When Were Ghost Stories Part of Christmas, Where?

 Although Andy Williams' "Most Wonderful Time of the Year" Christmas song talks about telling "scary ghost stories" at Christmas, Americans don't do that. But people in Victorian England did!  That's where the tradition started. Sadly, Americans were more skeptical about the existence of ghosts (yes, they exist), so it never caught on. But here's the background of the origin of them in England, according to History.com:  

 ( Image: Winslow Homer. Christmas—Gathering Evergreens and The Christmas-Tree. 1858. Wood engraving on paper, published by published by Harper’s Weekly. The Art Institute of Chicago.)

How Ghost Stories Became a Christmas Tradition in Victorian England 

Spooky stories featuring the supernatural were all the rage during the darkest time of the year. 

ELIZABETH YUKO, History.com

 

Towards the end of each year, as fireplaces are lit and hot cocoa is made, Americans have made it a tradition to revisit their favorite classic holiday books, movies and songs. And though ghost stories may seem out of place in present-day American holiday celebrations, they were once a Christmas staple, reaching their peak of popularity in Victorian England. 

 

A Dark, Spooky Time of Year Like most longstanding cultural customs, the precise origin of telling ghost stories at the end of the year is unknown, largely because it began as an oral tradition without written records. But, according to Sara Cleto, a folklorist specializing in British literature and co-founder of The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, the season around winter solstice, has been one of transition and change. “For a very, very, very long time, [the season] has provoked oral stories about spooky things in many different countries and cultures all over the world,” she says. 

(A Victorian Era Haunting: Credit: https://www.culturenorthernireland.org/) 

Furthermore, spooky storytelling gave people something to do during the long, dark evenings before electricity. “The long midwinter nights meant folks had to stop working early, and they spent their leisure hours huddled close to the fire,” says Tara Moore, an assistant professor of English at Elizabethtown College, author of Victorian Christmas in Print, and editor of The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories. “Plus, you didn’t need to be literate to retell the local ghost story.” 

Effects of the Industrialization Revolution It was in Victorian England that telling supernatural tales at the end of the year—specifically, during the Christmas season—went from an oral tradition to a timely trend. This was in part due to the development of the steam-powered printing press during the Industrial Revolution that made the written word more widely available. 

 MORE: https://www.history.com/news/christmas-tradition-ghost-stories