BLOG: Scary Ghost Stories and Tales of Old Glories - 12 Supernatural Stories to Read at Christmas
That familiar lyric about “scary ghost stories and tales of old glories” isn’t just poetic flair. Long before Christmas became bright lights and playlists, it was a season for storytelling . . . especially stories that touched the supernatural, the sacred, and the unseen. Long winter nights invited reflection, and reflection often turned toward spirits, angels, judgment, redemption, and hope.
Below are 12 Christmas-connected ghost and supernatural stories, one for each day of Christmas, along with where you can read them online:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Ghosts, redemption, and the afterlife: Dickens’ enduring classic centers on four spirits who visit Ebenezer Scrooge in a single night. Each forces him to confront his past, present, and possible future, revealing how unseen forces can shape a soul’s destiny. Beneath the warmth is a story about judgment, fear, and the reality of spiritual consequence.
Read online: Project Gutenberg
2. The Birth of Christ (Luke 2; Matthew 1–2)
Angels, prophecy, and divine intervention: The nativity story is deeply supernatural. Angels appear to shepherds, dreams guide Joseph, prophecies unfold, and a star leads the wise men to Christ. It is the ultimate Christmas account of heaven breaking into the human world.
Read online: Bible Gateway
3. The Signal-Man by Charles Dickens
Warnings from beyond and unavoidable fate: This short story follows a railway worker plagued by visions that appear to predict death. The tension builds quietly, asking whether foreknowledge is a gift or a curse. Dickens wrote it late in life, during a period when his interest in the paranormal had grown intense.
Read online: Project Gutenberg
4. Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad by M.R. James
Ancient objects and summoned entities: Set during a winter holiday, this story follows a scholar who uncovers an old whistle near a ruin. Using it awakens something that should have remained undisturbed. M.R. James wrote ghost stories specifically for Christmas gatherings, and this remains one of his most unsettling.
Read online: Project Gutenberg
The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton by Charles Dickens
5. The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton by Charles Dickens
Spirits, judgment, and moral awakening: A bitter, cruel man is abducted by goblins who force him to witness the impact of his behavior. The story blends humor with moral confrontation and supernatural intervention, echoing themes Dickens would later refine in A Christmas Carol.
Read online: Public Library UK
6. The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell
Haunted estates and winter tragedy: Told through the voice of a nurse caring for a young child in a remote manor, this tale unfolds amid snowstorms, eerie music, and locked rooms. The haunting is tied to long-buried family sins and unresolved grief.
Read online: Project Gutenberg Australia
7. The Abbot’s Ghost, or Maurice Treherne by Louisa May Alcott
A Christmas ghost story of guilt and confession: Written years before Little Women, this story follows a mysterious Christmas visitor whose presence exposes hidden crimes. The haunting is subtle but persistent, driven by conscience, remorse, and the inability to escape past wrongdoing.
Read online: Project Gutenberg
8. The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen
Reflection, longing, and mortality: Though not a traditional ghost story, this Christmas tale carries a quiet sadness. A fir tree longs for greatness, only to learn how fleeting joy can be. It’s a reflective story well-suited for the stillness of Christmas night.
Read online: Project Gutenberg Canada
The Open Door by Charlotte Riddell.
9. The Open Door by Charlotte Riddell
A persistent haunting that refuses to be ignored: This classic ghost story centers on a quiet but relentless haunting tied to an empty house and an open door that will not stay shut. Rather than relying on spectacle, the story builds dread through repetition, atmosphere, and the sense that something unseen is demanding attention. Charlotte Riddell was known for writing restrained, intelligent ghost stories often associated with winter reading and Christmas gatherings.
Read online: Project Gutenberg Australia
10. The Ghost of Christmas Eve by J.M. Barrie
Loneliness, memory, and quiet hauntings: Best known for Peter Pan, Barrie’s Christmas ghost story focuses on atmosphere rather than shocks. It explores isolation, memory, and the weight of unresolved emotion, making it a fitting read for a reflective holiday evening.
Read online: Classic Audiobooks with Elliot
11. A Strange Christmas Game by Charlotte Riddell
Haunted homes and unfinished business: Riddell specialized in ghost stories tied to property and inheritance. This Christmas-set tale centers on a mysterious game that slowly reveals a haunting connected to moral failure and unresolved wrongs.
Read online: Project Gutenberg
12. The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain by Charles Dickens
Memory, loss, and a dangerous supernatural gift: Published as Dickens’ final Christmas book, this story follows a grieving man visited by a ghostly double who offers to erase painful memories. What seems like mercy quickly reveals unintended consequences, as the loss of sorrow also strips away compassion, love, and humanity. It’s a darker, more philosophical Christmas tale that explores whether pain itself has a purpose.
Read online: Project Gutenberg
Christmas has a way of creating space for reflection, and stories tend to linger a little longer in that quiet. It’s no surprise that Charles Dickens returned to Christmas again and again, using the season to explore conscience, redemption, and the unseen. These stories carry that tradition forward, offering thoughtful reading for the holiday, wherever and however you choose to spend it. Merry Christmas, and happy reading!
