Merry Christmas! I hope that you have all opened your presents and received everything you could want (or a plethora of socks and pants at least). I would like to take a moment to thank all of the people who have visited this website this year, I have been overwhelmed with the amount of readers... Continue Reading →
The Night Before Christmas – Arthur Rackham
It's that dreaded day for parents. You know that you will need to battle your little darlings to bed because they are desperate to see Santa, they will be awake at 3am wanting to open presents and be badgering you for the bizarre sized batteries that they they need, to play with the latest noisy... Continue Reading →
Christmas yet to come – Lez Brotherston
Possibly the most daunting of the three ghosts... if you can categorise levels of spirits and the manner in which they haunt you, considering finding an unknown entity in your room that doesn't have your door key, can be a little unsettling. The picture above is showing the costume design by Lez Brotherson for the... Continue Reading →
Christmas Present – Sol Eytinge Jr.
Christmas is definitely an abundant time of year. Lots of food, lots of gifts, time with your nearest and dearest, christmas carols playing on the radio as of the start of the month, it is certainly a festive time and it is quite easy to forget the less fortunate as we indulge in our own... Continue Reading →
A Retrospective – Sol Eytinge Jr.
I am sure that you all know the story of the Christmas Carol in one form or another, whether it be that you have read the book, seen one of the numerous movies inclusive of the muppets or Mickey Mouse, or you performed it as a play in school, we are all very aware of... Continue Reading →
The Untethered Mari Llwyd Conjures a Dark Dream of the Sea – Paul Woodford
I hate people coming to my front door...but it's usually the Avon lady or some form of religious group, all of who hand me leaflets or books which I either need to dispose of or give back, and that is annoying in itself. If however someone turned up at my door, for the soul purpose... Continue Reading →
The Yule Cat – Hugleikur Dagsson
Today I am sticking with Iceland, simply because I have found their Christmas traditions quite entertaining. So if the Yule Lads and Grýla weren't scary enough for you, maybe the final in the trio will top off the Christmas fear factor for you. The Yule Cat, or Jólakötturinn, presents another threat for all people in Iceland, not... Continue Reading →
Grýla – Þrándur Þórarinsson
For those of you that have children, I am sure that there are many of you that sometimes wish that the little darlings would just sit down and behave. I appreciate that you all feel that your little angels are amazing, but as Christmas approaches, excitement peaks and they can get a little over exuberant... Continue Reading →
The Yule Lads – Artist Unknown
I quite like a little jaunt out. Get a bit merry, maybe cause a little bit of frivolity now and then, but as I get older it gets a bit fewer and further between jaunts. That is nothing compared to the Yule Lads as they are now confined to coming out for 13 nights a... Continue Reading →
El Caganer – Catalan Tradition
There are some really weird traditions knocking about. From teeth tossing in Greece to baby jumping in Spain, there are some particularly diverse things that happen in this world of ours. Christmas time is no different, it comes with its own set of rules and behaviours. You might be thinking, come on WidowCrankster, why are... Continue Reading →
Krampus – Artist unknown
How many times have you been left a piece of coal? Probably never, unless your family think that they are hilarious in trying to make you think you've been naughty and Santa has left you nothing but a sooty handful. While this is a bit of a forgotten empty threat these days, there is actually... Continue Reading →