow.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and it is definitely something I would consider re-reading during a future Christmas.

Like most anthologies Christmas and Other Horrors was a mixed bag of fantastic written horror and some just didn’t hit the mark for me. That usually makes rating anthologies a little more difficult.
I very much enjoyed the concept of different winter traditions and what folklore they’ve pulled from. Stand out authors from this anthology: Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, Cassandra Khaw and Alam Katsu

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Fans of horror and holidays will discover a handful of tales in this collection that leave a lasting impression on the reader. This anthology of seasonal horror stories proved to be a perfectly assembled collection of stories that each are enjoyable. I didn't find a bad one in the bunch. Each contributor infused their own unique flair into the mix, resulting in a diverse array of chilling tales with a holiday flavor. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a scary Christmastime read.

This was an extremely interesting anthology of seasonal horror stories. Each author brought something special to the table. I think any horror fan will find at least a couple stories in this collection that will stick with them!

I don’t ever expect to love every story in a multi-author collection, but it really bugs me when a huge percentage of the included stories essentially ignore the purported theme of the collection.

Most collections have at least a few stories where this happens, but this book had a huge swathe of them. It’s disappointing how many of the included authors here seemed to have just written whatever story they felt like writing and then thrown in a paragraph that says something like “and by the way this all happened at Christmas,” as though that satisfies the requirements. I really wish the editor here had required her authors to follow the theme, because this isn’t really much of a Christmas themed horror collection at all.

It also just isn’t the greatest collection of stories in general. There’s really only one true five star read in here (The Lord of Misrule).

Others worth a read are: The One He Takes, His Castle, and Gravé of Small Birds. The rest range from really disappointing to average, and you can probably skip them.

It’s a shame for the better stories included and even for those that did at least follow the theme, but there’s just not enough here to make it worth it, especially when there are so many holiday collections out there that truly are as advertised.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc. I look forward to reading more.

Like many short story collections, I found this a bit hit or miss. Some were very atmospheric and creepy, exactly what you might want from a Christmas themed horror collection. While some were downright ridiculous or silly. Which, I guess, you might also expect from a Christmas themed horror collection.

All in, though, it was a fun read, offering a strong alternative to the Christmas themed romance novels which seem to have come in vogue recently. If you like horror and short stories and need to cut through the Christmas year, this collection is for you!

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars. A thrilling and horrifying anthology from some already beloved authors and many more added to my list to check out. The perfect Christmas anthology!