Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post’s Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla’s affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Beware the Scandinavian Christmas Troll! They love to dance and drink through the night on Christmas Eve. If you are in Bavaria, take heed of the Berchte--a wretched bogey who cuts the stomachs open of naughty children. In this wonderful collection of folkloric traditions from early 20th century author Clement A. Miles you will find werewolves, devils, goblins, curses, hexes, and rituals of the dead, all as they relate to Yuletide celebrations around the world.

Yule-Tide Yarns stands as a remarkable anthology that brings together a collection of tales imbued with the festive spirit of Yuletide, weaving a rich tapestry of narratives that showcases a diverse array of literary styles. This collection distinguishes itself by spanning a wide spectrum of themes, from adventure and camaraderie to the reflective and introspective, capturing the essence of the holiday season through various lenses. The anthology is notable for its inclusion of works that range from high-seas adventures to more grounded, heartwarming tales, echoing the vast and multifaceted nature of Yule-time celebrations. The chosen pieces underline the significance of the anthology within the broader literary context, highlighting the enduring charm and appeal of seasonal storytelling. The contributors to Yule-Tide Yarns are a cadre of esteemed authors well-versed in crafting engaging narratives that resonate with readers across generations. This collective encompasses writers like Robert Leighton, George Manville Fenn, and others, known for their contributions to genres that span historical fiction, adventure, and beyond, reflecting a rich heritage of English literature. Their collective works within this anthology resonate with the cultural and social mores of their times, offering insights into the eras in which they wrote. Rooted in distinct periods and locales, these stories not only entertain but also serve as cultural artifacts, providing commentary on Victorian and early Edwardian society's values and traditions. This tapestry of tales aligns with the broader literary movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries, wherein storytelling served both as escapism and moral instruction. Yule-Tide Yarns is highly recommended for readers seeking to immerse themselves in the spirit of the holiday season through a literary lens. This anthology presents a unique opportunity to explore an eclectic mix of stories that together celebrate the richness of Yuletide traditions. Readers will find themselves transported through a variety of settings and narratives, all while engaging with the historical and cultural contexts that shaped these tales. This collection is not only a testament to the storytelling prowess of its contributors but also an educational journey into the mores and values of past societies. It invites readers to revel in the joy, reflection, and camaraderie that define the holiday season, making it an essential addition to any festive reading list.

"Discover the enchanting world of 'Yuletide Whimsy: 25 Christmas Stories for Children.' Immerse your young readers in a delightful collection of heartwarming and imaginative tales that capture the magic of the holiday season. These carefully crafted stories are filled with playful characters, unexpected adventures, and a touch of whimsy, making them perfect for cozy bedtime reading or festive family gatherings. Dive into this captivating eBook and let the spirit of Christmas come alive with every turn of the page. Ideal for parents and educators seeking delightful stories to share, 'Yuletide Whimsy' promises a joyful journey through the wonders of the holiday season for children of all ages."

From the ancient biblical story of Jesus to those modern holiday favorites seen on television each year, these heartfelt and fun insights into the truths, myths and legends of December point you back to the reason for the season every time.

How did enslaved African Americans in the Old South really experience Christmas? Did Christmastime provide slaves with a lengthy and jubilant respite from labor and the whip, as is generally assumed, or is the story far more complex and troubling? In this provocative, revisionist, and sometimes chilling account, Robert E. May chides the conventional wisdom for simplifying black perspectives, uncritically accepting southern white literary tropes about the holiday, and overlooking evidence not only that countless southern whites passed Christmases fearful that their slaves would revolt but also that slavery’s most punitive features persisted at holiday time. In Yuletide in Dixie, May uncovers a dark reality that not only alters our understanding of that history but also sheds new light on the breakdown of slavery in the Civil War and how false assumptions about slave Christmases afterward became harnessed to myths undergirding white supremacy in the United States. By exposing the underside of slave Christmases, May helps us better understand the problematic stereotypes of modern southern historical tourism and why disputes over Confederate memory retain such staying power today. A major reinterpretation of human bondage, Yuletide in Dixie challenges disturbing myths embedded deeply in our culture.

