Moon Mausoleum
An online magazine about the paranormal, haunted and macabre. We collect the ghost stories from all around the world as well as review horror and gothic media.
Why did we stop telling ghost stories for Christmas? In the olden days, it used to be a tradition to gather around and tell each other ghost stories in Victorian England. Often set in cold and dark castles or somewhere far remote in the cold icy night. Here are some perfect short stories you can read for free, perfect for Christmas time.
The Portent of the Shadow or just The Shadow is set during a Christmas gathering of friends, one guest tells of a terrifying, supernatural encounter involving an otherworldly shadow that leads to madness and death. Classic Edwardian Christmas ghostliness.
One of James’s lesser-known but fascinating tales — set at Christmas, it’s presented as a series of letters about a disturbing Punch and Judy show, a mysterious disappearance, and a spectral visitation on Christmas Eve. It first appeared in print in the June 4, 1913 issue of the magazine Cambridge Review. It was published again in 1919 as part of the anthology A Thin Ghost and Others.
Set in snowy Ukraine on Christmas Eve, this folkloric tale follows a trickster devil who wreaks havoc in a village while a young man seeks to win his beloved’s heart under supernatural influence.
At a cozy inn on Christmas Eve, guests trade spooky stories—until a real, bloodstained intruder named “Jerry Bundler” appears, turning festive warmth into true fright.
In this chilling tale by J. S Le Fanu, the death of a corrupt church sexton on Christmas Eve unleashes supernatural events in his churchyard—as though his spirit lingers, disrupting the holy peace. First published in 1871.
Set on Christmas Day, this Gothic moral thriller follows a man who murders his way into an antique shop, only to be visited by a mysterious figure—perhaps a devil, perhaps a savior—who challenges his soul’s darkest impulses.
“The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall” by John Kendrick Bangs is a macabre short story that combines humor with supernatural elements. Published in 1891, the tale centers around the cursed Harrowby Hall, where each Christmas Eve, a spectral figure drenched in water appears to haunt the inhabitants. The ghost, a former occupant who perished tragically, brings an unnerving and persistent flood that leaves the manor in chaos. The protagonist, determined to rid his home of this annual menace, devises a clever plan to confront and ultimately outwit the ghost.
Smee is a short story by A.M. Burrage, telling the haunting ghost story of a group of people playing hide and seek in a house were a girl died playing the very same game.
Ada Buisson (26 March 1839 – 27 December 1866) was an English author and novelist remembered today for her ghost stories.
During her short lifetime Buisson published one novel, Put to the Test (1865), Her second novel, A Terrible Wrong: A Novel (1867) and short stories were published after her early death. Various of her writings appeared in Belgravia, a magazine edited by her friend the novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon. This is were the short story The Ghost’s Summons were published in 1868.
Horror: A True Tale is a short story written by John Berwick Harwood in 1861 for Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine and is a perfect example for a classic Christmas Ghost Story from Victorian times.
This is a christmas ghost story by feminist writer Elizabeth Gaskell. The main themes of this story are patriarchal power, aristocratic pride and the repression of women. It is a story of abuse,- physical violence and mental cruelty.
First published in 1820 in Irving’s masterpiece, The Sketch Book, The Christmas Dinner is a charming tale by the great American writer behind such timeless classics as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. Painting the scene of a Christmas dinner spent at the table of Bracebridge Hall, a countryside manor, the merry songs and stories of the dinner table echo with jollity of Christmases long past.