The perfect festive read for a chilly winter evening - especially for someone who loves horrors like me!

The fact this is a short story collection made me enjoy it even more. You could dip in & out throughout the month. Each writer’s style & voice was so unique and varied. Of course there were some stories I preferred - as with all story collections, but still were all a great read.

The anthologies edited by Ellen Datlow have always been, to me, an essential read, but when I saw the theme of her latest book – Christmas and Other Horrors: An Anthology of Solstice Horror – for the first time I felt a slight waver of enthusiasm. This was due to my (admittedly flawed) assumption that the contributions would likely be a collection of variations on a similar theme – stories set around the Westernised version or Christmas, or folk horror tales featuring Krampus. I’m pleased to say that my expectations were proved hopelessly wrong – I should have had better faith in Ms Datlow’s skill as an editor – because the stories in Christmas and Other Horrors do not fall into a traditional style and, as such, deliver a superb breath of scope in terms of tone and theme. There are even a couple of tales from Australian writers so even the wintry elements are mixed up with the summer feel of how those in the Southern Hemisphere experience it. To a reader from the UK this adds a surreal aspect to the story.

As with any anthology, what I find as a favourite will not necessarily match up with your choices, yet as an overall book of short stories, the breadth and scope is huge. There was only one or two that I didn’t really enjoy. The contributors do a fine job of illustrating the darker aspects of the winter solstice, picking up on the tradition of ghost stories told over a flickering fire, something that goes back as far as humans have existed. After each story is a short piece by the respective author, giving an illuminating insight into their own experiences and memories of Christmas, and what it means to them.

Return to Bear Creek Lodge by Tananarive Due is wonderful familial tale of (in the author’s own words) “intergenerational trauma”, a loose sequel to her previously-published story Incident at Bear Creek Lodge. Richard Kadrey’s The Ghost of Christmases Past offers a sinister alternative to child-eater Krampus in Gryla, an Icelandic witch whose supernatural counterparts have terrorised Laura since she was ten years old. The Visitation by Jeffrey Ford is a brief story, but none the more disturbing by its brevity, about the Angels of Accord who call at a house for assistance over the Christmas period, almost as a moral test.
Australian Terry Dowling’s twist on the theme is refreshing and sinister, in The Mawkin Field, as our narrator comes across a refrigerator standing in a field in the middle of a backwater New South Wales town. This was one I was still thinking about weeks later. The always reliable John Langan’s After Words is a rather erotic tale of black magic and sex, told via a series of dialogues between a post-coital couple.
Kaaron Warren’s Grave of Small Birds is one of the longer tales, about a gathering on an island for the Twelve Feast days of Christmas, a celebration of food and wine, but where ancient traditions still hold fast. Our Recent Unpleasantness by Stephen Graham Jones is a surreal tale in which a voyeuristic dog-walker sees something unsettling through one of his neighbours’ windows. Benjamin Percy’s heartbreaking yet unsettling The One He Takes is vividly told, featuring a grieving couple in snowy Minnesota who wake one morning to a Christmas miracle. But their joy is short-lived as they hear the approach of something dark and sinister…

Christmas and Other Horrors is yet another of Ellen Datlow’s original anthologies that mark her out as one of the best editors working today. The fact that she has had such a remarkable career over such a long time period is testament to her skill and hard work, and this latest collection of short stories comes highly recommended.

Christmas and Other Horrors: An Anthology of Solstice Horror was a horrifying, dark and gory read for winter solstice. With horror greats like Alma Katsu and Josh Malerman, this anthology is sure to bring the terror into the holiday season. From one terrifying tale to the next, there is something for everyone that delights in spooky season year round.

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This anthology does an excellent job with the inclusivity of the holidays and mythologies in this Christmas horror collection. I also felt that it started strong with stand-out tales from Christopher Golden (The atmospheric tension in this story was an absolutely perfect start!) , Alma Katsu, and Nick Mamatas. Gemma Files wrote my personal favorite near the end.
As with many anthologies, I didn’t connect with or enjoy all of the stories equally; but the curation of differing writing skills and styles will almost certainly result in at least a few stories connecting with each reader.

