Tag: creepy

GRAMMY BADGE FOR MADGE: SHE WELCOMES IN THE YEAR OF THE GOAT WITH A BARE-BOTTOMED PERFORMANCE

GRAMMY BADGE FOR MADGE: SHE WELCOMES IN THE YEAR OF THE GOAT WITH A BARE-BOTTOMED PERFORMANCE

In case you missed the GRAMMYS tonight in favor of some more positive activities, you missed Madge trying to out do herself..

A lot of people are noting the weird array of references to the occult last night.. the typical stuff after a big group of artists meet.. But Madonna? She heralded in the year of the goat after ACDC opened the highway to hell for business.

Pop culture meets creepy..

BUT…

Forgive me Madonna, I know you’re trying to show off the remaining sex appeal you possess.. but you left me just thinking that you simply forgot to secure your adult diaper before the night began..

February 9, 2015
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY house off the market

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY house quickly snapped off the market for under $800,000// The house is gorgeous and, photos from inside show an even dreamier place to live. And the story is worthy of a flashback.. don’t forget, whoever is the proud owner of the humble abode, Oren Peli claimed he chose the house after real paranormal activity took place prior to making his first film..

At that time, Peli said when he moved into then house, weird things continuously happened there. And that’s what gave him the inspiration to make the movie.. The CBS8 2009 story also quoted a pool cleaner who visits the house saying, “We try to not pay attention. We just do our job and we are in there and we are out. It’s really weird.”

The reporter for CBS8 wrote this about the house itself: “Although no one was home, a faint banging was heard coming from the house.” It is always difficult to tell fact from fiction.. other famous houses from horror exist, like the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET HOUSE that was purchased in 2013 (and it’s a beautiful clean and modern non scary place) .. and the AMITYVILLE HORROR location, which still attracts many and is constantly being sold and resold..
As far as the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY house, new owners can cleanse it of spirits and bring goodness between the four walls.

Or… let the oddities occur and let pool cleaners continue to be scared off by ‘weird’ bangs from inside.. So whoever buys it? Maybe you’ll have to clean the pool yourself.. and in the luxurious life of the rich and famous, that’s the truly scary thing..

February 3, 2015
The Quaid file

Randy Quaid attacks Rupert Murdoch in what may be the strangest YouTube video from a celebrity. Ever.. During the epic rant, his wife is on the bed in a bikini wearing sunglasses.. he refers to CHRISTMAS VACATION and Warner Bros stealing his house and the NEW YORK POST smearing him, and also complains of false arrests.. You can watch the video here..

I don’t think he blinked even once during this video.. But be warned, the video is not safe for work or after dinner.

At the end, Quaid has his wife put on a RUPERT MURDOCH while he either simulates or REALLY has sex with her while speaking about police media corruption.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKSZos–sk4]

February 3, 2015
Slender is the fright

Before you begin to read this, yes I know: Slenderman was a meme created on a website thanks to a Creepypasta only a few years ago. I was reminded of that today on Facebook, as well.

With that out of the way, let’s go straight to the news of the bizarre from the an area in the UK.. Cannock, Staffordshire is the location, you may recall, where a number of “black eyed children” were spotted in recent times.. Those paranormal entities supposedly knock on your window and door begging to let them in.. Of course, as the urban legend would have it, you’re damned should you do so..

In the newest news frenzy from the location, “Slenderman” is appearing to people–yes, that fictional character..

For days news, tabloid media outlets in the UK have reported on the Slenderman sightings in Cannock. Paranormal investigators may want to flock to the location again, purported by some to be one of the more haunted areas of the globe. If you believe in that sort of thing..

The UK version of the HUFFINGTON POST is publishing some first hand accounts from people claiming they have recently seen a tall figure roaming Cannock. One report described the entity like this,

If I were to compare it to anything, I would say it looked like a stereotypical Victorian gentleman. Long black overcoat with a Homburg hat. Except, I know this was no flying human. I know that because it had blood red eyes that shone in the night sky. It also had a mouth full of teeth that seemed to look like razors

Another said this to the UK HUFFINGTON POST,

I saw a man floating over me. He was so close that I would have headbutted him if I moved an inch. I could see into his eyes. They were a fierce red colour that shook me to my very core. Although he didn’t speak, I knew what he was thinking. It was as though he was talking to me telepathically. He definitely wanted to hurt me, but there was something stopping him. It was almost like he was someone gaining power from scaring me though. Maybe something bad will happen when he gets strong enough? For what it’s worth, I’m not a nutcase, and I work for a local business of which you will be familiar. It just seemed the anger in his eyes grew stronger as I was feeling more scared

There are some things to note about this recent series of news articles streaming from the UK.,One important thing is this: the tabloid UK MIRROR published what it portended to be a ‘photograph’ of the SLENDERMAN, which would make it the first in history.. You can see the photo here and discern appropriately:

I did, and I don’t think we are seeing anything except an trick of the eyes and oddity of a camera.. I know some may say this is proof of the tall slender man who roams Cannock, but I say the opposite. Quite frankly, the photo shows nothing..

