Archive for
‘December, 2013’

Welcoming Christmas carollers the Addams family way.

The Christmas ghost story was a holiday tradition in the magazines and papers of the 19th century. Dickens popularized it; hacks hackneyed it; M.R. James brought it to the pitch of paranormal perfection. But by the time of this humorous piece, every possible change had been rung on the Christmas ghost story clichés.

Fiery Exhalations in Wales Today I rekindle my interest in the strange lights of Wales with the “fiery exhalations” of Merionethshire: deadly and mysterious lights that blighted grass, killed livestock, and could be driven off by loud noises.

A Flap of Angels: More Seraphic Sightings Angels we have seen on high–and in the church, and in the bedroom. Seraphic sightings

Ding Dong Merrily Below: Underground and Underwater Bells Christmastide is a season full of superstitions, including the notion that it was a magical time when the bells of long-lost villages and submerged churches could be heard.

The holidays (or perhaps more accurately, holiday films) are a time for heartwarming depictions of helpful angels: Clarence, the Angel Second Class of It’s a Wonderful Life and Cary Grant’s debonair Dudley of The Bishop’s Wife spring to mind. Here are stories of three angelic visitations, two of dubious helpfulness.

One of the most popular posts on this blog has been the one on the Ice Viking, a 7-foot hero in armor found frozen in an iceberg. Given the frigid weather, it seems appropriate to squint through the slits in our ice goggles at some other cases of Things Frozen in Ice. Some, it will be crystal clear, are more plausible than others.

The Hideous Ice Worm It Came From Lake Williams, Massachusetts—The Hideous Ice Worm!

Hark How the Bells: Bell Ringing and Death A sudden death, a corpse in the house, and a mysterious ringing of bells.