Send us a text

They came singing.

They came smiling.

And sometimes… they came to kill.

In this episode of Let’s Talk Spooky, we step into the dark side of a tradition meant to spread cheer. From ancient winter rituals and threatening songs to Victorian-era fear tactics and modern urban legends, we explore the unsettling history of Christmas caroling—and the moments when those voices at the door were anything but welcome.

Caroling wasn’t always harmless. In some places, it was loud, aggressive, and dangerous. In others, it became a mask for violence, home invasion, and terror hidden behind song.

So if you hear singing outside your door tonight…

You may want to think twice before answering.

Source Material & Further Reading

This episode draws on historical folklore research, social history, and cultural analysis, including:

Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain

Jacqueline Simpson & Steve Roud, A Dictionary of English Folklore

BBC Culture, “The Dark Origins of Christmas Carols”

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20141219-the-dark-origins-of-carols

The British Library, “Christmas in Victorian Britain”

https://www.bl.uk/victorian-britain/articles/christmas-in-victorian-britain

Old Bailey Online, historical records of public disorder and group violence

https://www.oldbaileyonline.org

Jan Harold Brunvand, The Vanishing Hitchhiker

Atlas Obscura, articles on dark holiday traditions

https://www.atlasobscura.com

Send us a text

Victorian England may be remembered for its carols, holly, and festive cheer—but beneath the flickering glow of candlelight, Christmas was once the season for ghosts. In this chilling holiday episode, we delve into the forgotten tradition of telling supernatural tales on Christmas Eve, long before Halloween claimed the spotlight.

We delve into the Dickens-era fascination with spirits and the supernatural, unraveling why Victorians believed the veil thinned during midwinter. We also travel through some of the era’s eeriest Christmas hauntings, including the classic tale of The Phantom Coach and a final, haunting encounter with The Lady in Black.

Blending historical commentary, folklore, and immersive narrative storytelling, this episode reveals the darker side of Christmas that Victorian families once gathered around the fire to hear. So grab your mulled wine, settle into the lamplight, and journey with us into a winter world where the shadows are long, and the spirits still wander.

Stay curious, stay spooky—and happy haunted holidays.

Condensed Source Breakdown — Haunted Victorian ChristmasHistory.com – “The Forgotten Tradition of Christmas Ghost Stories”

Used for background on why Victorians told ghost stories at Christmas, the connection to older midwinter beliefs, and the decline of the tradition in the 20th century.

Used for context on Dickens’ influence on Christmas ghost storytelling and the popularity of serialized supernatural tales during the Victorian era.

Primary source for the mid-episode narrative retelling and an example of a classic Victorian Christmas ghost story.

Used to support atmospheric details, cultural customs, and inspiration for the final “Lady in Black” narrative.

Used to frame Victorian interest in the supernatural and explain the popularity of ghost stories during the holiday season.

Charles Dickens & Victorian Ghost Fiction J. Sheridan Le Fanu – “The Phantom Coach” (1864) General Victorian Folklore & Winter Hauntings Background on the 19th-Century Spiritualist Movement

Send us a text

In this episode, we wander into the shadows of early modern Europe and North America to uncover the unsettling history of witch marks—the mysterious symbols carved into thresholds, hearths, barns, attics, and even hidden inside old furniture. These markings, long misunderstood and often misattributed, were believed to protect homes from malevolent forces. Today, they tell a quieter but no less eerie story about fear, folklore, and the lengths people went to in order to keep themselves safe.

Whether you love folklore, hidden history, or the mysterious little details we leave behind, this episode is for you. Turn down the lights, take a closer look at the walls around you… and let’s talk spooky.

Below are the historical, academic, and credible sources used to shape the episode’s folklore, dates, examples, and terminology.

• Merrifield, Ralph. The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic. B. T. Batsford, 1987.Foundational work on magical protection practices, concealed objects, and apotropaic marks.
• Hutton, Ronald. The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present. Yale University Press, 2017.Context for European witch beliefs and protective traditions.
• Delaney, Helen. “Protective Symbols and Rituals in Early Modern England.”Folklore, vol. 121, no. 2, 2010.Discusses hexafoils, Marian marks, and ritual burn marks.
• Historic England. “Ritual Protection Marks.”Official documentation on witch marks, symbols, and discovered examples from English sites.
• Apotropaios.org (Brian Hoggard’s research database).Modern scholarly archive of ritual protection practices, witch bottles, burned marks, and concealed items.
• East Anglian Archaeology Reports — Various real-world documented findings of ritual marks in houses, barns, churches.
• Knole House, Kent (National Trust) — extensive Marian marks and daisy wheels.
• The Tower of London — protective VVs carved around prisoner cells.
• Shakespeare’s Birthplace — burn marks near the fireplace interpreted as protection symbols.
• Creswell Crags, Nottinghamshire — hundreds of ritual protection marks discovered in the caves (2019).
• Medieval barns in Essex & Suffolk — complex mesh-mark carvings to trap evil spirits.
• Simpson, Jacqueline & Roud, Steve. A Dictionary of English Folklore. Oxford University Press, 2000.
• Daniels, C. “Household Magic and Domestic Ritual in 17th-Century Britain.”Archaeology International, 2012.
• Northeast Atlantic Folklore Archives (NEAFA) — records documenting settler beliefs transferred to early Canada.
• Canadian Museum of History (CMH) — notes on apotropaic beliefs among settlers in Ontario and the Maritimes.
• Hoggard, B. Magical House Protection: The Archaeology of Counter-Witchcraft. Berghahn Books, 2019.
• Eliade, Mircea. Patterns in Comparative Religion. Harvill, 1958 — conceptual background on protective magic.
• Regional folklore studies on rowan wood, hag stones, and iron-based charms.
• Real examples of discovered witch marks taken from:
  • Knole House archives
  • Creswell Crags 2019 cave survey
  • East Anglian barn surveys (2000s)
  • North American settler accounts (Maritimes & New England)
• The final story uses documented Victorian-era accounts of:
  • concealed protection marks in attic beams
  • unexplained footsteps and “dragging” sounds
  • Marian marks interpreted as attempts to trap a malevolent presence

These elements we