There is something else to ponder..

While Slenderman a newly made name, history proves that the idea of the entity has been around for quite some time. Slender Man has appeared in folklore for centuries under different names – in Scotland the fiendish figure is known as Fear Dubh (The Dark Man), the Dutch dubbed him Takkenmann (Branch Man) and in Germany he is referred to as Der Grosse Man (Tall Man). Lots of nations and lots of cultural takes on the same creature..

At the end of the last century, the popular show BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER featured one episode titled HUSH. The show had haunting “Gentlemen”. I think these perhaps most accurately reflect the notion of what a slender being actually is.. slow moving and almost floating, tall and pale, and grinning like a knowing demon of another world..

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Uk1KITymI?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent]

Most of the articles that have been circulated about the rash of Slenderman sightings have also been deluged with comments mocking the authors, the websites, and the thoughts that a paranormal entity could even exist is inane.

But Tulpas? Urban legends? Scary monsters who haunt children–often the innocent youths tell the same tale without even knowing it .. Tall men. Hat man.. ghostly creatures staring in windows.. Tall and pale figures without faces.. Teeth that salivate as the victim of the haunt gets chilled to the bone.

There are people, sane and rational, who believe in these things. And there are lots of people who pooh pooh the notion of any other-worldly creatures..

Slenderman? Silly we are told by those who believe in Mohammed or Jesus.
Silly?

Perhaps ‘slenderman’ is not the name.. But the entity’s pop cultural presence throughout history gives me pause before I simply say there’s no such way that Cannock residents are seeing the tall and slender figure of fright..

January 28, 2015
The mad hat man’s hatting

Last night, paranormal author Heidi Hollis appeared as a guest on Coast to Coast AM, hosted by George Knapp.

Hollis has written a number of books concerning shadow people and other supposed paranormal entities, but lately it seems her attention has been focused on the ‘Hat Man,’ a rumored supernatural being known for his hat and often times dark red eyes starting at people through windows..

Hollis used her guest appearance to relate a number of stories she has acquired from people about the hat man, often littering her stories with giggles and a light hearted spirit.. but she does not want her laughter to be mistaken for disrespect of the creature who pervades the night, according to eyewitness accounts.

Hollis says that the ‘hat man’ is showing up throughout the world–according to Hollis, she even had a letter about the hat man dating back far in history ..

According to Hollis, people who sense a presence of the hat man also have an overwhelming feeling of dread during their encounters..

This website wrote about the ‘hat man’ previously. My own family member has told me about a series of encounters with a strange man with a hat in the back seat of her car. It happens when she is alone, and the entity seems to look at her with a knowing stare. I have no reason to think my family member is a loon or crazed, and there’s no reason to assume that the story is untrue..

On another occasion several years ago, another family member was watching my son while I was at work. During her time, she said she saw a ‘hat man’ type being in a mirror looking back out at her.. She said he vanished once she took a longer look at him.. she is a professional person, and again there is no reason to discount her story..

A few years ago, I detailed a co-worker’s story about a creature her daughter saw outside of her bedroom window, what appeared to be a hag-like woman quietly tapping and whispering “1, 2, 3.” I called it the 1-2-3 Lady at that time.. I am beginning to wonder if this could also have been a hat man story, perhaps a 5-year-old’s perception of it as a woman was simply incorrect..

I received a comment on Facebook from a reader concerning the hat man and last night’s COAST TO COAST AM:

I thought the show was good, but it gave me the creeps at times – only because I have seen the “Hat Man” myself. Even though it was a few years ago, I still can’t talk about it without getting spooked. In fact, my daughter and I saw him at the same time. It’s one of those things you just don’t forget.

