The Legend of the Evergreen Trees
A short tale about the legend of evergreen trees, and their kindness and generosity one Christmas Eve a long, long time ago.
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Happy Saint Nicholas Day!
Today is the feast day of St. Nicholas, the man who would become Santa Claus. But before he was a compassionate gift giver, he was a bishop whose powerful right hook made him famous in 325 AD. And there’s also a cookie recipe in his honor!
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Happy Halloween… and the Days of Saints and Souls
Happy Halloween! Also known as the first day in a three-day celebration that celebrates the light from the dark, and the living and the dead.
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A Halloween Short Story: The Pit and the Pendulum
It’s time for another Halloween Short Story, and this one, written by Edgar Allan Poe, stars one of my favorite unreliable narrators of all time: the unnamed victim in The Pit and the Pendulum.
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The Witch’s Broom
Recently, my great niece asked me why witches fly on brooms. Since I didn’t know the answer, I did my usual thing that included a deep dive into the folklore behind the witch’s broom. And this is what I found: Not much.
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A Halloween of Dislodged Souls
Halloween is a “liminal time” when ghouls and ghosts roam the earth. But one of the scariest monsters appears in the sky, in the form of a murder of crows…also known as the Sluagh na marbh.
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A Ghostly Tale for Halloween
The Adventure of the German Student, by Washington Irving, is still one of my favorite all-time ghost stories. It’s perfect for Halloween!
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A Brief History of Mardi Gras
Today is Mardi Gras – one of the more unusual and fun winter holidays that comes with its own cake. 🙂
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A Cailleach for Halloween
Happy Halloween! And here’s a tale about Celtic witches that’s sure to help you get in the scary, candy-eating mood.
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Longfellow’s Haunted Houses
It’s almost Halloween so it’s time for a spooky poem. And one of my favorites is Haunted Houses by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
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The Witch of Blackbird Pond
It’s that time of year again! It’s time for some of my favorite books with “fall feels”, including The Witch of Blackbird Pond.
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Blackberries Rule the Day… Until They Crumble.
September is flying by much faster than I’d prefer. But that also means it’s time to prepare for Michaelmas by collecting the last of the blackberries.
