10 TRUE Christmas Horror Stories to Keep You Awake ALL Christmas

Oh ho ho and welcome to a very special Christmas bonus episode from unexplained encounters I'm Darkness prevails and trust me when I say I'm definitely wearing my Santa suit at this very moment today's episode features several scary and allegedly true stories of The Unexplained that happened on or around Christmas from Christmas ghosts classic to Holiday creatures you're going to unwrap this episode and scream with Glee If you have a scary story of The Unexplained send it to me at dark stories.org so I can read it and if you want early access to my cinema quality

fully produced Creepy Pasta narrations sign up for eercast Plus at east.com plusus and check out Delete after reading and hey if you ever wanted to get me something for Christmas how about you just make it a follow and a review of unexplained encounters on Spotify and apple Podcasts thank you now let's begin it fell from the tree from Joshua J I had quite the experience a while back on holiday season the kind of encounter that made me pretty uncomfortable to be around two of the things I really loved Christmas and my own hunting land for

the rest of my life I'll remember that day clear deer than my own Birthday it was Christmas afternoon and my family had all come together to my place out in rural Oklahoma for the last 15 years I've owned about 80 acres of forested land it was a lot of scrub Oaks and a few Pines with a tangled underbrush that made for decent wildlife habitat we'd open presents in the morning my wife and I had the grandchildren and their parents over and everyone attempted to crowd into our old living room after we did Our gift exchange

my 14-year-old grandson Keith kept nudging me about going out to hunt he had just gotten into archery hunting that year and I figured it'd be a good chance to pass on some knowledge and tradition I was 58 years old then I've been doing that kind of thing since I was younger than him so I figured why not we set out not too long after lunch Keith and I grabbed our bows and headed out the house was tucked near the north Edge of the property and the best hunting spots were deeper in I knew that place

like the back of my hand I knew exactly where the deer or occasionally wild hogs love to wander we strolled a good half hour into the property Keith seemed excited you could tell by the way he kept adjusting his grip on the bow he was looking around soaking in all the scenery I tried to keep him quiet though told him patience that's hunting just keep your Eyes open and your your ears peeled every once in a while he would whisper something about how cool it was to be out here honestly it warmed my heart the

kind of thing granddad's dream of now we had a small cabin on the property I'd built it about 10 years ago for a place to rest store some tools and warm up if we got caught in Colder Weather I'd bought a tiny generator for the place for some light and a little portable heater nothing too fancy or Expensive just enough to keep you from freezing your fingertips off if you're out there for a while and that day was cold enough around the mid 20s if I remember correctly we were plenty bundled up but still we

stopped at the cabin popping inside for a bit before finding our blind spot for the afternoon hunt the cabin's not too big just a single room enough space for a couple of chairs a small table and some hooks on the wall For hats and coats Keith his hands together as I fired up the generator I got that overly loud annoying thing going and it paid me back with a bit of warmth I poured Keith a half a mug of hot coffee from my thermos he looked surprised and I told him don't go telling your mom

or dad okay he grinned at me like I just told him the world's funniest secret and he started to sip at it probably not loving The taste but appreciating it still we sat there the two of us sipping coffee trying to get the chill out of our bones the cabin's wooden walls creaked now and then and I leaned back enjoying it after about 15 minutes we decided it was time to head out to one of my old hides it was a makeshift little camouflaged spot set up behind some brush it had a great line of

sight through a small clearing there had been deer out there in the past winters and Sometimes you'd get a good shot if you were patient enough we picked our way through the undergrowth trying to be quiet not snapping too many Twigs by then it was midaf afternoon and the light was getting softer but we had plenty of time to settle in we got to the spot kind of a natural depression in the ground with some low shrubs around it I reinforced it a few seasons ago with a bit of camo netting But mostly it Blended

in because everything around it was dull brown gray and dark green we hunkered down Keith was on my left now you couldn't call that spot comfortable not exactly but it wasn't too bad I'd brought several of those little warm hand packs small little heat packs you crack open to keep your fingers warm we'd share one from time to time I would tap Keith on the shoulder and pass one over or he'd carefully hand It back all in all though we didn't say much just listened to the wind watched the woods and waited about an hour

passed not a lot going on yet Keith was starting to get a bit fidgety which is normal for a 14-year-old on one of his first serious hunts I hunted younger than him but I do remember my first few hunts you hear the rustle of leaves and you think it's something but 99% of the time it's a squirrel or just the Breeze I whispered a few words to him to tell him to relax he just gave me a slight smile a few minutes later though Keith suddenly started to tap me on the shoulder hard at first

then faster I turned to hush him worried he was going to make too much noise when I looked down at him I saw real fear in his eyes he kept Whispering Grandpa what is that Grandpa I put a finger to my lips and Tried to follow his gaze he was looking straight ahead maybe 20 maybe 25 M ahead just just off to the right of a big old oak tree I squinted I didn't see anything to alarm me just a thick trunk and some knobbly lumps of bark I whispered back to him son I don't

see anything what are you pointing at he pressed closer and whispered a bit louder on the tree now my heart was really thumping It's not often you see a kid that scared out there I was wondering if he saw a bobcat climbing up a tree maybe he was mistaking a shape out there for something else I looked again focusing harder I looked at the lump on that particular tree it looked just like a lump but it seemed to be where he was looking and pointing it looked like a big patch of bark twisted and bulging

out but something did look off the more I looked The more I could make out an Almost Human shap AP to it I don't know like there was a human torso or legs I told myself I was seeing things when you look so hard for something you end up finding it even if you force your mind to see it but then it moved not much mind you just a slight shift like whatever it was had just slightly adjusted its grip on the bark that's when it really Clicked this thing was upside down clinging to the

tree trunk like some kind of enormous lizard but shaped like a person I remember muttering well I'll be and I felt Keith go still there was no real sound from it no big reaction just tiny subtle movements on occasion but it was enough for me to finally see it the two of us watched it not really Sure what we were looking at the before long Keith started to whisper again can we go back Grandpa please can we go back he started to say it every 15 seconds or so and I would just shake my head

slightly it's not that I wasn't concerned it was that I didn't know what to do and I didn't want to move and spook it or get its attention wasn't even sure what it was I've seen all manner of wildlife out Here over the years you had your typical de coyotes raccoons and possums I even found signs of bears and mountain lions on occasion but nothing like this this thing had a shape that was too human for comfort and if that was its skin we were seeing it was rough it was just like the bark of

the tree it was on I couldn't see the eyes of it clearly not from that distance but I had the unsettling feeling it was aware of us it must have been there the whole time Blending right in with that tree I think we watched it for about four minutes maybe a bit longer my knees were starting to ache from staying so still Keith was starting to shake I tried to calm him down by placing a hand on his shoulder but he was so fixated on that tree I could tell he was growing paranoid then without

warning it suddenly dropped to the ground it just let go of the bark and I heard it hit The ground with a heavy thud it didn't sound natural for something you'd expect to find of a tree like a branch falling on the ground it sounded heavier than a man too or at least it was very solid that sound sent a jolt through me I leaned forward trying to get a better look then it stood I could barely make out any details because its skin or covering matched the bark and Lea litter so well it moved

a bit and I could see a vague humanlike Form arms legs ahead I think then it turned and I knew it was looking at us the feeling of being watched by it suddenly became quite intense like being caught in a spotlight even though there was no light shining on us the creature then crouched back down dipping down so low that I could hardly track it through the brush it wasn't charging it wasn't hissing just silent and disturbingly quick I could feel Keith's Panic rising and to be honest I didn't want to stick Around any longer

whatever it was I sure as heck didn't want to get closer to it I stood up my voice no longer a whisper come on son we got to go I grabbed Keith by the arm he didn't fight me we moved out of the BL blind and back through the woods not exactly running but moving fast enough that I was sure we were making a racket at that point I didn't care I had to get my grandson out of There we made it back to the cabin and once inside I locked the door behind us not

really sure if that would have done any good if that thing was going to follow us I fired up the generator again turning on the heater hoping the loudness of the generator would keep that thing at Bay but again I had no idea if he'd even cared about us being out there Keith was shaking when I looked back at him I poured him another tiny Bit of coffee just to get him to calm down and focus on something else I told him with a smile it's all right we're safe here then he started to ask

Grandpa what was that have you ever seen anything like that before I didn't have a good answer I was honest I don't think I've ever seen anything like that son not once in my life I didn't even have a good guess Some strange animal a trick of the mind we both shared or something else we sat in that cabin for a good while just warming up and trying to steady our nerves after a bit I decided we weren't going to try hunting again that day we left carefully going back to the main house we didn't

speak much on the walk but I did notice that Keith kept looking around like he'd seen the Boogeyman and as far as I knew maybe he Had when we got home the rest of the family was there enjoying the evening listening to music and nibbling on leftovers my wife looked at us funny as we came in she said we both looked sick I told them about the weird thing we'd seen Keith backed me up his demeanor had changed back in the comfort of family and home he was excited to tell the story the family got

quiet just listening then at the end came a barrage of questions are you sure it wasn't just Some animal did y all drink too much coffee out there he's not supposed to have coffee did you see tracks we tried to answer and explain what we could I don't think anyone really doubted us but they didn't know what to make of either I think it creeped out my wife but most of the others seemed just fascinated we spent the rest of the evening trying to piece it together but we never did come up with a good

Explanation that was the day I still remember the sound of that thing hitting the ground and the way it was shaped I'm glad we called that hunt early some things out in those Oklahoma Woods aren't what you expect and sometimes it's just best to head back home our house hated Christmas from TM Jacobson we moved into this old Connecticut house when I was around 7 just before Christmas my dad had landed this new job Nearby and my parents wanted us out of the cramped apartment we'd been stuck in before I remember being so excited at

first the house had a yard actual trees no constant noise from Neighbors through thin walls it was set back from a quiet road too with a big wraparound porch and big old trees looming over the place to my kid self it was huge and mysterious especially compared to what I was used to my mom loved the idea of fixing it up she would talk about painting the porch Railings and putting flower boxes under the windows my dad however went around ta on walls muttering about insulation or something my brother Tim and sister Katie just went

with the flow exploring their new rooms and arguing over who got the bigger closet as for me I was just psyched to have an attic and a backyard I'd never had that kind of space before the first few weeks there were busy unpacking and moving Furniture There was a lot to figure out too the place had a lot of little weird doors and creaky floors regarding neighbors there was an older couple two houses down a family with teens across the street and not much else really it was a sleepy stretch of old homes and trees

now I tell you all that and it sounds like it would have been perfect for a kid but from the start something felt a Little off it wasn't like the house screamed haunted on day one but there were tiny things that got under our skin my mom would find stuff in different places than she left them and my dad swore he heard footsteps upstairs whenever we were all sitting at the kitchen table I remember him once saying This Old House sure likes to breathe trying to laugh it off but I could tell he was a

little anxious about it being a curious kid I was always Poking around I mean I just come from a tiny apartment there was nowhere to hide there but now I'd often go up to the attic to explore even though it smelled all musty and made me sneeze I'd rumage through old Trunks and crates pretending I was a treasure hunter that's when I found my first clue that something seriously weird was going on in early December my mom asked me to find a box of Christmas decorations we'd Misplaced she wanted to Deck the place out to

make it feel as homely as possible so I was up in the attic pushing aside junk and Christmas lights Tangled like a giant spiderweb and I stumbled upon an old note tucked in with some ornaments it looked old and kind of yellowed all it said was don't forget me at Christmas that's it I brought it Downstairs showed my mom and she kind of forced a smile and said it was probably from the previous owners or a note that she or my dad wrote and forgot about but she still looked a bit weirded out by it

I remember thinking it was talking about not forgetting the decorations during Christmas but now I think it meant something else as December rolled along little odd things became more frequent doors would sometimes swing Shut for no reason and once late at night I swear I heard a quiet humming it sounded like someone singing a lullabi down the hall it was around then that Katie started to have nightmares she claimed to see a woman in her dreams who whispered words to her that she couldn't remember in the morning Tim tried to joke about ghosts but he

stopped laughing when he saw the look on my dad's face whenever something strange went On then came our first Christmas morning at the house honestly that's when it all hit the fan we woke up early like kids always do on Christmas excited to see our presents under the tree the living room had an old rocking chair in the corner it was something we got from Grandma's house ages ago I noticed it was moving just gently rocking while we were Opening Our gifts at first I thought it was one of my siblings perhaps they'd been playing

With it and ran away really quick but nope no one was near it it just kept rocking too I stared at it and when I got Tim's attention he looked too and he got real quiet my dad must have saw it cuz he walked over and touched it and as soon as he did it stopped and he had barely even poked it not enough to make it stop no one said much it was a really eerie way to start Christmas we went about our Christmas Business but that moment really stuck with me obviously I'm adding

into the story the next Christmas was worse by then we knew something was up with the house and I would soon start to believe that around the holidays it got much worse we'd gotten used to mild weirdness throughout the year but in December it ramped up big time on that Christmas morning after we'd opened up our presents we found that some old antique ornaments my mom cherished had been Taken off the tree and they were arranged in a circle on the coffee table and I I mean perfectly placed not broken just sitting there in a

neat ring and I kid you not when I saw what was in the middle I nearly peeded myself right in the middle of that ring was the same note the one I thought I threw away over a year ago but it looked the same too yellowed and old and it read don't forget me at Christmas it was enough to make my Sister cry my dad swore under his breath too I rarely heard the man cuss mom looked like she was going to pass out we ended up putting the ornaments back just trying to get on

with the day but honestly you can't just pretend that something like that didn't happen we knew we were dealing with something more than just a creaky old house it wasn't violent or anything yet but it was definitely there and it wanted us to know it was there Especially on Christmas for whatever reason maybe our ghost was the Grinch by our third Christmas there it had almost become a twisted tradition December would roll in we'd all start getting anxious about what the ghost or whatever it was would do this time we tried leaving out a family

photo near the tree as if to say look we're including you hoping to keep the haunting tame for the most part that year was Quieter no big dramatic moments just the occasional weird sound or feeling of being watched but late on Christmas Eve I couldn't sleep so I tiptoed downstairs that night my parents turned off all the lights except for the trees lights the moment I rounded the corner I saw it the rocking chair again gently moving this time I swear though I caught a glimpse of someone sitting in it it wasn't solid flat blood

more like a faint figure like an older woman maybe With oldfashioned clothes I even heard a faint humming I stared at the chair which kept on rocking somehow and I felt eyes on me my heart nearly exploded I ducked back behind the wall and stayed there until I could muster up the courage to go back to my room I never told my parents exactly what I saw just that I saw something they believed me we all believed in it by then over time we kind of learned to Live with this ghost we never discovered a

name or a reason it wasn't like a movie where we did research on the past of the house and found something dramatic nope we simply assumed that maybe the ghost once lived there maybe lost a loved one at Christmas and was stuck reliving it wanting someone to remember her we did try try different things like leaving out a plate of cookies or an old trinket and sometimes it seemed to calm Things down luckily she was never mean never broke anything she seemed more lonely desperate to be a part of the holidays I hope you're not

expecting a climactic end because these experiences just out of the blue after a few years of this routine simply stopped we had a Christmas where nothing happened it was quiet and lovely it was like she finally got what she needed and moved on or maybe we stopped being interested and she gave up we stayed in that house for Several more years when I was older my parents sold the house and we all moved on with our lives but I'll never forget her my two tall visitor from Nathan gator if you don't mind I'd like to

share with you the encounter that scared me the most in my entire life I was 11 years old we were living in Minnesota back then a regular Suburban neighborhood a culdesac with neatly shoveled driveways and all that that Christmas there were Kids building snow forts in their front yards and Christmas lights on every other house it was Christmas night technically the early hours after all the festivities we we had a big dinner with family opened our presents then stayed up too late watching a movie in the living room by the time I finally went to

bed I was exhausted but also riding that weird after Christmas Buzz still thinking about my new toys and how the Holiday break felt endless a little forewarning I've had sleep paralysis before it wasn't super common but it happened enough times that I knew what it felt like you wake up to find your body stuck and your limbs heavy and stiff and there's this familiar surge of panic before managing to wiggle a toe or finger to break free usually it came with a general sense of unease I always felt like there was something looming in the

corner of My room but I knew it was just in my head that's what I always thought until this experience that night around 2: or 3: in the morning I woke up in my dark bedroom I couldn't move I tried lifting my arm to rub my face but it felt like lead weights were tied to my wrists and ankles the room was darker than usual because of the heavy curtains my mom had hung up to keep out the early morning light all I could see was the glow of The Street Lamp sneaking in at the

edges I was lying there waiting for the sensation to pass like it always did I remember telling myself in my head just another episode of sleep paralysis relax focus on moving a finger but something felt different the temperature in my room which had been comfortably warm thanks to our central heating suddenly felt very cold and I don't mean just a bit colder I mean cold enough that I could almost see my Breath as I looked around the room I noticed a figure at the window a tall impossibly tall figure just standing there outside looking in

at me at first I wondered if it was my mom or dad checking on something outside but the silhouette didn't match and this figure had to be at least 7 ft tall maybe even taller because of how high the window was at that side of the house it's clothing as far as I could make out looked oldfashioned like Something from a movie sat in the Victorian era there was a long coat maybe some kind of old suit or cloak I couldn't see its face just the outline of a head and shoulders the figure didn't move

at all it was just there towering and staring I couldn't even hear it breathing no shuffling feet nothing like that maybe I was hallucinating a sort of statue I thought but statues don't usually just randomly spawn into Existence in the middle of the night as I began to panic I tried to scream but I couldn't get a sound out my mouth simply wouldn't open my chest felt weighted down I kept telling myself it was a hallucination then nothing to be scared of a trick from my mind but it felt too real the cold and the

Stillness and the sheer size of that thing I looked the opposite direction from it drilling the words it can't be Real it's just a nightmare and my head this moment felt like it was lasting a lifetime I have no idea how long I was lying there Frozen but awake eventually though I just blacked out guess I fell back to sleep when I came to again it was morning the room felt normal and warm and quiet my mind immediately went to that nightmare or sleep paralysis event and I thought that was a really bad dream Convinced

myself that that's really what it was Christmas morning leftovers and the usual post Christmas calm were in full swing downstairs I found my parents in the kitchen Dad making coffee and Mom flipping through some magazine my siblings were already playing with their new stuff I was still a bit tired and uneasy at some point during the day Probably mid morning I went over to my window at the back of the house just to look outside to make sure when I saw no figure and just the typical stuff outside I felt so relieved fresh snow had

fallen overnight too a good couple of inches smoothing out the yard but then I saw something there were Footprints outside just underneath my window a single set Huge and spaced apart they looked like someone in enormous booths had walked straight up to my bedroom window from the back fence line and this person's steps were so far apart whoever it was was very clearly quite tall I remember squinting and trying to measure it against something they were gigantic that's all I knew it couldn't be any of my neighbors and certainly not my dad my dad's tall

but no Giant and here's the weirdest part the Tracks LED only one way they came straight toward my window stopped right beneath it and then nothing no return tracks no side steps just a dead end at the wall of our house there was nowhere to go from there the snow was pristine beyond that point my stomach was doing flips realizing that what I'd seen last night was no dream I called my parents over trying not to sound crazy my dad frowned pulled on some Boots and went down outside to check he paced around scratching his

head looking for any clue that someone might have hopped the fence or backtracked perfectly in their own steps but it was impossible the prints were deep and pointed only one way my mom looked worried and I heard her whisper something like was there someone pranking us I didn't think so personally we didn't know anyone who would do that or How they would achieve that my dad called the local police just in case some tall weirdo had been lurking around an officer who came by to take a look noted the footprints and shook his head basically

telling us that he didn't know what to tell us an hour or two after that the sun was starting to melt the fresh snow the footprints blurred and eventually just faded away any evidence that the man or whatever it was had been there was gone all except for The image in my head to this day nobody in my family knows what I saw or who was out my window it'll always be just a creepy memory the Advent calendar from Anonymous I was about 10 years old the December this all went down every Christmas my mom

brought out this old wooden Advent calendar it had been an her side of the family for Generations it came from her German grandparents some distant relative had Carved it by hand long before I was ever born it wasn't flashy or covered in glitter like the modern ones it was dark wood smooth from years of being handled with tiny ornate carvings on the sides the front had 24 little doors each just big enough to hold a small candy or trinket mom usually put wrapped chocolate coins or miniature ornaments in there each day of December I'd open

one door and find a treat pretty normal holiday stuff but this particular year Something felt off right from the start around the first week of December I noticed door number 24 the big one we saved for Christmas Eve kept being found slightly open when I came downstairs in the morning at first I thought I just didn't close it properly the day before but then it happened a few more times even after I carefully clicked it shut and remembered doing so my dad said the hinge was probably just loose which sounded reasonable I Guess the thing

was old after all my mom tried tightening the tiny screws and even put a small piece of tape on the inside to keep the door closed but it still ended up cracked open we joked that maybe the chocolate was trying to escape but it didn't didn't feel funny after a while more odd than anything then I began to hear this faint scratching noise at night my bedroom was upstairs and I had decided to bring the Advent calendar up there for the time being not in my room but in the hallway right outside my room on

a little table at first I told myself I was imagining these scratching sounds sometimes old houses make weird sounds but it sounded like tiny claws dragging on wood I mentioned it to my parents and they rolled their eyes in a friendly way my mom said it might be mice in the walls especially since it was getting colder outside she said they Would set up some traps if it kept going well the scratching did keep going by mid December it was louder too not screaming loud but definitely noticeable enough that I couldn't sleep easily I'd lie

there staring at the ceiling hearing what sounded like something fiddling with the wooden doors meanwhile door number 24 had escalated from slightly open to swinging wide open no matter what we did my dad actually taped it shut one night two Strips of clear tape across it and the next morning it was open again tape peeled off and folded neatly to the side when I decided to take a closer look I opened door 24 and shown a flashlight inside it was empty except except for a few faint scratch marks along the interior surface they looked like

claw marks not deep enough to ruin the wood but clearly there I showed my parents my mom frowned and said maybe it was old damage she had never noticed before my Dad just Shrugged but looked a bit unsettled nobody had an explanation for why that door kept opening on its own a few nights later other doors started to open too 23 then 22 and so on working their way down the line in order certainly not random by the 20th of December most of the remaining doors were popping open sometime during the night as if counting

down the days we were all a little freaked out but my parents tried to stay rational The wood is probably warping my dad said it's insanely old the hinges might be popping loose one by one but we both both knew the Advent calendar had never done this before we'd used it every year since I was a toddler and it always worked just fine on December 23rd we were all downstairs watching a Christmas movie the three of us on the couch bowl of popcorn on my lap suddenly this deep rumbling growl came from Upstairs it wasn't

too loud but there was a low vibration to it that made my stomach sort of flutter and I know we all heard it the three of us froze mom even muted the TV and Dad stared upwards then there was another growl and it was definitely coming from the hallway upstairs right where the Advent calendar sat this sound was too big to come from any mouse or squirrel it sounded like something very large and Very angry was trapped in a tiny space but how could anything big be inside a box the size of a jewelry compartment

my dad finally got up Mom followed and I trail behind them at a safe distance we crept upstairs together not sure what we'd find a raccoon somehow stuck inside the hallway table when we got there the calendar looked completely normal all the doors that had been opened were now shut again the room was silent the air smelled a Bit stale but nothing else seemed off my mom whispered what was that then my dad shook his head for the first time they looked genuinely rattled not annoyed or dismissive scared that night none of us slept well

when I woke up on December 24th I went to check the calendar right away every door was sealed tight literally sealed because I tried tugging on one and it wouldn't Budge my Dad tried with a small screwdriver thinking maybe the wood really had swollen nothing the doors weren't glued they weren't locked or damaged they just refused to open like the wood had grown into a solid piece overnight we tried to open a few more but none of them gave the big door number 24 which had caused so much trouble was firmly shut we even took

it to the garage my dad tapped it gently With tools no luck it was like the calendar decided enough was enough the chocolate treats inside were still there Mom could see one through a tiny crack but we couldn't get them out those doors were permanently closed we ended up just leaving it on display that Christmas Eve these sounds stopped for a while later that evening we heard a faint scratch but that was it my parents refused to talk about the Whole thing when I asked Mom if we could get rid of it she said no

that was a Priceless family heirloom and people would ask questions she didn't want to explain that we'd gotten rid of an old family treasure because maybe it was haunted or something so we kept the dang thing we placed it on a shelf in the living room where it sits to this very day the doors remain shut no one has ever managed to open them Again sometimes especially on cold December Nights I swear I hear faint scratching sound coming from it and on those occasions I do my parents pretend they don't hear anything they just get

tense if I mention it and quickly change the subject no one else who visits seems to notice I mean it does look like a quaint old Advent calendar a piece of holiday decor with a bit of family history but to us it's a bit more I've always wondered what kind of thing might be possessing it and why the Christmas ghost in a haunted Farmhouse from when ghosts come out this Story begins with the day we went looking at a new house because we had to move we found this old farmhouse that had an abandoned Barn

next to it that's right this is my story of when we moved into a creepy haunted Farmhouse that had a small old Cemetery just one block away the home was built in the Year 1900 it was registered and located in a town called Coral I've already told a lot of experiences of this home in one of my stories including some other haunted houses as well the home had a huge wraparound porch around the entire front half of the house with we had two front doors and just one back door after you walked through the two

front doors you walked into the dining room and the living room After that there's the bathroom right in the corner of the dining room also the stairs were right in front of the bathroom outside there was a long but small barn shed that we kept our farm animals in beyond the little Barn was a big red abandoned pole barn that was now falling apart that Barn didn't come with the property it was owned by a farm business called Peterson Farms the old man that owned it was a big Grump but the creepy Thing was that

the pull Barn was right next to the Farmhouse we lived in and it used to come with the place as well when we were first moving in we experienced a few things after you went upstairs there was this space you could either call it a room or a giant hallway because it only had a tiny window it was right next to my sister's door the space didn't even have a door both my dad's bedroom and my Sister's bedroom were on each side of that hallway room space my dad's room was on one end of the

hallway room space and my sisters on the other in my dad's room there was another room which was a yellowish color the same color that the living room was the entire interior of the home was kind of cold the walls throughout the entire house were old paneling and the living room didn't even even half a ceiling the living room paneling was painted but the kitchen and The dining room weren't those two rooms were the same old brown color they were 50 years back the ceiling through the rest of the house was stained with yellow mildew

and the walls had holes and stains all around the inside of the place so this place wasn't the best home but hey you've got to make the best of it right now a mile away from this home was a very little and spooky Cemetery it's all the way in the back of the Woods Located on cannonsville road which is connected to the road we lived on there were only a few headstones there not very many people were buried there one gravestone read Elizabeth that's about all I remember at this time the first thing I remember

happening there was when we were working at the house one day we were able to go inside for the first time we checked out the whole place up upstairs and downstairs and we took Photos through the entire house later that evening we got back to our previous place which we were still living in at that point when we noticed in one of the photos in the master bedroom upstairs there were orbs a bunch of floating balls of light and we couldn't explain it on another occasion my sister my dad and I were working and installing

flooring upstairs when suddenly we began to hear footsteps walking through our front door and into The house just stopping at the stairs we thought maybe it was our landlord coming back but when we looked downstairs curiously no one came up there was no one there no sign of anyone on another occasion my landlord my father and I were in the basement it was just rock wall and concrete floor down there basically a bunker you needed to go go outside to get into the basement of the house my sister was sleeping upstairs When suddenly we all

heard three knocks coming from the floor above us the landlord even knocked back he's not even a believer in ghosts and suddenly whatever it was knocked in reply we quickly went upstairs to see who it was but there was no one there and my sister was still sleeping my l Lord assumed it was my sister pretending to sleep but we all know that wasn't the case one time when my dad was outside One night suddenly he heard this creepy noise coming from the big pole barn he didn't know what it was and he couldn't really

tell me what it was either he looked to see if it was my sister but it wasn't he went and looked outside but nothing was out there after a minute we forgot about it but a short a while later that night the door in the mudro just slammed Shut by itself after that we burned some sage in the house called it a night and went to Bed another time my dad and my stepmom were outside on their porch they were walking inside when suddenly they saw a face in the window of the old abandoned pole

barn they both looked at each other and asked each other if they'd seen that a very creepy experience one night my dad was outside in the backyard and he suddenly saw a black shadowy mass in the shape of a person he said he yelled at it but it Just loomed off and disappeared one day my stepmom my dad and I were all sitting in the living room watching TV when suddenly the dog we had started to bark at nothing for a while we ignored it until there came this crashing noise coming from a stairs we

practically ran upstairs what we found was my Xbox it looked like it had been pulled off the shelf my glass globe was pulled off and broken too and My books were pulled off from their shelves as well we had to clean the whole mess up but we never did find any explanation for what may have caused this a year or two after living here and After experiencing some of these phenomena we came across the the little old Cemetery that I mentioned before I do recall the gravestones reading that they dated back to the 1800s again

it was very small with only a few gravestones there and as I said Before one was named Elizabeth the cemetery was all the way in the back of a plot of woods the first visit to the graveyard was just my dad and my stepmom they went back there and took some photos after they did they began to hear knocking coming from the woods they weren't sure what was causing it and they didn't see anyone else out there eventually after looking at one of the photos they saw a white glowing figure Of a person by The

Headstone the one that said Elizabeth later on they went back there one day it was yet again my stepmom and my dad this time it was after dark they got out of the truck and listened to see if anything would happen but was silent they got back into the truck and for some reason they couldn't get their headlights to turn on they were trying for a minute when suddenly they turned On again but at the same time just for a second they both said they saw a woman standing in front of them outside of the

truck in the middle of the headlights in the cemetery they both got out to see who it was but they couldn't find her in the distance behind the graveyard they could hear a woman's voice calling them saying something like come here it was very faint and it was coming from Downwind my stepmom was getting scared and though my dad was curious he got back in the truck for her sake and they drove away now comes the experience when my sister and I went to visit the place we had been riding our bikes up there I

remember my sister saying get on your bike we're going to go see Elizabeth we got there before long and we started to hear the tree knocking too we were both surprised and went Right home now all this stuff was quite disturbing but the worst part was around Christmas time it seemed to get more active we started to see the Poltergeist or whatever it was more often this one event was probably the worst that happened there it was one night on Christmas Eve the year was 2017 the year we moved into the place and had just

gotten done snowing that day there was a fresh cover of snow all over the ground The whole yard and the road were carpeted with just white on the porch the snow had blown in that night giving it a good thin white layer of snow reflecting off the Mercury light it was 900 p.m. so it was dark out my sister and I were in the living room and dad was in his room room that's when we all started to hear these loud stomping sounds outside on our big wraparound porch there were only four big Stomps but

they covered the entire Porch it shook the entire house and all the dogs were barking we were all terrified because whatever it was sounded insanely big thing is it takes my dad about 15 Steps to cover that entire porch and whatever it was out there could cover it in only a few steps we all went outside with flashlights to see what it was and we were only more frightened to find nothing no tracks or marks in the fresh Snow nothing when my sister and I were upstairs in my room one day my dad was at

the store my stepmom wasn't there at the time either we began to hear knocking coming from downstairs and we assumed it was my dad coming back when we went down we didn't find a soul but we did hear the knocking again coming from the kitchen this time I remember the look on my sister's face we were both creeped out when Dad got back we Rushed and told him one night my dad got up to use the restroom in the middle of the night he says he recalls hearing footsteps going up the stairs he heard someone

walking up the stairs and he called and asked who it was but no one responded when he went to look for himself he found no one but then after a minute later he said that he saw a tall black shadow pass our tall Mercury light in the front Yard again no one was out there when he looked he went back to bed shortly after there was a time when my stepmom had seen a black mass too passing by one of the living room windows while she was watching TV she went to check it out not

finding anyone she tried not to think too much of it but during Christmas they would often see a black shadow person past the window that was in the mudro that window faced directly into The living room both my dad and my stepmom would see it pass back and forth in that window from the corner of their eyes when they looked directly at it nothing would be there this would happen all day every day then there was the I heard something fall in my room I ended up finding one of my old shoe boxes now on

the floor I picked it back up and suddenly saw a mass pass by the window a shadow of Something one night my sister was in her room she remembers hearing two knocks at her door she thought it was us but when she said come in she didn't get a response and the door didn't open so she got up and went to the door but didn't find anyone there she came right down and told our dad about it one day my dad was talking to one of his friends and he saw a giant pair of legs

pass the front door through the little Window yeah it sounds bizarre but that's what he said he went to look but nothing was out there I believe him because during Christmas time I on occasion saw those giant legs pass the little door window in the corner of my eyes they would be these giant pairs of legs passing back and forth in front of the front door window and when I looked they wouldn't be there anymore one time I was in my room suddenly one of my Christmas trays Flipped over off my table spilling everything out

