Hauntings can happen at any time, but most of the ghostly lore and horrific tales of hauntings are told around the fall months, as Halloween leaves us ripe to be scared. However, when the winter months roll around many of the ghost lovers of the world are left out in the cold; literally, as we spend the winter months with nothing to tide us over until the spring season brings back the ghost tours.
In Victorian England, the tradition of telling ghost stories around a fire wasn’t reserved for the fall months, and it was a well-known tradition to tell your most harrowing tales of spirits and specters on Christmas Eve. There are mentions of ghost stories in iconic Christmas ballads, a classic novel by Dickens features the hero of the story mending his ways after being visited by ghosts, and famous stories exist featuring the exchange of mayhem riddled tales told around the fire following a holiday dinner.
The telling of ghost stories was thought to be widely associated with the economic climate at the time, as many people were moved on up into larger cities and larger estates. During this time, the servants of the home were to do their jobs without being seen or heard, and the constant whisking away of finished plates and rustling of curtains left the new home dwellers to question their every sensibility. Many tales of ghosts evolved from the quick and quiet carrying out of tasks by the servants of the house, as their unseen presence frightened the people who weren’t accustomed to being served.
Some people attribute the tradition of telling ghost stories to the use of gas lamps. Many historians believe that some of the ghosts being seen during the Victorian Era were actually hallucinations caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. Whatever caused the influx of spirits during this time, there were many that jumped onto the bandwagon and sought to benefit from people’s aroused sense of spiritual enlightenment. Thus emerged the tradition of séances, and from there came the sharing of tales of horror around a blistering Christmas fire.
If the winter season has gotten you down, and you’re missing the hustle and bustle of a spirit heavy season, embrace the Victorian tradition. Gather your friends and family, and revive the practice of Christmas Eve ghost stories. It’s only a short couple of months until our season starts up again, so keep checking our website for details.
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