Have Yourself a Spooky Little Christmas

In favor of a hauntingly lovely Yule

Hello, lovelies. Are we all listening to bizarre lute music from the 1100s and counting the stars while mixing Solstice potions? No? Okay, that’s fair.

Happy Day After the Full Moon! While I am currently enjoying a very old-timey Christmas playlist on a corporate streaming service noted mainly for its ubiquity and for the ways in which it rips artists off, I can’t say I’ve done any Saturnalia-adjacent ritual dance or summonings so far. Recently, my human LOVER and I did watch the first thirty minutes of the LAX action-thriller “Carry-On,” and also partied with very hardworking educators who had done a pub crawl on a rented conveyance called Trolley Parton. (For me, partying = telling and hearing great stories, laughing a lot, and enjoying a potent nonalcoholic ginger brew.)

I also went to exercise town the other day with my exercise teacher, a very talented and chill person with whom I do the Pilates. I didn’t want to get out of my cozy bed and go, and I am glad I did. Exercise is not a natural habit of mine, but I’ve done more of it in the past 12 months than in any 12-month period of my entire life. I feel better after I’ve done it.

I’ve realized I enjoy a spooky Christmas vibe, and I’m not surprised that this time of year has inspired lots of ghost stories and monster tales in different cultures throughout history. Here’s an article from the Irish Times from ten whole years ago, all about the deep roots of Irish Christmas traditions. Ghosts and stars; holly and ivy; things spooky and sweet - I enjoy Christmas more when I associate it with the mischief of the undead.

With a nod to a Central and Eastern European tradition, let’s take a moment to enjoy Bowen Yang on SNL as Krampus from last year.

Here are some things I’ve written recently.

The Special Pleasures of Writing by Candlelight - over on Patreon

Stuff to Buy if You’re Weird in a Good Way - a post from this very newsletter, SARATONIN

Evildoers Can’t Wait To Do More Evil To Refugee Babies And Other Criminals - over on

Wonkette

Having ingested an illegal amount of sodium in the form of Crunchmaster Avocado Toast Baked Rice Crackers, I will now guzzle water like a madwoman and continue working on deadline. More soon, and thanks for being here.

Love,

Sara

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