Christmastime Monsters That Are Scarier Than Krampus

Long before Santa slid down chimneys, other figures roamed the winter nights — and they weren't bringing presents. They were bringing punishment.

IN THIS EPISODE: ‘Tis the season for not only reindeer, grinches and magical snowmen but also fearless children, negligent parents and dumb thieves. “Home Alone” may be the first Christmas movie that comes to mind upon hearing that description, but it turns out there’s a long and storied tradition of true stories of children left alone around the holidays matching wits against would-be robbers. (Home Alone) *** What would you think if you received a Christmas card in the mail that had a picture of a dead bird on the cover? Not very festive, is it? But that’s not what people believed in the past. For a while, a dead bird was synonymous with saying “Merry Christmas!” (Merry Christmas, Here’s a Dead Bird) *** A woman leaves her family to go Christmas shopping at the last minute… and disappears forever. (Mom Vanishes While Christmas Shopping) *** Christmas fun isn’t all about Santa, his reindeer, and a magical snowman come to life thanks to a hat. There are some downright terrifying yuletide monsters that might make you want to stay behind locked doors this year. (Creepy Christmas Characters)
SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
“Merry Christmas, Here’s a Dead Bird” by Troy Taylor: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p9b4f73
“Creepy Christmas Characters” by Molly Mahan for Ranker: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8mf9e9, and Karen Anne for German Girl In America: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckjs6r6
“Mom Vanishes While Christmas Shopping” by Chrissy Stockton for Thought Catalog: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckpe5n5
“True Stories of Kids Home Alone At Christmas” from Second Glance History: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/25uum6xj, “Home Alone” theme by John Williams
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(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit...