I got this slightly-battered softcover from the ongoing book sale at Wadleigh library in Milford NH. It contains horror stories set at Yuletide, including classics from Robert Louis Stevenson and more recent tales from H. P. Lovecraft and Ramsey Campbell. (Campbell's deals with the "Santa stuck in the chimney" concept, and makes it very bleak and disturbing indeed.) There's a grisly tale from Robert Bloch, a classic ghost story from Mrs. Gaskell, and an interesting human-sacrifice story by Grant Allen, "Wolverden Tower". There's even a quirky science-fiction tale, "Planet of Fakers", in which knowledge of holiday customs may enable the detection of alien invaders...

James McConnell's "Life Sentence" is a very grim story of futuristic crimme-and-punishment that's tied to annual holiday celebrations - which the convict can only hear, and never, ever share in.

The book ends with Arthur C. Clarke's classic "The Star", in which his characters speculate on the inhabitants of the worlds that were destroyed to make visible the Star of Bethlehem...

I left this book, bagged against the elements, wedged in the crotch of a tree near the trailhead at around 3; hope the finder enjoys it!

*** Released as part of the 2016 Tick Tock release challenge. ***

*** Released as part of the 2016 Spooktacular Halloween release challenge. ***