There are a number of people of reputable position in life, complete sanity of the mind, and critical and doubtful of paranormal encounters.. And what convinces me, more than anything, is when those people are the ones who come forward to speak of the ‘hat man,’ or the black eyed children and the men in black. It has become a cliched statement, but I will regurgitate it nonetheless: The paranormal is fake and fraudulent.. until it happens to you. When an explained moment takes place, or premonition comes true.. or dream becomes real.. or Hat Man appears in your rearview mirror.. that is the moment when the paranormal becomes real. And that may be the scariest thing in life..

January 20, 2015
The mad Hat Man

The family member of mine, someone who I will remain nameless, told me of a story that has been happening..

Over the past several months as she was driving her car alone, a man appeared in her rear view mirror.. she said each time the man was in the passenger seat, when she looked closer and took more than a passing glance, he vanished from sight..

She tells me she has become used to it, that she is aware of him and he seemingly is aware of her.. She even tries to pretend she does not see him only to attempt to keep the entire thing lasting longer.. in a hope she will figure out just who the figure may be.

Of course, she feels this foray to the netherworld was a bit alarming.

The interesting thing she relayed to me, and the part that she couldn’t truly understand was as follows: When she first glanced at the man, or figure, she said that she recalled have a 100% recognition of who he was. As a matter fact, she said she thought to herself “hey what are you doing here”.. When she looked away and then re-locked her eyes back on the empty space the entity sat in milliseconds earlier, she had absolutely no recollection as to who he was or how she may have known him for that short instance.

She knew that she knew him, but only for the brief fleeting moment in time, and the memory of whoever he was with quickly gone again .. as far as he was.

There are a number of different theories in the paranormal world as to why someone or something would appear in your backseat as you are driving. Some believe that there is a message a spirit guide is attempting to get to you, others foresee such an occasion as a harbinger of some dreaded doom coming your way. And the best time to reach you is when you are alone in the car with your attention being divided between workings of your vehicle and throw it around, it is claimed ..

That being said, at least for my family member who experienced this is our set of paranormal circumstances, she’s rather dismiss the entire incident from thought. She did the first time. And then the second time it became harder..

I believe wholeheartedly in what she told me, . For me, I was able to judge the truthfulness of her story from the emphatic nature in her voice s she relayed it.. Even more, and the part that scared her the most, she has lost her ability to logically think through why this person in the mirror was there and what is haunting presence means for her.

The reason I am even typing up these occurrences for the general NIGHT TERROR NEWS readership is because I saw that tonight’s COAST TO COAST AM–thankfully tonight hosted by George Knapp instead of Noory--will feature Heidi Hollis as a guest to discuss the ‘hat man’ and the strange paranormal theory that a supernatural being is peering into people’s homes, cribs, and cars.. could my family member be seeing the same being? Someone peering, in her case, into her soul?

Of course, for that to make any sense, you may have to suspend your logic for a bit..
But in talking to the person in my family, she has lost no logic but yet has found herself suddenly venturing down a path of paranormal oddity and high strangeness..

January 18, 2015
CANADIAN ABORIGINAL CHILDREN SUBJECTED TO BIZARRE ESP TESTS WITHOUT PARENTAL APPROVAL. AND MOST LIKELY A LOT WORSE THAN THAT.

The bizarre ESP experiments conducted on aboriginal children without parental consent »

More evidence reveals that kids in Canada were subjected to bizarre, cruel and unethical experimentation led by “quack scientists.”

This Washington POST story penned by Abby Phillip is a must read.. The aboriginal children in Canada were subjected to so much misery and torture—kids as young as three being separated from their families and taken into a cruel life of bondage a wards of the state..

But the latest news we see here is a little more on the odd side.. Phillip reports,

A recently uncovered experiment reveals the depths of the access given to so-called researchers seeking to find evidence that aboriginal children, by dint of their race, had extrasensory perception, also known as ESP, or a “sixth sense.”

Fifty children at the Indian Residential School in Brandon, Manitoba, became the subjects of a series of tests that sought to establish a new measure for identifying ESP and also to find evidence of supernatural abilities of “primitive” people.

In the end, there does not appear to be any harm suffered by the children—except unless you consider that they happily and willing participated in them surveys because they’d get candy as a reward, candy for their starving stomachs..

But the study also offered nothing worthwhile—the results of the ESP was no better than just the chance guesses kids can make..

While this specific study took place in 1940, I think a bigger question is what else occurred that we do not know..

And lest we forget, these schools—run by churches but funded by the government—had more than 150,000 total kids in throughout time and were closed in 1996.That’s in most of our lifetimes—1996 was not ancient history..