of it I had to pick everything back up that morning my dad said he often felt watched in the garage said he heard three knocks one day coming from the ceiling in the garage and of course that was around Christmas he would even see someone or something standing behind him out of the corner of his eye or in a reflection but when he looked no one would be There A lot has happened there and whatever is happening whatever it is causing it an seems to like or maybe hate Christmas the most as that's when we

see it and hear it the most as I'm writing this it's soon to be Christmas so I thought it would be a good idea to share these experiences we still live here in the old farmhouse and we still do experience strange things here and there it's sometimes does seem to go Away for a minute but then it comes back I don't know what's inside this home with us it makes me question what else is out there no matter what we really believe there are things in the world we simply can't explain already so many people

report phenomena like this and to think most people don't even talk about it but I hope you enjoyed our experiences with the Christmas ghost almost died hard at a Christmas party from aonomus I really do hope my story title is an exaggeration I'm not sure where to start but I guess I'll just try to tell it the way it happened it was back in 2016 during the winter in Southeastern Michigan I was about 8 months into a new job at a midsized insurance office just outside lanzing we were a pretty close-nit team maybe 25 people

on our floor and everyone mostly got along I'd never had any issues with my co-workers sure some Were friendlier than others but no one out outright bothered me until Jeremy was hired Jeremy started about 3 months before the end of the year he was part of the claims processing team relatively entry level and he set two cubicles away from me at first he seemed normal enough maybe a bit quiet he was this tall lanky guy brown hair that looked perpetually greasy and he always wore these dark green sweaters even when it wasn't Cold I remember

thinking he was a bit odd but the thought stopped right there after all people have their quirks right the first truly creepy thing I noticed about Jeremy was how he stared he wouldn't do it when we were face to face actually if you talked directly to him he'd barely look at you but if I was at The copier or making a coffee or just turning a corner I'd catch him watching me he'd stand at his desk and just Stare at first I thought maybe I had something on my shirt or in my hair maybe he

was just spacing out like we all do from time to time but it kept happening every time I looked up from my screen I'd find him glancing over eyes a shade too wide and lingering a little too long I mentioned it once jokingly to my friend Carla who worked in underwriting I said something like that new guy Jeremy's a bit strange huh she Shrugged And said he was probably just shy telling me I was overthinking it so I tried to forget about it and leave the guy alone a week later Jeremy started making small comments

under his breath whenever I'd walk by his desk I couldn't always make out what he was saying it'd be something very soft practically a whisper but I did manage to catch some of it stuff like yeah there you go or uhhuh that's Right it didn't seem to make sense to me I'd glance over and he'd be busy typing or flipping through a file like he hadn't uttered a word it was uncomfortable but I wasn't sure I'd go to a just yet can't just tell them hey this guy is Whispering weird stuff when I pass his

desk that would sound stupid the situation escalated in early December we'd had our first real snowfall and I remember feeling kind of Excited because the office was cozy and everyone was looking forward to the holiday break that morning I found a note under my keyboard it read I like the way you move the hand writing was small and spidery I had no idea who wrote it I mean I had my suspicions it sure as heck wasn't from my usual crew but no solid proof I did show it to Carla and she gave me a concerned

look and said I should tell Someone I thought about it but I guess I wanted to believe it was a one-time creepy prank Maybe by someone from another department so I didn't make a stink about it but then the notes kept coming every couple of days I'd get another one they seem to always be placed in spots only I would find them tucked inside the folder for a claim I was reviewing or slipped behind my computer monitor messages like I can smell your shampoo or that blouse Looks nice on you it was enough to get

me to change the shampoo I used and I even stopped wearing that particular blouse I know it sounds dumb I just felt like I had to respond in some way I was starting to get paranoid too my eyes would Dart around the room at times trying to figure out who could be watching me so closely like that most of my co-workers were friendly and normal people guys and gals I could joke with Have lunch with but Jeremy was the only one who gave me that unsettling feeling but without proof again what could I do the

Friday before our office Christmas party I stayed late to finish up some end ofe Reports most people had left by 6:00 p.m. and by 6:30 I was practically alone I got up to use the bathroom and as I passed the kitchenet I noticed Jeremy sitting there at a small table by himself in the dark no lights on just The glow of the soda machine nearby he didn't say anything he just sat and watched me walk by I forced a polite smile but inside I was freaking out why was he still here he had no reason

to be staying so late and why was he sitting in the dark like that when I got back to my desk I packed up my stuff immediately and left I didn't run into him on the way out but my neck did that prickling thing again because I felt like I was being Watched I literally half jogged to my car through the snow snowy parking lot the next Monday was the day of the Christmas party our office always held it in the building's large conference room with a potluck lunch some cheap wine and a white elephant

gift exchange people would trickle in and out all afternoon chatting wearing ugly sweaters that sort of thing I tried to stay surrounded by people I trusted Carla stuck with me and I tried to enjoy Myself I was partly hoping Jeremy wouldn't even show up but of course he did he wore that same dark green sweater and stood off to the side sipping from a plastic cup watching me our eyes met once and he gave me this awkward half smile I looked away fast after a few hours people started to move around going back to their

desks or heading down the hall to refill drinks the conference room was part of a suite of rooms there was a smaller meeting Room next door where people sometimes stashed extra chairs or decorations I stepped out to get some water on my way back Jeremy seemed to materialize out of nowhere right behind me he said something like I have something to show you and I felt a surge of panic I told him I was busy but he insisted it's just in here and he nodded toward that smaller meeting room I tried to politely decline but

he stepped closer he was taller than I realized Looming over me I could smell stale coffee on his breath I could see sweat forming at his hairline too he reached out and touched my elbow lightly but firmly guiding me toward that door my heart was pounding so loud I swear I could hear it in my ears I yelled out Carla but the hallway was suddenly empty everyone was inside celebrating the noise from the conference room was muffled by thick Glass doors I managed to pull away for a second and try to step back but he

grabbed my wrist hard and I mean harder than anyone had ever grabbed me before he opened the door with his other hand forcing me inside that dark empty room I remember the smell of of old cardboard boxes and dust stop it Jeremy I said my voice shaky he didn't respond just kept moving forward pushing me deeper into the Shadows away from the door I fought him I kicked his shin and he let out this strange almost animalistic grunt he tried to cover my mouth but I bit his fingers and he yelped jerking back for a

split second I saw fear in his eyes like he hadn't ConEd considered that I would fight back that gave me the opening I needed I lunged to the side slipped around him and raced for the door he grabbed up my coat but I tore free and I flung the Door open sprinting into the hallway I practically crashed into Carla and our manager Rob they'd come looking for me they saw me in a panic and Jeremy right behind trying to appear casual but failing miserably Carla was yelling the heck is going on and Rob stepped forward

blocking Jeremy from following me long story short I ended up in HR within an hour I told them everything the notes the weird stairs the late Night lurking and now this attack the police were called but when they arrived Jeremy had already been escorted from the building HR said he was fired on the spot he didn't even try to deny anything just stood there glaring at me as security pulled him out the police asked if I wanted to press charges of course I did I mean the guy tried to force me into a room and

well I don't know what he was planning To do but then the next few weeks were a blur of paperwork there was no security camera in that small meeting room and all we had was my testimony versus his word the notes had no direct proof of who wrote them most of my co-workers had never actually witnessed him bothering me directly just caught glimpses of tension the HR department was relieved to have him gone but they wanted to keep things Quiet the police said I could attempt to press charges but it probably wouldn't stick without more

evidence in the end the company didn't push for it either he disappeared I never saw him again not at work or around town maybe he moved maybe he just went underground I still get anxious when I think about it for a few weeks after I checked my rearview mirror quite often and I took some different routes home I Changed up my routine it really messed with me truth be told the worst part was knowing he got away with it he lost his job sure but that doesn't feel like enough he could be anywhere working someplace

else doing who knows what to somebody I tried to put it behind me but that experience lingers it's a Memory that pops up now every time the weather turns cold and the office Christmas party rolls around it's been years now and I've Since moved to another job one where I'm safer but I'll never forget Jeremy and the Christmas party that almost ended very very badly two delivery stories from Walt 4 impossible apartment I remember that Christmas Eve and startling Clarity it was late well past 10 and my dispatcher told me I had one last delivery

