I've known Alex Matsuo for a couple of years, and she's an AMAZING writer and paranormal investigator. She also has a fantastic blog called "The Spooky Stuff!" - That said, Here's a recent blog entry from her- and I highly recommend that you subscribe to her blog and check out her videos. You can find her at https://alexmatsuo.com/. Enjoy her great holiday blog below. - Rob
10 Reasons Why Christmas Is More Paranormal Than Halloween
If you think that spooky season is over just because Halloween has passed, think again! December and Christmas have more than enough paranormal elements to make it just as spooky, if not MORE spooky, than Halloween. We all know by now that there are a lot of pagan elements integrated into Christmas traditions already. Sure, that’s creepy when you think about it. But there are so many other elements about Christmas that make it supernatural. Should spooky season continue into the holidays? YES!
1. Santa Claus
What being is more supernatural than Santa Claus? I’ve always wondered about Santa. Is he a magical human being? Or is he an elemental? The fact that Santa has the ability to stop space and time so that he can deliver presents to every child around the world is nothing short of impressive. But it’s also mildly terrifying. A being with that much power can certainly dismantle society and the human race as we know it. And yet, he chooses to deliver presents instead. How lucky are we?
2. Spooky Stories Were Told in Winter
Even back before Christmas was a thing, this time of year signaled the end of summer. Mother Earth literally goes to sleep. It’s a time where nature dies, so to speak. And what doesn’t die, goes to sleep. The days are shorter and the nights are longer. Plus, it’s cold outside. There’s snow. No one is traveling, let alone going outside to see friends after dark. So, people were inside their homes much more. Think of a crackling fire and flickering candlelight. It is the perfect setting for telling ghost stories. This was a thing for several centuries even after Christmas was introduced. Even Charles Dickens called Christmas Eve, “the witching hour for storytelling.” Sure, the tradition has died off a little, but it’s making a comeback.
3. Christmas Monsters
I recently covered ten of my favorite Christmas monsters in a recent blog. Seriously, what is more paranormal than monsters, witches, goblins, and more? We have Frau Perchta, Krampus, Gryla, and more! These monsters were mainly used as incentives to behave not only during the holidays but throughout the year. Most of these monsters would come out during the 12 Days of Christmas, which I’ll be covering later in this blog. But seriously, while Halloween has its plethora of traditional monsters, Christmas monsters might be a bit scarier!
4. Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice has both scientific and spiritual significance. It happens the instant the North Pole is aimed furthest away from the sun on the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth’s axis. Also, this is the time that the sun shines directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. Usually, the Winter Solstice happens between December 20th and 23rd, but most celebrate it on December 21st. Spiritually, it’s a significant event for us because it signifies a shift around the world. It’s a time for rest and reflection as the Earth goes to sleep. It’s a time for personal growth and discovering yearnings within yourself.
5. Flying Reindeer
Flying. Reindeer. Let’s think about that! These reindeer pals of Santa Claus can not only fly, but they can move at super sonic speed around the world. Or, they aren’t affected by Santa freezing time and are able to trying. Either way, flying reindeer might be the most extraordinary cryptid out there. What gives them the ability to fly? Well, most people say it’s magic. But what if they were born with the ability to fly? And why reindeer? Couldn’t Santa’s sleigh be pulled by a legion of Mothman instead? Well, if you didn’t have nightmares before, that’s a doozy for you.
6. Frosty the Snowman
This is another element of Christmas that’s honestly quite terrifying when you think about it. Remember the movie, Jack Frost? Yes, a kids’ movie but also the producer of nightmares. Snowmen are inanimate objects. They aren’t supposed to come to life. That is unless you put a magic hat on it. I’ve always been fascinated by the Frosty lore because it does have significant paranormal ties. The first thing I think of is haunted objects. Could you give something a bit more life by manifesting it into reality?
7. Inhuman Entities
Inhuman doesn’t mean evil! Not to be redundant from the Christmas monsters topic, but can we talk about elves and fairies? Yes, these inhuman entities, or elementals, play a significant role during the holidays. Elves are working tirelessly in Santa’s workshop to make toys. Fairies are contributing their powers to make the season more magical. If you look up different Christmas lore, there are a ton of stories featuring inhuman entities. It’s pretty cool when you think about it. But what I find really funny is that during the rest of the year, these inhuman entities are evil and want to end us.
8. 12 Days of Christmas
We all know the famous song, but what are the 12 days of Christmas, really? Today, we know it as the time between the birth of Christ and the arrival of the Magi. But the 12 days of Christmas has several meanings to different cultures. You might notice in Christmas monster folklore that a lot of these creatures are rampant during the 12 days of Christmas. There’s a reason for this. During the olden days in some parts of the world, these dozen days were considered unholy. Therefore, these Christmas monsters had the ability to roam the Earth. In other folklore, like the Kallikantzaros, the sun stops moving. So, it seems like the 12 Days of Christmas are a holiday version of The Purge for monsters.
9. Magic
Magic is everywhere during the holidays. It’s in movies, songs, and cards. We hear “Christmas magic,” “holiday magic”, “magic of Santa Claus”, the list goes on. Why is Christmas magic more acceptable during the month of December but not for the rest of the year? I may or may not be looking at a certain religious group here. Perhaps it’s not really magic coming into play, but everyone falling for the commercialization of Christmas? I just find it ironic. It seems the holidays are a time where people are less afraid of the occult.
10. Ghosts & Spirits
Besides ghost stories being an old holiday tradition, did you know that more hauntings are reported during the holidays? Well, there hasn’t been an official study on this yet. But there should be! I can only speak for myself and my team about it. We usually get a spike in requests around the holidays. I have a theory. I urge you to take it with a grain of salt, as it is just a thought. With Winter Solstice around this time, plus, the holidays being a time for family, I think spirits want to come back and spend the holidays with their living relatives.
Sources:
https://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/history/elves.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/dec/22/how-ghost-stories-have-shaped-my-life
https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/holidays/articles/its-a-paranormal-christmas
https://exploredeeply.com/live-your-purpose/winter-solstice-spiritual-meaning
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