Thank you so very much to Titan Books and NetGalley for taking a chance on me and allowing me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review! I know you get so many requests and I am grateful you sent one to me.

First and foremost, I LOVED the originality of this anthology. The last few years I’ve been looking for more holiday-related reads outside the romance genre. And this delivered! This book also introduced me to a plethora of “new to me” authors whose bodies of work I look forward to exploring. So, main missions accomplished, IMHO. However, as a full body of work, this anthology fell prey to the same plight that most others seem to face, the middle set of stories just didn’t work as well for me. The anthology started with a bang with multiple 4- and 5-star stories. But then I hit a streak of stories that barely made it to 3 stars, and even a handful that I just refused to finish bc they weren’t working for me and were just too long. All in all, I enjoyed my time here and even found a few stories I could revisit in coming holiday seasons.

Some stories were better than others, and I didn't enjoy them all. But there were some I really loved! This is a great anthology for horror fans who also love Christmas. I also intend to seek out the authors whose short stories I enjoyed in this book.

I really enjoyed learning new and old traditions that surround the holidays at the end of the year. While most people are familiar with holiday traditions like decorating a tree, Santa Claus, and big family meals, this story collection gives so much more insight to the winter holidays. There are stories that range from old European folktales surrounding the holidays to stories based on winter solstice traditions. This wise array of story subjects made this collection exceptional.

All the stories were remarkable, but there were a few that were really exciting. Alma Katsu’s His Castle is a twisty delight. Christopher Golden’s The Importance of a Tidy Home is filled with gore and surprises. By far my favorite story is Tananarive Due’s Return to Bear Creek Lodge: it is filled with family strife and frights.

Christmas and Other Horrors is a perfect addition to any horror fan’s holiday reading. It begs for a yearly re-read.

Overall this was a good collection of short stories. My favorites and the most memorable ones were probably the first few stories. I really loved how the authors set the stories throughout the world using different Christmas/Holiday traditions and legends to elevate the stories and create something different. The explanations for why the authors chose to write the stories they did at the end of each was also a nice addition. There are quite a few authors whose work I will follow after reading their stories here. Definitely recommend this to anyone interested in new twists to Christmas horror stories.

Another triumph of short horror from Ellen Datlow, a carefully curated selection of winter haunts from some of today's leading authors.

Most anthologies can usually be a bit hit or miss - I often finding myself only really enjoying a few of the stories.
But with ‘Christmas and Other Horrors’ the majority of the stories were really very good. In fact, the only one that didn’t really grab my attention was Garth Nix’s contribution.
The selection of authors was great. Several of whom I was already aware of and others who I’ll definitely be checking out further.
The horror/creepiness levels were high! I particularly really enjoyed delving into the many different seasonal traditions, festivals and folklore.
M. R James is my number one go-to for Christmas spookiness, but I think this anthology might have to also make an annual appearance on my reading list.
Great stuff!

A fantastic collection of winter holiday horrors. While the title and cover mention Christmas predominantly, theres more than christian mythos holy days and Santa Claus terror in these pages. In fact, my favorite stores focused on the folklore of Frau Perchta that makes one consider the maxim home is where the heart is and another about a Jewish family celebrating Hannukah while facing some family trauma in a garden. These weren't the only stories I enjoyed but they were the ones that stuck with me the most.
Highly recommended collection of creepiness for any horror fan or for holiday fans looking for something darker to read on the long winter nights.

This was a great variety of horror stories. I loved the collection of authors and how they were laid out.

Just like all anthologies, this one was a mixed bag for me. Some stories I really enjoyed, some were just okay, and some didn't vibe with me at all. Overall, an enjoyable mix of stories, although I did find that they seemed to focus thematically more on the Solstice than any of the other winter holidays. 3.5 rounded down to 3.

When it comes to horror fiction, there is always more room for some yuletide scares.

This anthology, while not solely focused on the most wonderful time of year, also encapsulates the whole of the winter solstice with a variety of stories that range from the scary, the strange to the downright erotic.

Editor by Ellen Datlow, there are familiar faces such as Christopher Golden, Alma Katsu, Stephen Graham Jones, Tananarive Due and Cassandra Khaw who feature stories.

Because of the vast amount of stories in Christmas Horrors...., we get plenty of variety from all over the world, and not just English and American stories.

