A Christmas Carol

Just a quick one today, as I'm feeling a bit "meh" but still wanted to point out a splendid anniversary in literary history.

Today in 1843, A CHRISTMAS CAROL was first published in London by Chapman and Hall. The novella was greeted with fairly instant acclaim, and has never been out of print.

Naturally, it’s one of my favorite Christmas ghost stories, and has even been credited with reviving the English interest in the tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas. Dickens even comes up on my New York City walking tours, since he actually gave a reading of A Christmas Carol at Cooper Union’s Great Hall on his last American tour in 1865.

What I find most interesting about the story is how actually frightening it is. I was having a conversation about it the other day in which the subject came up, and I defy you to find me anyone who hasn’t been genuinely terrified by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Despite its joyful finale, there is genuine fear to be found in A Christmas Carol, so let’s take today to celebrate Dickens’ mastery of the classic ghost story, as well as his canny marketing: capitalizing on the novella’s success, the author published a Christmas annual every year thereafter.

Excerpts of this post have been cross posted on Boroughs of the Dead, where you can find plenty of my musings on Christmas and ghost stories. Incidentally, it's not too late to buy the book for a ghost story lover this Christmas!

See what I just did there? (Why do I have the feeling my own personal Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come would show me a horrible vision of a world where I just work at marketing self-published books all day? Note to self: avoid that fate.)

Ghost Stories Live! Christmas Edition

'Tis the season to be WARY...!

Especially on Thursday Dec. 20th when we present our special holiday spooktacular!

Featuring TRADITIONAL ghost story fare from the master of the genre: M. R. James. On this fabulous, festive, and fearsome one-night-only event, we'll be screening (along with some ghostly cartoons) a digest-version of the black & white classic horror film THE CURSE OF THE DEMON, adapted from James' "Casting the Runes" and then presenting a full-cast dramatization of James' short story: "There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard" with a brand-new puppet from the chapped & bloody hands of SidMarty Lovecraft!!!

And your very own Spinster Aunt will be reading both a NEW ghost story and moderating our TRUE ghost story segment, including our new OPEN MIC ghost story FEATURE. If you have a haunted holiday tale to tell, please do come!

All this and creepy holiday decorations, moody viola music played LIVE! and of course, presided over by your host PUGSLEY THE FIENDLY GHOST, will delight your eyes, ears, and livers! So come for the grog, stay for the ghosts, and join us at Bar 82 on Dec. 20th, for Ghost Stories Live!

Must be 21 or older to attend. Admission: $5

Ghosts of Christmas Past Walking Tours!

This Saturday December 17th and Sunday December 18th, yours truly (me!) will be giving guided walking tours of Manhattan's East Village, in collaboration with Ghosts of New York.
Here is a description of the tour:

New York's Ghosts of Christmas Past

December 17th, 1 pm; December 18th, 1:00pm & 3:30 pm

Join us for a festive holiday walking tour of New York's Ghosts of Christmas Past! Follow us through the East Village as we discover New York City's special connection to Christmas and its vital role in many holiday traditions, from Santa Claus to Christmas trees. We'll show you where Charles Dickens read A Christmas Carol on his 1865 American tour, invoke the ghosts of the old Dutch Colony, and tell tales from when the East Village was Kleine Deutschland. Along the way we'll treat you to shiver-inducing stories of East Village Ghosts, from Washington Irving to Gertrude Tredwell, then finish at Tompkins Square Park's Greenmarket where you can warm up with a hot apple cider, or at a local pub where you can warm up with a hot toddy.* A festive variation on our classic East Village Tour, Peter Stuyvesant and His Ghostly Friends of the East Village.

* The 1pm tour on Sunday ends at the Greemarket and are suitable for all ages; all others end at pubs and are for guests 21 and older

Please visit Ghosts of New York to book your tickets!

Christmas Ghosts Update

New post up today, this one all about Santa!

Follow the link!

XO,

SA

"Christmas Ghosts" is back!

For those of you with long memories, you will recall I started Christmas Ghosts some time ago, and posted many a ghost story of my own there. These stories have been subsequently yanked as they were sold and reprinted elsewhere, but the blog is back, with a slightly different slant.

My aim now is nothing less than to single-handedly revive the tradition of telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve! I'm also going to post lots of general fun, fact-y, Christmasy tidbits as well as ghost stories, so there ought to be something for everyone! And, because I am always scheming, there is an extra, added, as-yet secret bonus to top it all off. So stay tuned....

And Happy Holidays to All!

Love,

SA

Christmas Ghosts: The Third Story

OK, I upped the cheese factor for this one, a retelling of an urban legend about jewel thief Estelle Ridley, a.k.a Fanchon Moncare. Like a souffle that doesn't quite rise, this story is missing something -- I think the tone is a little off.... it came out sounding a bit Dan Brown (or Caleb Carr!), when I was going for Stephen King. Anyway, hopefully you, dear reader, can overlook its flaws and enjoy the pulpy, silly goodness.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Ghosts: The Second Story

Click here to read "Notes Taken At Keen's."

Christmas Ghosts: The First Story

Telling ghost stories while sitting round the fire (or, if you will, space heater) is a time-honored holiday tradition, one I've promised to share with my readers and fellow spinsters-at-heart this year.

The first is a local tale, from right here in Brooklyn. Gravesend, in fact. It's rather a spooky name, isn't it? Indeed. So without further preamble, here is a very chilling story I heard around the fire tonight; its author claims it is completely true but, of course, punch was served so there may be embellishments here and there, which is to be expected, of a ghost story.

Click here to read "Lady Moody of Gravesend."