Phillip goes on to report,

“The mortality rates of these schools were vastly higher than the rest of Canada,” Mosby said. “This comes back to the dehumanizing elements of residential schools in Canada. The entire purpose of them was to destroy indigenous ways of life.”

Linklater, who unearthed the study, forwarded it to Mosby because the researcher had previously examined other experiments conducted on aboriginal children during that time period.

“There’s no parental consent, there’s no research studies that would have been ethical by our standards today, and these kids were exploited,” Linklater told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. “I don’t mean to say this to inspire white guilt, I’m using this as a tool for change.”

In 2008, Canada said sorry..
As rightfully so.

I think as time goes on and those who suffered—children of course, as always—we will learn even more about the tests far worse than this ESP bizarreity. Much darker things most likely occurred..

January 17, 2015
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared. And still creeped out.

I recalled watching the original DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED years ago. Heck , with how fast time moves, it seems like ages .. but it was 2011 (prior to the birth of my son, so it does actually feel like a whole other time period.)

The video was created after a kickstarter campaign helped Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling bring it to life.. While the original video has aged now, it was brought back into focus this weekend when Clyde Lewis posted a message on his Facebook page saying that he was speaking to someone who told him that the DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED series is being used for MK ULTRA mind control. He asked readers to simply say what they thought after watching ..

Reaction was mixed–some said that people were taking the video too seriously.. Others were simply freaked out by the imagery and music. A few remarked that the video was social commentary on the education system–how educators always tell children to be creative but then attack them for doing so.

The video, from 2011, is posted here:

Some interesting notes to mention on this whole entire subject.

Theories have been around for some time, this is not the first time someone has asked what the true nature of the short video is .. and even more, entire websites are devoted to in depth studies over the commentary presented in the DON’T HUG ME series..

And if you thought the video’s allure would have been confined to only 2011 or the years since, you’re wrong. More DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED videos are on the way.. In May 2014, Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling announced that they would begin a kickstarter campaign to make four more episodes of the show. The third episode was just released in October of 2014, it features one character called Shrignold teaching another called The Yellow Guy about love..

But to go deeper into what Clyde Lewis posted, the mystery behind the meaning of the video is answered, a bit at least, by the makers. Sloan said this when asked about the project in an interview with YES YOU CAN:

We decided to create something psychedelic to compliment Tame Impala’s music. We had the idea to create an abstract journey set during the split second when two people’s eyes meet for the first time. As we wanted it to be set inside someone’s head, we looked at a lot of MRI brain scans for inspiration, as well as looped animations by artists such as Al Jarnow.

Pelling followed up with this,

We wanted to create something unique looking, and had never really worked with plasticine before. Our aim was to focus on using it in a new way, avoiding the obvious Wallace & Gromit approach. The good thing about plasticine is the fact you can smudge, mix and even melt it into certain shapes. This creates a very acid-y, psychedelic look without using loads of digital effects

However that answers few mysteries, but it certainly does confirm to a degree that a partial goal of the filmmakers was to present something with hidden messages and a constant weird flow of creepy and disturbing images. It does not go into much detail thought of meaning.. A Google search, though, will reveal countless websites that cover topics.. One I found was written by Chris Gibson on a hubpages site, where he explained in good detail some of the meanings he was seeing in the film. The date of June 19th shows up a lot. Gibson wrote this on that topic,

This is a tough one. There aren’t very many clues to this other than the date and the content of the videos themselves. The only real theory I have comes from typing the date into Wikipedia and searching year by year to try and find something that corresponded. The only event that seems to be related at all is the establishment of the FCC on June 19th 1934, or in other words, The Communications Act of 1934. The organization created are the people who dictate what is okay to watch on TV.

More mysteries.. What struck me was this.. The original video–from 2011–and subsequent, made heavy references to June 19. The Kickstarter campaign to make new videos that was announced years after the first video, was fully funded in 2014. On June 19.
Really.
June 19th.
That date..again. Perhaps the reality of that creeped me out, even more so than the actual video ..

Even religious folk have debated the movie.. A forum on a Catholic themed website in October debated the topic…

Mind control?
Commentary?
Forced creepiness?

One comment on the official DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED Facebook page made me ponder if an MK ULTRA message abounds.. It said only this on Christmas Eve,

these videos god as witness describe my brain
i do listen to the voices in my brain

You can be the judge. But I dare you to only watch the video one time. But I challenge you to not watch it too many..

But green is not a creative color.