Golden's story features a folklore monster from Austria, which after being dismissed as fabrication becomes very real and very violent.

Benjamin Percy's The Ones He Takes crafts a sinister tone, as parents receive their missing child back around Christmas but everything is not what it seems. Percy's story certainly puts another spin on the folklore attached to jolly ol' Saint Nick...

Glen Hirshberg ensures Hannukah is represented in Dry and Ready, while John Langan's After Words is a winter solstice tale with an erotic edge.

Return to the Bear Creek Lodge from Tananarive Due feels like the mid-chapter of a wider winter monster story, which the other attests could become its own book, and it certainly has the potential to be a page-turner.

Richard Kadrey heard the tale of Krampus and wanted to go to a new level in his contribution, showing that getting the family together for Christmas can have deadly repercussions.

The Nordic mythology is also weaved into this anthology with Gemma Files' No Light, No Light, focusing on the God of mischief Loki, and no, this isn't the Marvel version.

Overall, Christmas Horrors and Other Stories is a perfect read for those frosty winter nights with a wide selection of stories that will show you the true horrors of this time of year.

I loved, loved, loved the first few stories, but after that it fell kind of flat. First two stories very five star, exciting, and scary reads but after that I got bored and had a hard time finishing the book.

Perfect for those looking for some Holiday but also horror. I loved the wide variety of holiday horror stories within this, and not just being centred around Christmas. We have lore, traditions and just straight up scary. With some very well known authors in there and some new to me but would like to look into more of their work.

Excellent holiday horror! So perfect for the season. I loved how it wasn’t just Christmas tales, but tales of winter solstice and other winter holidays.

Some of my favorite authors! Alma Katsu, Seth Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Tananarive Due, Christopher Golden, Cassandra Khaw and John Langan.

Definitely pick up this book to add to your horror holiday collection!

This Winter Solstice Anthology was really fun. There were stories touching on Winter Solstice and Holiday lore and traditions from many different cultures, which was my favorite aspect of the book. While I really enjoyed the dark and spooky stories, learning about the different cultures and traditions and things that go bump in the night made this book even more enjoyable. I also really enjoyed the small blurb that each author included at the end of the story. Those were great. This is definitely one of my favorite Anthologies that I have read. And it is perfect for the spooky lover during Christmas. The cover art is also beautiful.
As with all anthologies, some stories were better than others. But the overwhelming majority of these were excellent. My favorites were:
Return to Bear Creek Lodge, by Tananarive Due (duh). Her impeccable ability to drag you into a story and its characters while unleashing the scary and uncanny shines bright in this story. I would love to read a longer book involving these characters. I would also like to read anything she ever writes, including her grocery list.
The Ghost of Christmases Past, by Richard Kadrey. This was a well written story with a perfect twisty ending that I did not see coming.
Sow-Na, by Josh Malerman. This story takes place in the snowy woods of Finland. It was fever dreamy and eerie and very atmospheric.
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

☠️Book Review☠️
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Summary: The winter solstice is celebrated as a time of joy around the world—yet the long nights also conjure a darker tradition of ghouls, hauntings, and visitations. This anthology of all-new stories invites you to huddle around the fire and revel in the unholy, the dangerous, the horrific aspects of a
time when families and friends come
together—for better and for worse.

From the eerie Austrian Schnabelperchten to the skeletal Welsh Mari Lwyd, by way of ravenous golems, uncanny neighbors, and unwelcome visitors, Christmas and Other Horrors captures the heart and horror of the festive season.

Because the weather outside is frightful, but the fire inside is hungry…
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My Thoughts: this book was out of this world and so creepy! I loved some of these stories more than others- the first two and Stephen Graham Jones were my absolute favorite! I also really enjoyed one about a demon/ferret in the woods. Overall some really cool and unique international creepy holiday traditions that were so much fun! It was really refreshing to read a holiday book that isn’t a romance ! Highly recommend this one for the horror fans in your life. Special thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advance copy!
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QOTD- what is a holiday tradition that your family has ?!
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This was such a good collection of winter solstice anthology, each story worked well together with the collection. I enjoyed how different the stories were from each other and how good they worked overall.