I LOVE ANTHOLOGIES SO MUCH. AND ESPECIALLY THE HORROR VARIETY.

I'm not a huge fan of capitalized/commercialized Christmas traditions, but if anyone were to bring up yuletide folklore and pagan rituals, I'm in the front row waiting to have my life transformed. I remember in my not-so-distant Austrian/Hungarian heritage, my family members sharing folk tales that were told in hushed tones to keep from the little ears. Christmas and Other Horrors replenished those family tales for me and have me eager for the winter solstice season to come.

In true Anthological form, some of my favorite authors contributed their writing to this collection, including: Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Cassandra Khaw, Christopher Golden, Alma Katsu, Richard Kadrey, Tananarive Due, and so many more.

I am so thankful to Titan Books for sending me this gorgeous finished copy before this behemoth comes out on October 24, 2023!

When I saw some of the names included in this anthology I was excited. There are a number of them I've read previously and many I haven't but this turned out to be a simply fantastic, creepy, horrifying look at the Winter Solstice.

I absolutely loved how these stories took us to different cultures, legends, and folk lore. From creatures who will slaughter you if you're home isn't tidy enough to a child who thinks he's a king although he's dead. We have stories here of the slow building chills to the ones that get right in your face and will leave you breathing heavy!

Doing a Christmas themed horror anthology could have had the predictable stories of Santa going rouge or elves going on a murderous rampage. But this one blew me away because it takes us to so many different places and is anything but predictable.

Who actually makes the toys at Santa's workshop? Why would someone board their windows and doors every Christmas eve? Why does a man start witnessing bizarre, shocking things every winter solstice? All these and much more are included in this book.

I highly recommend this anthology and I think you'll want to read it every year as part of the ho-ho-horrifying holidays.