December 27, 2014
A fumblr on Tumblr?

I have been a Tumblr blogger for about four years now, on and off.. While I have several hundred followers, I really don’t find myself finding TUMBLR to be a place for dedicated blogging or long winded posting.. The scene there is credits weird GIFs and cat memes much more than someone with a thoughtful and hardcore post about geopolitical affairs or transhumanism. Hence, NIGHT TERROR NEWS..

About a year ago, though, I found myself traveling down a suspicious road on TUMBLR.. Someone reblogged a photograph I posted of myself. It was not a selfie, but one of me alone.. I don’t do selfies. Really, I don’t. And I will never buy a selfie stick..

Nonetheless, I was first a little flattered .. the person who reblogged it made some sort of comment about my beautiful eyes. And then in an about face, quipped about my receding hairline–I cannot convince people, but I have had this since about 6-years of age..

When I delved deeper into the reblogger’s site, I realized the person was a transsexual who literally believed I was her/his ex-boyfriend. I messaged the person a friendly ask to take down the image.. I was greeted a day later with a fiercely angry message accusing me of bigotry and hate, with the author stating the only reason I send the takedown request was because I was uncomfortable with the sexuality of the website’s owner. In one sense, I felt uncomfortable being pictured in a posting right under that of jiggling testicles and above a woman with male parts. But the real reason was that I was just creeped out by it.. Things worked themselves out. A few days later the person’s website vanished from TUMBLR never to be found again..

But something a little similar just happened today.
Last night, I posted the photograph you can see here on NIGHT TERROR NEWS of my son sitting on Santa Claus’ lap on my personal TUMBLR account. This time, my son’s photo was reblogged by a suspicious site called ‘Dedicated Parent.’ So I figured it was one of the many parents I follow or one of those who follow me. I was wrong.. I learned that the site posts this:

Images and blog posts about parenting and trying one’s best from the heart.

I found that not only was my photograph was hosted on a website that also seemed to curate and collect other private moments from various people’s TUMBLR blogs.. There are images of people breastfeeding.. private moments between parent and child.. The site does not seem to have an owner who represents himself or herself in any way.. nothing to showcase the age or interest.. And certainly no explanation as to why someone is randomly taking images from other personal TUMBLR accounts and simply reblogging them.

Of course, one can easily tell me and anyone else: Once you put something on TUMBLR, it somehow becomes not yours immediately. You can invent the best photo.. publish the most meaningful text.. and boom. Reblogged.. no credit. People simply stealing and purging, taking what they want and leaving the source of it all lost in the dust of the Information Superhighway.

I love TUMBLR for its ease. I hate it for the creep factor..

I am also not alone. I found this site written by someone equally angry at the DedicatedParent Tumblr for doing to them what they did to me today..

So I pose the question.. is this all too creepy?
I have sincerely been thinking about quitting TUMBLR and refocusing on some other web activity in 2015 anyway.. Three websites for one person is a little too much.. I feel NIGHT TERROR NEWS and the HORROR REPORT are just enough..

I would just love some thoughts on this matter..
I wanted to do a parenting blog.. But things like this make me say no..
And DedicatedParent on Tumblr just made my quitting the blog service come be possibly coming a wee bit sooner than expected..

December 21, 2014
There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

The title of this post is a line from a famous Christmas song that you undoubtedly have heard *(maybe too much*) yet again this year.. Andy Williams’ classic IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF YEAR has a series of nostalgic verses about the season our calenders currently inhabit.. The most wonderful time of year, he concludes with his melody.. But that one line, that ‘scary ghost stories’ reference, has often been overlooked and ignored..

Some may think Williams is talking about Charles Dickens and his CHRISTMAS CAROL, Scrooge’s ghosts of the past present and future coming to haunt in the dead of night..

But the story goes much deeper. That one line in a song lyric has much more meaning for the season than anyone really understands.

The HORROR REPORT often focused in on this Christmas tenet for years.. We talked a lot about Krampus, that pesky demonic figure who scares the goodness into kids this time of year.. And we also focused on those scary ghost stories..

For those who think the paranormal takes a break after Halloween winds down, think again.. It just begins. And Christmas was the season of high strangeness, spooky occurrences, and bumps in the night that could not be attributed to elves or Santa’s quest to find a chimney..

Roger Clarke authored a book titled A NATURAL HISTORY OF GHOSTS: 500 YEARS OF HUNTING FOR PROOF.. He detailed why the Victorian age became the prime time for paranormal tales to be woven by people around the holiday season..

