Xmas ghosts are stirring
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toffph.bsky.social
Xmas ghosts are stirring
@toffph.bsky.social
800 followers 440 following 3K posts
anthologist of Victorian Christmas ghost stories
local historian and gravestone conservationist
H. C. Dodge & shape poem collector

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20841298.Christopher_Philippo/blog
https://www.findagrave.com/user/profile/477914
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toffph.bsky.social
Xmas ghosts are stirring @toffph.bsky.social · Feb 1
H. C. Dodge's "Future 'America'" from the NY World, April 1889. Millionaires, bribers, a criminal rogue raised on high.

My country, 'tis of thee.
Land of lost Liberty,
Of thee we sing.
Land which the millionaires,
Who govern our affairs,
Own for themselves and heirs—
Hall to thy king.
#PoemSky
THE FUTURE “AMERICA.” My country, 'tis of thee. Land of lost Liberty, Of thee we sing. Land which the millionaires, Who govern our affairs, Own for themselves and heirs— Hall to thy king. Land once of noble braves, But now of wretched slaves— Alas! too late. We saw sweet Freedom die, From letting bribers high Our unprized suffrage buy. And mourn thy fate. Land where the wealthy few Can make the many do Their royal will. And tax for selfish greed Thy toilers till they bleed. And those not yet weak-kneed Crush down and kill. Land where a rogue is raised On high and loudly praised For worst of crimes. Of which the end must be A hell of cruelty, As proved by history Of ancient times, My country, 'tis of thee. Betrayed by bribery. Of thee we sing. We might have saved thee long. Had we, when proud and strong, Put down the cursed wrong That makes thy king. —H. C. Dodge, in N. Y. World. Yakima Herald [Washington Territory]. April 11, 1889: 1 col 3.
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
gvaughnjoy.bsky.social
My new & first book, Selling Out Santa, is Open Access!

If you like what you read and can, please consider buying a copy for you and maybe one for a history/film lover at Christmas (it's 40% off)!

It'll likely be my only income in over 2 years once royalties pay next July, so please consider it!
Selling Out Santa
Christmas is not just a day or a frame of mind as Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) imparts in Miracle on 34 th Street (1947); Christmas is also a vehicle for national mythmaking as an idealising mirror for...
www.degruyterbrill.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:58 PM
toffph.bsky.social
In Black Christmas (1974) Mrs. Mac hides sherry in a hardcover book that when it's opened is just readable enough, when paused, to search the name at the top of the phrase and some of the text. It's "Cyclists' Raid" by Frank Rooney (adapted as The Wild One), included in a number of anthologies.
Still from Black Christmas (1974)showing Mrs. Mac with an open book that has a cutout inside to hold a bottle of Italian Swiss Colony Straight Sherry.
November 23, 2025 at 9:03 PM
toffph.bsky.social
Definitely planning to do the #HorrorMoviesForTheHolidays Challenge (one a day, rewatches permitted).
A question that came up: are there any movies where ancient Germanic, Pagan, Wiccan, Satanic etc. #Yule is celebrated rather than Yule being treated as a synonym for Christmas?
November 21, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
adhd-alien.bsky.social
5 panel comic. Panel 1: the adhd alien figure greets her brain, asking if the brain is ready for some work today. Panel 2: the brain is crying and mumbling. Panel 3: the alien is pleading with the brain that they need to get a lot of things done. Panel 4: the brain is hissing like a cat. Panel 5: the alien simply says „ok then“
November 20, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
News story from Syracuse local news about saving the Museum of the Earth. (They dont explain that the Museum footage is from a Halloween event so enjoy a lot of unexplained costumed folks)

Any help is greatly appreciated!
#savePRI #science #givingtuesday #fossils

mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPort...
TVEyes Media Monitoring Suite - [Transcript]
mms.tveyes.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:58 PM
toffph.bsky.social
A pleasant early Christmas book gift left at the door courtesy of @thomasruyssmith.com and it looks great! A small handful of pieces and names I recognize, but I expect the majority to be completely new to me, so should be a fun voyage of discovery.
Book cover of Thomas Ruys Smith's Searching for Santa Claus: An Anthology of the Poems, Stories and Illustrations that Shaped a Global Icon, off white cover background, red and black text, Thomas Nast engraving of Santa Claus pulling back a tapestry or backdrop; his year 1890 changed to 2025. Spine colors in red and green.
November 19, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
joedator.bsky.social
This page from my 2020 Columbo piece is making the rounds on the internet yet again, for some reason or another...

joedator.com/comics/redis...
November 15, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
weirdxmas.bsky.social
It's crass, but I'm asking for a small favor. I'm applying for a grant to help possibly turning the flash fiction conthology into an actual, physical book. If I get about 30 more followers on BSKY, I can truthfully say I have at least 1k followers on every big platform.

Mind asking your friends? ;)
A pinecone man talks to a baby coming out of an old gramophone. No, it doesn't make more sense when you see it.
November 13, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
sarahcoomer.bsky.social
Spooky advent calendars still very much for sale... featuring many faves of TV, film and literature. Free Christmas at Borley card with every calendar. Lots of prints and cards also available. Reposts much appreciated. Thanks folks. sarahcoomershop.etsy.com/listing/1801...
A spooky advent calendar featuring a Christmassy Borley Rectory complete with ghostly nun and Harry Price, in the style of a vintage postcard A window of the spooky advent calendar, featuring an illustration based on the TV film The Stone Tape. A window of the spooky advent calendar, featuring an illustration of a scene from the TV adpatation of Lost Hearts by M R James A window of the spooky advent calendar featuring an illustration based on the BBC's The League of Gentlemen Christmas Special
November 13, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
whitneytrettien.bsky.social
Holy shit, just learned about the typewriter art of Montserrat Alberich Escardívol, a Catalan typist. Using an extra wide typewriter and 180 color ribbons, she built up elaborate images from simple characters like 'm' and '.' and ';'. Here is her typewritten painting of the Cathedral of Barcelona.
Full-color image of the Cathedral of Barcelona, composed on a typewriter by Montserrat Alberich Escardívol. Image from WikiMedia.
November 12, 2025 at 4:19 PM
toffph.bsky.social
24 nations w/o streaming horror?
Afghanistan
Algeria
Antigua and Barbuda
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bhutan
Burkina Faso
Costa Rica
Cote d’Ivoire
Fiji
Greenland
Krygystan
Kuwait
Madagascar
Myanmar
Qatar
Republic of the Congo
Sao Tome and Principe
Sierra Leone
Somalia
State of Palestine
Syria
Uganda
Zambia
World map horror features not streaming?
Most of the countries represented here only have one to several horror features, none of which seem to be streaming. (Greenland's are on MyFilmFriend, a library service that very few libraries have.) ...
letterboxd.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
mcsweeneys.net
"I've gone ahead and notified Nyarlathotep's hierophants that we'll give them everything they asked for, and will also throw in a few sacrificial firstborn children for the inconvenience."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/wev...
We’ve Defied President Nyarlathotep’s Psychic Siege Long Enough
Well, everyone, it was a valiant and brave endeavor. We refused to capitulate during the Dread Lord Nyarlathotep’s nationwide psychic siege for ove...
www.mcsweeneys.net
November 11, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
nighttidemag.bsky.social
❄️🩸We're bringing back Ghosts of Yuletide again! A virtual storytelling event set to celebrate the rich tradition of Christmas ghost tales, whilst also celebrating the often-overlooked contributions of women of color to horror literature. Join us! 👻📚
nighttidemag.com/2025/11/02/t...
THE GHOSTS OF YULETIDE ARE BACK! CALL FOR FEATURED AUTHORS FOR 2025!!
The ghosts are gathering again. Ghosts of Yuletide 2025 seeks five authors of color whose words haunt, heal, and reclaim the winter dark. Join our annual celebration of horror and heritage.
nighttidemag.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:55 PM
toffph.bsky.social
Someone did update it last night. Once upon the time there were some dotted across much of the country.
List of elected socialist mayors in the United States - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 PM
toffph.bsky.social
Round "I Voted" sticker, with Albany skyline featuring The Egg (theater), row of tulips signifying Dutch history, red horizontal stripes in sky, blue ground, giant Nipper at right, a former RCA/Victor building in Albany still having the giant mascot on the roof.
November 5, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
weirdxmas.bsky.social
Do you like to enjoy Christmas by being horrified, disillusioned, and ontologically unsettled? Sure! We all do! That's why you'll submit to this year's Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest/Anthology!!!

weirdchristmas.com/2025/10/30/a...
Announcing the EIGHTH Annual Weird Christmas Flash Fiction ConThology!
Yes, the (non) contest is alive, and, yes, it’s late. It’s been a rough year, and I’ve lost a lot of the time for REAL work because of all that half-ass work that actually pays. I had to figure out…
weirdchristmas.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:23 AM
toffph.bsky.social
Cameron Smith doing some end of season gravestone conservation work in Troy, NY's New Mount Ida Cemetery using a tripod chain hoist and lime mortar. I was there to help with the tripod chain hoist.
Cameron Smith kneeling by upright marble headstone being held on base by tripod chain hoist, in rear of Brautigan family lot behind some other marble headstones.
November 1, 2025 at 9:14 PM
toffph.bsky.social
#100HorrorMoviesIn92Days side challenge accomplishments:
52 woman-directed
26 from countries I'd never seen one from
5 modern silent (post-1930)
27 modern b&w (post-1960s)
10 by teens or pre-teens
11 for Birthyear Challenge
1 for each letter of alphabet
1 from every decade 1910s-2020s inclusive
November 1, 2025 at 3:17 PM
toffph.bsky.social
With Grady Hendrix in Schenectady NY last night. His presentation on witch hunts around the world; witch archetypes in fiction, and more was entertaining, informative, even moving in parts. Bought Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, got it signed along with Dirt Candy and [Satanic] Panic blu-ray.
Grady Hendrix behind podium in a dark theater, large screen behind him showing an engraving of a witch about to be subjected to a public hanging. Me, wearing black and orange Halloween-themed shirt with Jackolanterns, skeletons, Frankenstein's monster, etc. holding some of Grady's texts and a blu-ray, standing next to Grady Hendrix.
November 1, 2025 at 1:57 AM
toffph.bsky.social
#200 in the #100HorrorMoviesIn92Days challenge. A bunch of people have already logged this one, I know: 14 on the last Fellowship tally. Seems like it should be a fun note on which to end.
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
When K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren't selling out stadiums, they're using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.
letterboxd.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:45 AM
toffph.bsky.social
#191 in the #100HorrorMoviesIn92Days challenge. Watching 45-60 minute ones is helping - as long as they're reasonably good short ones! Which many of the Japanese movies are.

Going to see Grady Hendrix in Schenectady tonight.
Henge (2011)
A young couple's lives take a turn for the worse after a mysterious attack on the husband leaves him suffering from some bizarre after effects.
letterboxd.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:07 PM
toffph.bsky.social
Perhaps useful for those doing the #100HorrorMoviesIn92Days challenge: I expanded the previously mentioned list of 45-59 minute long horror movies that are streaming by about fifty titles, and created a new separate list for those that are just an hour long.
60 minute horror that's streaming or for rent
A list of 52 films compiled on Letterboxd, including Anglerfish (2022), Apocalypse Love (2023), Attack of the Giant Blurry Finger (2021), Attack of the Tattie-Bogle (2017) and Baron Von Laugho's Hallo...
letterboxd.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:09 PM
toffph.bsky.social
Reached 176 last night in the #100HorrorMoviesIn92Days challenge. My initial concern, participating for the first time, that I wouldn't reach 100 was definitely unjustified! Not sure what's next, possibly Offspring, since the last two were The Woman and Darlin'.
100 Horror Movies in 92 Days 2025
My first time participating in 100 horror movies in 92 days, all first-time watches. At least 50 woman-directed movies. ✅ (52 so far) Also making some attempt at watching: • movies from countries I've...
letterboxd.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:16 PM
toffph.bsky.social
For those participating in the #100HorrorMoviesIn92Days challenge who may be running out of time, here's some short movies. Bad short movies can sort of be longer than long good movies, but there's lots of good short ones among the list like Clark's The Stalls of Barchester & Barta's The Pied Piper.
Horror 45 to 59 minutes long streaming or for rent
45-59 minute titles being found via wolfman07's Every Horror Film Ever Made List, organized by length, excluding shorts, TV series, documentaries, and unreleased films. Shown as streaming on my favori...
letterboxd.com
October 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by Xmas ghosts are stirring
sarahstubbssays.bsky.social
The last update for this list will be 11/1 at 10am ET so make sure to follow the below instructions if you want your #100HorrorMoviesin92Days watches to be added to this list!
October 23, 2025 at 6:06 PM