While today’s Christmas is filled with jingles and tinsel, the Victorians embraced something far more haunting. For them, Christmas was a time not just of joy and generosity—but of shadows, spirits, and stories whispered by firelight. In the flicker of gaslamps and the hush of snow-covered streets, ghost stories gave voice to grief, memory, and wonder. This post explores why, for a generation steeped in mourning and mysticism, the dead had a seat at the Christmas table—and why their stories still linger in our winter traditions today.