Were There Really Scary Ghost Stories Told Around Christmas?

How a famous song links us to the past

(Public domain)

There is a famous line in the song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” that has raised more than one eyebrow over the years. The popular Christmas song, performed by Andy Williams, often blares through speakers during the holiday season each and every year. In the verse in question, Williams belts out:

There’ll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There’ll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago

Scary ghost stories? Who tells scary ghost stories at Christmas time? Even in 1963, when this song was originally written, most people weren’t huddled around the Yule log listening to ghost stories. In fact, Christmas often seems like the antithesis of scary stories. It is a holiday filled with family time, warmth, love, and celebration. Is the line in the song a simple example of lyrical twisting in order to get a catch rhyme or is there something more to it?

The song is actually tapping into a tradition that existed during the Victorian Era. It turns out people did tell ghost stories during…