to complete the package was a small neatly wrapped box with a big red bow and a label addressed To a new luxury highrise downtown as a seasonal delivery driver for a regional Courier Service I'd grown used to these odd late night requests during the holidays people scramble at the last minute but I'd never been to this particular building before according to the address it had only recently opened a few floors to Residents with the rest still under construction the streets were mostly deserted I had to be wary of black ice but I found the building

pretty easily it was Sleek glass steel and a polished Lobby visible through floor to ceiling Windows despite how luxurious it was oddly there was no door man at the front desk just a small note taped to the glass door it said elevator out of service used stairs I let myself in looking around for any security guards or anyone else in the lobby but it was Empty I considered leaving the package downstairs but the recipient instructions were quite clear delivered to unit 501 in person so I climbed the stairs instrumental Christmas music drifted through the building

though I never spotted any speakers then again I wasn't really looking the stairwell was brightly lit and smelled faintly of fresh paint at the second floor Landing I noticed Something strange a line of Christmas wreaths hung from the hallway doors this wouldn't be odd except they all looked identical green wreaths with a red bow each slightly Dusty as if they'd been stored for years I continued up on the third floor more wreaths and a faint scent of gingerbread the music seemed to grow louder too by the time I reached reached the fifth floor I was

a bit out of breath the hallway carpeting was Pristine white and each door had a small holiday ornament candy canes tiny snowmen Angels finally at door 501 at the end of the corridor I noticed the door was slightly a jar just a crack enough for the warm light inside to seep out I knocked and called out hello delivery no response but soon I noticed there was a soft humming coming from inside a gentle wordless tune sounded like silent Night I approached carefully now I'm not supposed to enter anyone's home so I set the package just

inside the door on a small credenza hello I called again the humming suddenly stopped for some reason that gave me a chill I listened and Stood Still For a Moment nothing I backed away not wanting to overstep maybe the customer had fallen asleep maybe they were shy so I left the package right there and went as I Stepped into the hallway the door swung softly shut behind me had they been that close the entire time to just reach out and shut the door as soon as I walked away I hurried back to the stairwell only

then did I realize I must have made a wrong turn somehow because I couldn't find the door to the stairs I had just used instead I found another identical hallway of apartments in fact each door was decorated with the same ornaments I blinked I wondered if I had Just gone in a circle I tried a different direction passing the same patterned rug and the same old-fashioned wreath on a door labeled 504 but I could have sworn that door was 503 a moment ago it was late I was tired maybe I was confused I turned around

and walked back toward where I thought the stairwell would be no stairwell another hallway identical doors identical Music hello can anyone help me I called out the building felt so empty yeah yet I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't alone worse yet the longer I walked trying to find my way out the more the decorations around me seemed aged they seemed to get older and older the longer I walked even the wallpaper seemed to fade in color I closed my eyes took a deep breath and told myself I was overreacting I turned a corner

and I Nearly stumbled over something in theor floor a small gift tag with my company's logo on it it looked like the one I'd fixed to that package earlier it read in delicate handwriting delayed how did this get out here who wrote that wasn't me and I haven't seen a single soul in this building and then I heard it there was no mistaking it someone at the opposite end of the hallway called my name when I turned around I had goosebumps on My arms and I didn't see anyone just an empty hallway this was insane

I was running then before long I was really starting to panic and I even began to try door knobs every single one I came across but they were locked and no one seemed to care to come out to the hallway to investigate why some stranger was jiggling their door knob I swear the Christmas music was getting louder too I'm not sure why I yelled it but it Wasn't until I called out sorry to no one in particular that it all stopped the music stopped the strange feeling stopped and only then did I finally hear the

building's ventilation I quickly walked around another corner and as if by Magic the elevator doors were right there in front of me the signs still out of service but I hit the call button anyway to my shock the door slid open With a soft chime I stepped inside the empty elevator and pressed the lobby button in less than a second it opened again onto the ground floor I stumbled out practically running to a security guard who stood behind the lobby desk looking concerned he asked if I was all right I asked him about the apartments

upstairs why they all had the same decorations and why the hallways were so Labyrinthian he frowned what do you mean The fifth floor is still under construction there's only residence on Floors 1 and two I apologized and simply left I felt dizzy and creeped the heck out to this day I don't know what happened in that building all I know is that something was very wrong and I'm glad I made it out okay something was stirring the night before Christmas I found myself behind the wheel of my Delivery van driving through a Suburban neighborhood just

outside the city limits it wouldn't be my last stop that night not by a long shot the Christmas that year was much much busier and that's really saying something I still had a handful of packages rattling in the back but the snow had started to fall heavily and I knew I needed to wrap things up soon the neighborhood was one of those older suburbs built in the mid 20th century with split level homes big Yards and wide streets by now most residents were tucked inside cozily warm under their glowing Christmas tree lights but not this

particular address I had to deliver to it was somewhere near the end of a street that dead ended near a small patch of woods the directions were fussy and my GPS at the time had been acting strange ever since I entered the subdivision the bright Holiday Lights Gave the snow a bluish Hue and I kept seeing the tree branches above me bending under the weight of ice freaking me out whenever I'd hear a snap or a muffled crack I hadn't found it yet but the house according to the minimal notes I had was a ranch

house with a red front door this This was meant to be a simple delivery some kind of last minute gift maybe a toy for a kid who had been forgotten in the holiday Shuffle but as I slowly drove down the lane squinting At house numbers searching for 622 I saw 618 620 but then it jumped to 624 I must have missed it I thought I rolled my eyes and reversed as I turned around there I saw it a narrow driveway I almost overlooked it was half buried under drifted snow at its end was a small

home with no visible numbers but it had a red door and was positioned right where 622 should have been I pulled in slowly this house didn't have the Cheerful glow its neighbors had I didn't even see a single twinkle just a red door that looked freshly painted and a porch covered in a thin layer of snow Untouched by any footprint the mailbox was tilting slightly and had no number again I checked the shipping label deliver to Red Door at 622 this had to be it as I approached the wind picked up I knocked package in

hand no Answer another knock still nothing it was cold and dark and I wanted to go home I was thinking about leaving the package on the porch but then I began to hear footsteps inside light and quick footsteps like a little kid I leaned closer to the door hello and I knocked again there was silence I tried the doorbell but when I clicked it I didn't hear a chime inside so it was either very quiet or Broken but then I heard a muffled rustling like someone was moving something around inside then I thought I heard

a child's voice saying something like Daddy I took a step back maybe the primary occupant was asleep or distracted there was a child inside that was sure but at the moment they seemed alone that did worry me I knocked louder hello is everything all right the wind was getting stronger and Colder then I caught some movement in my peripheral a faint silhouette at the window it stood back from the glass just enough to be a pale blur I raised my hand and smiled giving them a friendly wave and in that second the figure faded out

of sight stepping backward into the house I walked around the porch peering through another window inside was dim maybe lint by a single candle or a distant light the interior looked Old-fashioned heavy drapes an antique lamp here and there but there was something off it was just a little too dark in there I heard another muffled voice somewhere but it was too faint for me to tell what they were saying I've done my best here I told myself and I went back to the front door I crouched down to set the package carefully at the

doorstep as I did I suddenly noticed fresh footprints in the snow they hadn't Been there before they were small and child-sized leading from the doorstep to the side of the house and as I peered around to the backyard from what I could tell they ended abruptly halfway across the lawn no sign of turning around or fading out just a dead stop in a patch of untouched snow nothing about this felt right I turned and marched back to my van the job was done I told myself Package was delivered I had even tried to announce myself

several times if the recipient was odd or shy so be it I had other deliveries to make and a family of my own as I turned the key the engine sputtered to life the headlights came on brightening up the red door in front of me for a split second I thought the door was open but it hadn't been open before I rubbed my eyes and I swear it was closed what in the world I I thought I Began to back out of the driveway craving some sleep as I made my way out of the driveway

and down the road a little bit a fir truck alongside a police car came racing past me sirens on I hit the brakes and watched them go sure enough they stopped at that house the one with the red door I would later find out on the news that the single mother in that home had gotten blackout drunk and drowned her daughter in the sink the daughter was Only 4 years old everything I witnessed that night now gives me chills when I think about it why were there signs of a child when I never physically saw