Tales For The Yuletide: The collection of seven stories in this book are all about gift-giving. But the gifts are of the medaphorical type, not extravigant trinkets wrapped with pretty ribbons and paid for with a credit card. Instead, they are of the kind which can only come from the human heart. Set in different locations and in various periods in time, and regardless of the characters ages or sex, the stories were all inspired by the purest meaning of Christmas; the exchanging of that which is priceless. So grab a box of tissue, get comfortable, and fall in love with Christmas all over again.

In the myth and folklore of ancient European cultures and spiritual traditions, the longest night of the year, called Winter Solstice, was a time of transition during which people sought out personal renewal and rebirth. The Fires of Yule provides a template and a pattern for entering deeply into the Winter Solstice Season, experiencing it in poetic and transformative ways through a contemporary calendar called The Thirteen Dayes of Yule. Readers of The Fires of Yule will follow a pilgrim path of the Thirteen Dayes from 13 to 25 December, engaging in various myths, symbols, stories, and rituals associated with each day. Becoming practitioners of the Yule, deepening their experience of the Winter Solstice, they will move beyond the more banal and commercialized forms of the December holidays. The calendar of the Thirteen Dayes is sourced (historically) in Celtic myth and Paganism, as well as (imaginatively) in the lore of the Elves of ancient pre-Celtic worlds. This book brings together many of the best-known icons and customs of modern Christmas traditions, re-sourcing them in the light of a Pagan Hearth and offering touchstones for self-renewal at Winter Solstice. This revised edition of The Fires of Yule presents the mystic pattern of Thirteen Dayes in its fullest expression, narrated in the voice of a fictional character, Cornelius Whitsel, a student of religion and a Pagan spiritual director in the Keltelven Traditions who lives in the imagined landscape of Ross County, Pennsylvania. Cornelius has been a character in two of Montague Whitsels other books; Ham Farir: The Faring of Matthew Thorin Dier (2008) and Tales from the Seasons (2009). The Fires of Yule is the culmination of more than three decades of the authors devout engagement with the Yule and deep reflection on the nature of the Winter Solstice. Montague Whitsel has explored, studied and practiced Western spiritualities grounded in the Celtic, Neo-Pagan and Monastic traditions for more than 40 years.

Christmas comes but once a year. Adam wants another beer. The first time I met Santa was in a bar. I was occupying a barstool in the Village in lower Manhattan at the time. It was December, of course—one does not meet Santa in August—and the year was 1955. It was really Santa, too. And by that I mean it was an overweight gentleman with a long, grey-white beard, a dark red suit with white trim, wire-framed glasses and a balding head. His cheeks were rosy either from the cold or the exertion of hoisting himself up on the barstool. He was not particularly tall. “What’s the rumpus?” Santa asked. When he’s in a funk, Adam the immortal man mostly just wants a place to drink and the occasional drinking buddy. When that buddy turns out to be Santa Claus, Adam is forced to face one of the biggest challenges of extremely long life: Christmas cheer. Will Santa break him out of his bad mood? Or will he be responsible for depressing the most positive man on the planet?

A collection of stories and poems on Christmas; some well-known by famous authors, some little known.

Masked and costume balls thrived in Russia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries during a period of rich literary and theatrical experimentation. The first study of its kind, The Modernist Masquerade examines the cultural history of masquerades in Russia and their representations in influential literary works. The masquerade's widespread appearance as a literary motif in works by such writers as Anna Akhmatova, Leonid Andreev, Andrei Bely, Aleksandr Blok, and Fyodor Sologub mirrored its popularity as a leisure-time activity and illuminated its integral role in the Russian modernist creative consciousness. Colleen McQuillen charts how the political, cultural, and personal significance of lavish costumes and other forms of self-stylizing evolved in Russia over time. She shows how their representations in literature engaged in dialog with the diverse aesthetic trends of Decadence, Symbolism, and Futurism and with the era's artistic philosophies.