The UK GUARDIAN’s Kim Cochrane explained this in a 2013 article profiling Clarke’s book:

The popularity of ghost stories was strongly related to economic changes. The industrial revolution had led people to migrate from rural villages into towns and cities, and created a new middle class. They moved into houses that often had servants, says Clarke, many taken on around October or November, when the nights were drawing in early – and new staff found themselves “in a completely foreign house, seeing things everywhere, jumping at every creak”. Robbins says servants were “expected to be seen and not heard – actually, probably not even seen, to be honest. If you go to a stately home like Harewood House, you see the concealed doorways and servant’s corridors. You would actually have people popping in and out without you really knowing they were there, which could be quite a freaky experience. You’ve got these ghostly figures who actually inhabit the house.”

The fondness of telling ghost stories around warm December fires also struck another author, one from a longer time ago.. Jerome K. Jerome said this in his book TALES AFTER SUPPER in 1891:

Whenever five or six English-speaking people meet round a fire on Christmas Eve, they start telling each other ghost stories. Nothing satisfies us on Christmas Eve but to hear each other tell authentic anecdotes about specters.

The idea of ghost stories was common–very common as a matter of fact.. the relics of that time still haunt, to a degree. But any memory has been tamed and watered down through the ages..

Even the religious idea of Christmas is paranormal just in itself.. Imagine the notion of a woman going about business, being told by an entity from beyond this world that she will give birth to a paranormal savior who will eventually die but rise from the dead and open the door to another realm.. Either an alien did it or an angel. Either way, if you believe in the Christian idea of Christmas, you must conclude that you wholeheartedly have faith in the paranormal and believe in it..

The veil is thing on Christmas.. as a matter of fact, some mystics through the ages have cited Christmas, not All Souls’ Day or any other time, as the prime time moment for the thinnest of the veil. Even a 19th century nun named Saint Teresa of Avila stated just that..

The Victorian age was in itself quite scary–the problems which manifested themselves often went unexplained. Science was beginning to explain some, but not all events.. Those shadows Clarke described were common.. The ghost tales that Jerome wrote about were frightening. Krampus would also show up from time to time, beating children with a stick for unruly behavior throughout the year..

I wrote several thoughts on the Christmas creep factor in a 2013 article on the HORROR REPORT, and I have not changed my mind since then.. we need to keep the creepy in Christmas, we need to hold true to the roots and foundations of ghost tales during the season.. This, I believe, is not a pagan tradition or a Victorian Age secret, it’s a human condition. We are scared of the shadows, we are still scared of the dark.. Christmas is a time when, as fate and faith would hold true, something miraculous occurred.. and a light in heaven appeared to wise men traveling the darkness of night to find the savior in a manger..

When I was a child, I fondly recall a few traditions that, at the time, seemed a bit bizarre and other-worldly. We had a Christmas eve ‘Holy Supper,’ a Ukrainian traditional dinner of seven fishes. But before dinner began, the youngest of the family–at that time me–would have to knock on the door of the house with a candle and a statue of the baby Jesus and ask if there was room in the inn. The lights of the house would be off. Those inside would allow entrance and I’d slowly walk in a dark passage with the lit candle and statue.. After dinner, my family would attend a midnight mass. I always recall a large crowd of people.. I also recall being very short at that age, and mostly sitting in the rear of the church. That ensured I would not see a priest, but instead as a young child, I thought the voice was coming from the rafters itself. It probably did not help much that this Church, Saint Ignatius in Centralia, PA, was the location of my first paranormal moment as a young child when I heard whispers coming from an empty confessional during a very dark night.

All of this said, I think there is something innate in humans to recognize Christmas as a paranormal time, a moment when we are close to the spirit world and the thin veil shreds into non existence for a time..

Santa Claus is even paranormal–he can sweep across the globe and enter homes across the planet, sparing enough time to throw down some presents and even eat about 25 million cookies and glasses of milk.. Even the reindeer have time for carrots. We tell our children at an early age to believe in something paranormal, to put faith in something hopeful. Adults who laugh at the notion of Santa then go to church on Christmas morning and sing about another paranormal moment when an angel impregnated a women with God’s son.. Even more, the whole notion of December 25th being chosen is under the guise that it was a pagan celebration..

It’s all connected.
It’s all paranormal..
This is the time of year to suspend logic and happily comply with the other realm…
Just not Krampus.
He’s the one to avoid during the darkest night of the year…..

December 15, 2014