them where had the footsteps and voices come from was she already dead when I got there I hope it isn't rude to say but sometimes I wonder if she was and what I experienced at that house was just Echoes of the little girl's Soul leaving I don't know it was one of the creepiest And now one of the saddest experiences I've ever had ma Santa versus the evil elf from Frankish I've done a lot of odd jobs ever since leaving the Marine Corps but working as a m Santa was never on my bucket list I

ended up taking the job when one December as the pay would be good and it fit around my other part-time work at a shipping warehouse this particular mall I'll keep it unnamed just in case wasn't exactly High-end but it got steady foot traffic and the Not So trusting management needed someone reliable for the holiday run they knew from my application that I was a former Marine medic so I guess they thought I could handle difficult kids better than some retiree with no patience usually the toughest part of the job was dealing with crying toddlers or

changing out of that hot suit every couple of hours I never expected anything truly dangerous let alone Creepy to happen that Christmas season something did happen it happened on December 23rd right before closing normally my shift ended around 8:00 p.m. along with most everyone else's but that night I ended up staying until nearly 10 in if not a bit later the reason for the late night shift was some poor woman who had collapsed near the food court not long after I clocked out of my Santa duties I Was heading to the back to return my

costume a strict requirement them all had that all Santa suits be locked up in a supervisor's Locker to prevent theft or tampering that's when I heard a scream I rushed out and saw a woman in her 40s convulsing on the floor Instinct took took over I stabilized her made sure no one tried to force something into her mouth and I did my best to keep the crowd calm by the time the paramedics showed Up she was breathing normally again dazed and shaken but stable it cost me nearly an hour and by then the mall was

basically empty except for a couple of security guards making their rounds and a few managers doing end of day tallies now here's where I should rewind a bit to earlier in the day because that's when I first saw the kid usually for Santa visits there's a line of parents and children waiting to Get a photo or a quick chat with Santa the elf working with me that day a young woman was pretty good at managing the queue we usually didn't have kids come up alone they often had a parent hovering nearby or a different relative

they might be close or further away just pretending not to watch you know this particular boy appeared near the end of my midday shift he was maybe 8 or 9 wearing a faded jacket and jeans I saw him slip onto the Velvet carpet area in Front of my chair without an elf escort my elf and I both looked around a bit confused I asked hey buddy where's your mom or dad he didn't answer at first he stared at me with very dark eyes almost expressionless after a moment he stepped closer I assumed his parents were

just off to the side again lots of parents or folks are nearby just hiding maybe behind a column or browsing their phones wanting their Kid to have a natural interaction so I patted my knee and said ho ho ho come on up kiddo what's your name he climbed onto my lap slowly never blinking never smiling that was already weird 90% of kids either grin ear to ear or cry their eyes out this kid was just blank eventually he started to whisper something I couldn't quite make out I leaned in and asked can you say that

again Buddy he looked me dead in the eyes and said softly Santa do you know what it's like to get hurt I froze not sure if I'd heard that right my elf must have heard something off because she glanced at me I stayed in character well we all get Hur sometimes so what do you want for Christmas the kid leaned forward and I kid you not whispered This I want Santa to die tonight that was enough to knock the wind out of me I pulled back and just looked at him his expression had changed he

was now wearing a thin Eerie smile just a twitch at the corner of his lips I said out of character you know what pal that's not funny get lost maybe I shouldn't have said it so bluntly but I was kind of rattled and ticked off the kid slipped off my lap and Disappeared into the crowd I stood up and tried to spot the parents but no one claimed him my elf lady told me not to worry about it probably just some punk messing around so I tried not to worry about it and went back to

work by the time lunch rolled around I'd mostly forgotten about it after all kids say weird stuff sometimes though that was Next Level disturbing now jump forward to that late evening I was tired and my back was Aching after helping that woman with the seizure I'd stayed to give a short statement to Mall security in the paramedics everyone thanked me and I finally headed toward the employee corridors to return my Santa suit the mall had strict rules you don't leave the building wearing the suit ever they were big on the magic staying inside and I

had the faint suspicion that our Santa suits were custom made they put a lot of quality into them for some reason if That rule was broken you would be fired on the spot so I trudged down a series of hallways that led to a small locker room where seasonal employees store their uniforms and costumes the mall was quiet most lights were dimmed and the only sounds were distant footsteps probably the security guards patrolling there was also the faint hum of the heating system I slipped into the locker room Which had about two dozen metal lockers

a bench and some shelves with cleaning supplies mine was near the back a standard issue metal locker with a combination lock it was actually the supervisor but I was told to use it I opened it carefully took my Santa coat boots and hat folding them neatly I put my own jacket on the bench while I changed out of the red trousers I was down to my undershirt and boxers when I swore I heard laughter and Not just any laughter but a child's laugh echoing faintly in the corridor outside I paused one boot still in my

hand that didn't make sense it was after closing the mall doors were locked and security had swept the place no way a kid would still be here but the sound came again faint but distinct I pulled on my jeans quickly and slipped on my sneakers then walked out into the corridor anybody There my voice echoed back no answer I took a few steps toward the main Corridor and heard the laughter again this time from behind me confused I turned back and ended up going in a small circle following the sound it was like it moved

every time I tried to pinpoint it the place was practically empty I wondered if one of these Security Guys was messing with me eventually I found myself back at the Locker room entrance that's when I noticed something that made my stomach tight my locker which I was sure I had shut and locked was now open the door was a jar and the lock dangled Loosely I stepped closer and looked inside the Santa suit had been rearranged like someone had just been rifling through it and right at the bottom of the Locker on top of my

folded coat was a single candy cane broken in Half what I wondered who had the combo besides me the supervisor wasn't even here and I doubted they would toy with me like that and I would have seen them in the locker room that's when I heard a voice that made me jump you're not Santa the voice was small unmistakably a child I spun around and there at the far end of the row of lockers stood that kid from earlier that day no Eerie smile at the corners of his mouth this time just A Twisted scowl

eyes narrowed his posture was tense and rigid you're not supposed to be back here how did you get in I stepped towards him trying not to freak out on some little kid he stared at me and I felt something like a chill no no no I thought to myself don't go getting creeped out by some kid but then I saw something in his hand a glint of metal it took me a second to realize realiz he was holding a kitchen Knife maybe a pairing knife or a steak Knife my blood ran cold listen kid I

said holding my hands up Palms out put that down no one needs to get hurt here come on I took another careful step he didn't answer instead his eyes flicked down like he was assessing my stance without warning he darted around the corner dis appearing behind a row of lockers hey I shouted adrenaline now surging I chased after him the moment I Rounded the corner I saw nothing but a small wooden step stool something we used to reach higher shels sitting right there in the middle of my path before I could stop my foot caught

on it and I went down hard my temple striking the edge of a locker door lights sparked behind my eyes I groaned disoriented and I tried to push myself back up and then I felt a sudden sharp pain in my calf deep and stabbing like a hot wire jammed right into my leg I screamed then Instinctively jerking my leg away I caught a glimpse of a small silhouette darting down the corridor the faintest sound of laughter trailing behind I reached down trembling and felt the handle of the knife KN protruding from my jeans it was

embedded in my leg every instinct told me not to pull it out doing so might cause more bleeding I rolled onto my back thinking how insane this was some child just Snuck back here to stab me I managed to crawl back to my locker leaving a smear of Blood on the lenium the phone in my locker was my lifeline we were allowed to keep our phones locked up there during shifts I grabbed it my finger shaking and dialed 911 I even texted m security during the call I tried to describe where I was what happened

but my words came choked out when I was talking a minute or so later I heard rushed footsteps two Security guards and one of the shift managers all of them wide Ed came into the locker room they found me there on the floor blood staining my Pat leg I kept repeating through gritted teeth there's a kid with a knife but by then he was long gone Corridor empty they searched and found no kid the manager rushed to get first aid supplies one of the guards knelt beside me pressing gauze around the Wound and trying to

calm me down I never did see that kid again thankfully the police showed up took my statement and sered every nook and cranny of them all security cameras were checked they saw that he went out one of the back doors and that was basically that to this day I can't explain it don't know who he was why he attacked me and hated me so much and where he went but I do know that child someone who appeared to be 8 or 9 years old Threatened me sabotaged me and stabbed me on Christmas Eve's Eve no

