THE YULETIDE

A Christmas Horror Story from Tales from The Hollow

Two estranged sisters. One snowbound retreat. A Christmas that demands the truth.

Claire and Jenny haven't spoken in eight years—not since their mother's funeral revealed deep wounds neither could face. When they return to rural Ohio to scatter her ashes at a remote retreat, a blizzard traps them with the secrets they've buried for decades.

As Christmas decorations manifest unbidden and a figure wearing their dead mother's face appears in the snow, they discover The Yuletide: an ancient entity that feeds on family lies and the gap between holiday cheer and hidden resentment.

It knows what Claire suffered to protect her sister. It knows why Jenny stayed away. And it won't stop until they speak the truth to each other—or die pretending everything is fine.

Set in December 1983 at the isolated Ironwood Retreat, THE YULETIDE is a gothic Christmas horror story about childhood trauma, family secrets, and the cost of forgiveness.

Part of the Tales from The Hollow series - standalone gothic horror stories set in 1980s rural Ohio, connected by the mysteries of Grindstone Hollow and Ironwood Retreat.

Content warning: Themes of childhood abuse, family trauma, and supernatural horror. No graphic content.

Written and narrated by Stephen Crane.

Story 3 of Season 1 of Tales from The Hollow

Keith Barnett is a taxi driver. Jennifer Morrison is a mother. Both carry guilt. Both arrive at Ironwood Retreat seeking escape. Both discover The Passenger waiting in every reflection.

1980s supernatural horror | Gothic ghost story | Atmospheric thriller

Runtime: 1 hr 56 min

Content: Psychological horror, no graphic content

A single mother takes a construction job at an isolated retreat to make ends meet. Three weeks of work, eight hundred dollars, enough to keep her family afloat. But when something in the stagnant pool begins using her estranged sister's voice, Diane Matthews must repair more than just a fence—she must face eight years of silence and the creature that feeds on broken families.

Set in September 1981 at Ironwood Retreat in rural Ohio, "Thicker Than Water" is the second tale in the Tales from The Hollow series. A story about guilt, reconciliation, and the darkness that calls blood to blood.

Content Advisory: Contains themes of family estrangement, guilt, drowning, and supernatural horror. Best for mature audiences.

About Tales from The Hollow: Original gothic horror fiction set in the Willow's Bend universe. Each standalone story explores the darkness that lives in rural Ohio's forgotten places, where the past refuses to stay buried and some debts can only be paid in truth.

Written and produced by Stephen Crane.

Visit youtube.com/@StephenPCraneAudiobooks for the complete audiobook series and weekly updates.