Butt-dialed from the Afterlife: A Christmas Ghost Story

Here at Homespun Haints, we cherish the ancient tradition of sharing ghost stories around the winter holidays. And, as is our nature, we especially love the real Christmas ghost stories. For our holiday special this year, we share a Christmas ghost story that happened to our co-host Becky nearly three decades ago on a sub-tropical island.

If you choose to listen to this episode, be forewarned: this episode may not be suitable for everyone. These real Christmas ghost stories that we are about to share contain stories of death, dying, childhood trauma, and giraffe urine.

Why are ghost stories such a big part of Christmas?

Because it’s the spookiest time of year! At least in the Northern Hemisphere, where the nights are at their longest. Winter is here. Days are short. Nights are long and dark. People gather together by the fire for warmth. Is it any wonder that this is a prime time for oral storytelling, especially ghost storytelling?

But, we can thank the Victorians for really making Christmas ghost stories, even real Christmas ghost stories, a time-honored tradition.

During the Industrial Revolution, people moved en masse to the cities. In these unfamiliar environments, Christmas became the commercial enterprise we know it as today.

More people purchasing things also meant more people looking for things to read. Serials and periodicals of the day took advantage by churning out stories as quickly as they could. Ghost stories have always been an easy sell. They’ve got the shock value of good entertainment, and they work well in a short story format.

Victorian printers capitalized on this format to deliver spooky stories to city dwellers already caught up in a buying frenzy. And those individuals in turn began to share their stories to family members during the dark nights of holiday celebrations.

Are ghosts more prevalent in Florida?

Our first story we share in this episode takes place in Florida. And, well, we seem to have a lot of true ghost stories that take place in Florida.

One explanation for Florida’s penchant for hauntings comes from just how strange the state is. For some reason, weirdness and hauntings go hand in hand. You could say all that energy from a diverse population causes a breeding ground for ghosts.

Secondly, Florida is mostly surrounded by water. In fact, a good portion of the state sits right at sea level. And marshlands, lakes, rivers, and swamps pervade most of the state. Many paranormal investigators will tell you that water charges and amplifies ghostly activity.

For Becky and Diana, however, Florida is one of the many places they have called home. And maybe the combined energy of our hosts living in this state helped open a few more portals. We shall never know for sure.

Call it what you will—Florida is haunted AF.

Some of our haunted Florida episodes:

• 21: Sidetable Man Don’t Eat Me!
• 53: It Came Up the Drain!
• 34: Ghosts on Camera
• 54: They Have Their Hooks In You

We hope you enjoyed these spooky real Christmas ghost stories we’ve shared with you today! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a spooky good night!