less after a hospital trip stitches and a tetanus booster I received constant apologies from my supervisor and the mall even offered to pay my medical bills I was grateful but I quit the job right after New Year's I wasn't scared of being attacked by another kid or the same kid but I was annoyed and far less open to being around other people for a while life's weird man some kids want Toys some want a new puppy and apparently some kids out there want to kill Santa Claus with their own hands and now a crossover story

from unexplained encounters a different show I host about eyewitness accounts of The Unexplained and terrifying Grandma's disturbing Christmas story from ye old days I was about 10 years old the first time I really listened to my grandmother's Christmas Eve story I'd heard it before she'd been telling it as long as I could remember but as a little kid you don't pay as much attention you're thinking about cookies and presents maybe even sneaking a sip of that sweet mold wine the adults say is only for them but by the time I was 10 I knew the

story I knew the rhythm of her voice when she told it I knew the the parts where she grew quiet where she seemed to pause a bit looking back I can see the unease on My parents' faces the way they'd glance at each other when she got to the darker parts but at the time I just thought it was a spooky old Tale one of those things grandmas do to keep kids from doing stupid stuff like wandering off into the forest at night we lived in a small village tucked into the Austrian Alps or at

least that's where my family was from by my time time roads were better we had television and the old traditions felt more like Folklore back when my grandmother was a girl though things were different it was the 1940s there was war on one side of the mountains scarcity on the other and everyone counted themselves lucky if they had a warm stove and a loaf of bread Winters were harsh and there was no bright modern lights to chase away the darkness when night fell it fell completely and in that deep Darkness people back Then believed in

things old strange things that most of us would laugh at today grandma told us that in her Village it wasn't enough to just be good for Santa because it wasn't only Santa who came around Christmas there was also Krampus nowadays Krampus is something you see in Holiday parades college kids dressing up in Goat horned masks and running about more silly than scary but when my grandmother was young people spoke of Krampus quietly he was never Seen openly never named aloud except when scolding a naughty child you'd better behave or krus will get you not many

claimed to have seen him it was more like everyone just felt his presence in those silent nights something out there in the cold waiting at the very least it was metaphorical that the woods were dangerous and you best behave she always started the story the same way I was about 9 years old and I had this little puppy she'd Smile by Then both nostalgic and trying to get our guards down this pup she said was a scruffy Brown mut that followed her everywhere the dog's name seemed to change depending on the year she told the

story I swear sometimes it was lisel and sometimes brochin I think she was never sure we were paying full attention but I do remember her describing the way it would chase her as she carried firewood or Curl up on her lap during the cold evenings one particular December evening just before Christmas she stayed out later than she was supposed to her family had repeatedly warned her don't linger after dusk but she was a stubborn girl and she wanted to walk with her playful puppy just one more time before going to bed she stepped out into

a night lit only by a thin Silver Moon the snow was fresh crunching softly beneath her boots there were no street lights Just the faint glow of Windows from the handful of cottages in the valley her parents trusted her to stay close but that night she wandered a bit too far all the way to the edge of the woods now here was a moment when my grandmother's voice voice would lower she'd tell us how the world seemed to hold its breath no wind rustling the trees no distant cowbells no laughter from Neighbors just Stillness the

puppy always so eager Suddenly tucked its tail and wh grandma said she noticed strange tracks in the snow long dragging marks not like the hoofprints of a deer or the footprints of a person but something else else she peered at the tree line trying to make sense of it that's when she saw the silhouette a shape between the Pines tall Broad and hunched as if it had to stoop under the branches she said it had horns or at least something Twisted rising from its Head and a suggestion of fur or a cloak that draped awkwardly

over its form she never claimed to see a face it was too dark and she was too far away but she knew somehow that it wasn't an animal it wasn't a person either at least not any ordinary villager and the silence around it felt charged like static before lightning strikes she told us about the sound faint and distant a subtle jangle like chains or Bells muffled under Fur she couldn't tell if it was coming from the creature or somewhere behind it her heart pounded and she tried to rationalize it maybe a neighbor's goat had wandered

off maybe a cowbell caught in a low Branch but deep down she felt something ancient staring back at her the puppy let out a low growl that's all it took she turned and ran the dog at her heels the snow spraying behind them she didn't scream didn't call out She just ran terrified when she reached the cottage door she looked back once expecting to see nothing but for a split second she swore the silhouette was still there watching from the trees Edge just standing maybe crouching as if deciding whether to follow at this point grandma

would usually draw a deep breath and say something like I learned my lesson that night I wasn't harmed neither was anyone Else in my family I got home safely I wasn't even punished by my parents I never stayed out late again though she'd paused then giving us grandchildren a meaningful look then tell us to remember that it's not worth testing Old stories then she'd laugh softly ruffle our hair and move on to happier Christmas traditions pulling out gingerbread cookies or turning the conversation to to the special holiday Bread baked by our aunt that was the

version we heard as little kids creepy sure but nothing that would scar us it left just enough to the imagination when I was about 15 however I remember sitting with her one afternoon just a few days before Christmas it was the kind of day where everyone was out shopping or preparing for guests and I found Grandma alone in the kitchen peeling apples I was feeling bold old enough to Notice that her story always had some holes old enough to ask Grandma did you really see Krampus that night are you sure it wasn't a hunter or

a trick of the Moonlight she kept peeling apples for a moment not answering then she sat The Knife Down carefully and looked at me her eyes were distant like she was seeing that snowy field again you're older now she said old enough to know that what I told you kids Wasn't entirely the truth my interest was peaked I did and didn't like the sound of that at the same time the truth about what what hadn't she told us she explained that she hadn't wanted to frighten us younger ones she wanted to protect us from the

more disturbing detail Nails I told you that no one got hurt she said that's not entirely true I remember the way she hesitated Biting her lip as if even decades later it still hurt to say out loud that night after she had run home and her parents had put her to bed the family had bolted the doors and tried to dismiss her story as childhood imagination the next morning was Christmas Eve her father stepped outside early to fetch wood a moment later she heard him shout everyone rushed to the doorway and found him standing there

staring up at The beam above the threshold the puppy her beloved scrappy little companion had been hung from the wooden beam strangled with a thin rope its body swayed gently in the cold morning air they didn't find any footprints in the snow none that made sense anyway the snow around the house was undisturbed except for long ODed scrapes leading away toward the forest no human tracks nothing to Suggest a prank by a neighbor or cruel traveler passing through the family was horrified her parents warned her never to speak of it never to suggest that something

unnatural had had occurred here they took the puppy down and quietly buried it they said prayers and hung protective charms around the house that evening they didn't say krampus's name but she knew what they were thinking that thing she'd seen whatever It truly was had shown its displeasure she wasn't harmed not directly but her beloved pet was killed in some Twisted show of power I sat there stunned I'd grown up all these years thinking my grandma story was just an eerie anecdote now I realized it was a memory of something deeply traumatic she had never

gotten over it for decades she carried that image of her dead puppy with her it explained why she always Paused at certain moments in the story why my parents would look so uneasy they knew the truth about it or at least suspected it I asked her why she never told us the full truth before but I already could tell she said that little kids have enough nightmares without hearing about small animals being tortured she wanted us to learn caution from her story not Terror as an adult now I understand even more in those days my

grandmother's World was smaller and darker myths and superstitions weren't entertainment there were warnings passed down from generation to generation Krampus wasn't just some fun holiday character he represented something old and hungry lurking at the edges of civilization maybe it was a twisted person who did it maybe a sick individual with a goat skin and horns trying to keep the legend alive or maybe something else something Beyond our tidy explanation my grandmother personally always believed that what she saw that night was the real deal a creature a demon testing her watching her and punishing her in

a cruel indirect way Grandma passed away years ago taking her memories with her but every time December comes around and the night grows long and quiet I'll think back to that story about a young girl in a snowy Austrian Village a shape in the forest And the terrible thing that followed it still gives me chills and I guess that's what she wanted all along right for us to never forget that sometimes Legends have teeth and that one bad decision like staying out too late might Draw Something Dark and hungry a step closer than you ever

wanted it to be Merry Christmas everyone Thanks for tuning in to the Unexplained encounters Christmas bonus episode I wish you and Your family a very explainable Christmas this year sure the Paranormal and unknown is fun to listen to but I sure do hope that we all can have a normal holiday this year those ghosts and goblins can wait for a day or two right I'll see you all again real soon stay safe out there and stay creepy because this will world is a strange one