Dickens Sundays – Ghost of Christmas Past

Every holiday season, I share the wise words of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Dickens’ was a champion of the poor and unfortunate, particularly children. Having grown up destitute himself and enduring the abuse and ills of the labor houses, Dickens knew firsthand of the timeless topics he wrote about.

The Ghost of Christmas Past was the first of Jacob Marley’s three mercurial warnings to the cruel, greedy miser Ebenezer Scrooge to change to his lifestyle or endure a hellish afterlife like his old partner.

She turned back time to show Ebenezer his past, how happy he once was, how in love he once was, but the young Scrooge allowed ambition and greed to rule his life and lost everyone he loved so dearly.

“These are the shadows of the things that have been, that they are what they are, do not blame me!”

Dickens Sunday – Jacob Marley

Back in Victorian times, people practiced strong Christmas traditions, including telling ghost stories. Charles Dickens wrote the most famous Christmas ghost story of all time and I like to celebrate it every year.

Ebenezer Scrooge was a crusty old mean rich white guy who liked to take out his selfish grievances out of the lowest and poorest of society, which included his own employees. The ghost of Scrooge’s former business partner Jacob Marley shows up one night with a warning for old miser, change your wicked ways or suffer eternity in chains just like him.

Christmas Ghost by Pat Nicolle, Giclee Wall Art

“I wear the chain I forged in life… It made it link by link, and yard by yard.”

Ebenezer Scrooge and Marley’s Ghost by Ye Curiosity Shoppe

Happy December 2025

Happy December!

We’re back! Typically, I lay low for November. It’s a haunted month for me, filled with memories and deep sadness. This year the melancholy was compounded by the state of our faltering nation. Our theme last month was Lost Souls, cuz right now, the US.A is full of them. I’m still hopeful though and looking forward to a busy, festive December.

Around here we celebrate the haunted holidays. I see your bad santa and raise you 3 evil elves and a killer Krampus! I’m feeling fiesty after my month off, and in the true spirit of the hellidays, I’m sharing the scares! It’s gonna be A Christmas to Dismember!

Don’t worry, we still like our normal Christmas traditions. I’ll be posting brand new gift guides for Halloween and Horror lovers. I also put together a little list for kaiju lovers. Long live Godzilla!

There’s also gonna be a creepmas photo challenge, with a focus on creepy, weird, and ridiculously old holiday ornaments, Dickens Sundays, cuz a whole lotta nazi scrooges need a  visit from the three ghosts of Christmas, and lastly, the Holiday Haiku Challenge returns at the end of the month, with a chance to win some spooky prizes. See, we know how to bring the Merry and Fright! So check back often this December.

Be well. Stay safe out there, and season screamings!

Dickens Sunday: A Christmas Carol Quotes – Part IV

It’s Dicken’s Sunday and this holiday season, we’re paying tribute to A Christmas Carol, originally published in parts starting in 1843. Every Sunday in December, I’ll share a spooky or memorable quote from this Christmas classic novella.

Dickens Sunday: A Christmas Carol Quotes – Part III

It’s Dicken’s Sunday and this holiday season, we’re paying tribute to A Christmas Carol, originally published in parts starting in 1843. Every Sunday in December, I’ll share a spooky or memorable quote from this Christmas classic novella.

Dickens Sunday: A Christmas Carol Quotes – Part II

It’s Dicken’s Sunday and this holiday season, we’re paying tribute to A Christmas Carol, originally published in parts starting in 1843. Every Sunday in December, I’ll share a spooky or memorable quote from this Christmas classic novella.

Dickens Sunday: A Christmas Carol Quotes – Part I

It’s Dicken’s Sunday and this holiday season, we’re paying tribute to A Christmas Carol, originally published in parts starting in 1843. Every Sunday in December, I’ll share a spooky or memorable quote from this Christmas classic novella.

Haunted Holidays are Here!

Welcome, December!


After giving it some thought, I changed this month’s theme to Haunted Holidays. I realized I was creating two different themed plans in December and I wanted to take a little bit more time to plan out my approach to writing haiku next year, so…Blood and Ice will be next month’s theme.

This December is all about the haunted holidays! Back in the day, people told ghost stories during Christmastime and I would love to bring that tradition back. I encourage everyone to create, write, or find a short ghost tale to tell on Christmas eve, and if you’re having trouble, might I recommend simply retelling the classic timeless tale from Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is the hero we need right now!

Scrooge art by Carter Goodwich

December Fun

Here’s a look at some of the shenanigans I have planned this month:

  • Haunted holidays haiku every Monday
  • Brand new gift-giving guides for Halloween and horror fans
  • New recipes for christmassy cocktails
  • Haunted Holidays Photo Challenge
  • Christmas gift-giving countdown (Details TBA)

I’m kicking off the celebrations with a daily photo challenge. You may post both traditional or haunted photos or artwork. Jump in any time, even if you skip a day, or 5, but, if you can post all 25 days in December, I’ll enter your name into the cauldron for a drawing to win a haunted holidays prize pack.

No purchase is necessary for any of the upcoming contests, but you must be following my blog and be friends with me on at least one of my social media pages (listed below) for a chance to win! Please see official contest rules for more details.

To join in on the fun, follow me @Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Instagram and @Halloweenkristy on Twitter or r/Halloweenhaiku on Reddit.

I wish you a season filled with amusement, inspiration, love, and joy. Please be safe and stay healthy. Remember to take some time for yourself, relax and recharge, so you don’t burn out or lose your damn mind by January.

Krampus postcard, circa pre-1920

Dickens Sunday

Every Sunday, we celebrate Charles Dickens with a haiku tribute to his classic tale, A Christmas Carol

heart black as coal
ghost of christmas present
family filled with love

Dickens Sunday

Every Sunday, we celebrate Charles Dickens with a haiku tribute to his classic tale, A Christmas Carol.