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Weekly Spooky
Scary stories, urban legends, haunted places, cryptids and dark folklore with Henrique Couto. New nightmares throughout the week. Halloween all year long.
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Dec. 9, 2024

All I Want for Christmas... Is My Mother to Stop Haunting Me! — A Skeleton Possession Nightmare

All I Want for Christmas... Is My Mother to Stop Haunting Me! — A Skeleton Possession Nightmare
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A Christmas-obsessed mother dies in a decorating accident, then returns inside a towering skeleton determined to reunite her family for the holidays.

Carol Holly believes every light, ornament, and crooked Santa must be perfect. When her devotion to the season ends with a fatal fall into the lit fireplace, the Holly family expects grief—not a supernatural Christmas homecoming. Carol’s spirit possesses an oversized skeleton decoration and begins pursuing her children with one terrifying conviction: no one should spend Christmas apart, even if bringing the family together requires killing them first.

Bruce Haney’s macabre holiday horror comedy turns festive decorations, family traditions, and a relentless matriarch into a deadly Christmas reunion. The result is a ghost story about a mother whose love of the season survives death and whose idea of togetherness becomes more literal with every victim.

“All I Want for Christmas... Is My Mother to Stop Haunting Me!” by Bruce Haney.

This episode is sponsored by https://henflix.com/.
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All I Want for Christmas... Is My Mother to Stop Haunting Me! uses ghost lore and supernatural suspense, holiday horror, and teen and school-set horror as parts of one unfolding threat, preserving the suspense around who survives and what the characters ultimately discover.

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

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📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!


🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
WEBVTT

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Unwelcome relatives are a regular part of the holiday season.

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But what happens when that goes beyond life and death?

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When Carol Holly's obsessive love for Christmas gets her killed,

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she returns from the afterlife to celebrate with her family

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no matter the cost.

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What's that You want to be scared her to come

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with me? He will experience tales over opera, ghosts, and

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death death. It is not recommended for the Week at

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Heart Heart.

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Listeners in the dark. It's more fun at that way way.

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This is Weekly Speaking, Hello, my spookies. It's Monday, not Wednesday,

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but it is the holiday season and here at Weekly Spooky,

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we're intent on bringing you all of the elements you

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need to have yourself a scary little Christmas. I'm, of course,

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your host and narrator Enrique Kuto, and we have quite

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the terror tale for you tonight. I think you're going

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to enjoy it. It's by our good buddy Bruce Haney,

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who brought you our phenomenal Thanksgiving special last month that

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I highly recommend you check out. It's called The First

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Real Thanksgiving. He's cooked up another piece of holiday horror.

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I know you'll enjoy, but Before we get to that,

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I want to say thank you so much for listening

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and supporting the show, And if you want to support

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us even more, please consider going to Weeklyspooky dot com

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slash join. For a little as one dollar a month,

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you can join our Patreon and get two bonus shows

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every single month, as well as my Undying Gratitude and

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bonus audio books. So check it out at Weeklyspooky dot

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com slash join, and if you want to support us

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in a way that doesn't cost you a single penny,

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I totally understand, you can head to Apple Podcasts or

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Spotify and leave us a five star rating. It really

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does help new people discover the Spooky. And while you're there,

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make sure you're subscribed. Because we have so much bonus

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content for the holiday season, you will not want to

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miss it. We're publishing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and maybe

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even a little bit extra. But as for tonight, Christmas

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is supposed to be the happiest time of year, twinkling lights,

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family traditions and warm memories. But sometimes the past doesn't

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stay buried and the holidays bring back more than just

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good cheer. I've got a tale about a family whose

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Christmas traditions were haunted by the most unexpected guest. A

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mother's love for the season turned into obsession right after this.

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All I want for Christmas is my mother to stop

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haunting me. By Bruce Haney. The Holly family was big

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on Christmas. They celebrated all the major holidays enthusiastically, but

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Christmas was the one they went all in on. Carol Holly,

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the family's matriarch, was the big driving force for the

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entire family. She was the one who planned and organized

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their elaborate decorations that included a hundred rolls of lights

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and various inflatables, as well as a few classic blow

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mold decorations. She believed in the separation of the holiday,

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so when her children try I had to convince her

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to put up one of those twelve foot skeletons with

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a Santa hat on it. She wouldn't have it. This

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love for the holiday and her striving for perfection were

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the thing that ended Carol's life. It happened on Christmas Eve,

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while the family was enjoying hot cocoa before taking their

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annual family photo in front of the decorated house, the

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mother took one last look to ensure everything was just right.

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That was when she noticed that the Santa that was

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installed on the roof behind the chimney in order to

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look like he had just popped his head out, was

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slightly crooked. No, no, it's crooked. It's ruining the effect.

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Just give me one minute, she said. Before anyone could argue,

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she was already pulling out the ladder and climbing up

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on the roof like she had so many times before.

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It's fine, ma, let's just get the photo. It's cold

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out here, Paul, her oldest son, pleaded. Her response was

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to throw him a dirty look. The rest of her children,

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as well as her husband, let it go at that

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they knew there was no sense in arguing. Paul was

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their oldest boy. At twenty seven years old, he was

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the assistant manager at their family's hardware store. His wife

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and kids were waiting inside until it was time for

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the extended family photo. Besides Paul, the children of Carol

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and Todd Hawley included Kyle and Melissa. Melissa was the youngest,

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at twenty years old. She hadn't quite figured out what

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she wanted to do with her life. Her parents weren't

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happy when her gap year went from one to two.

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They were starting to suspect that she wouldn't go to

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college at all. Kyle was their youngest boy. He was

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twenty one and in college studying to be a dental hygienist.

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They were worried that his obnoxious personality might not be

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ideal for his chosen career path. When they heard Carol scream,

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they all looked up just in time to see her slipping.

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For a second, things seemed okay as she tried to

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grab the chimney for support, but instead of it stopping her,

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she fell inside head first. Oh no, Todd yelled and

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ran to the ladder to climb up. Paul followed him.

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Her screaming grew louder. Kyle pulled out his cell phone

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and dialed nine poet one while Melissa ran inside. Within

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the house, she heard people screaming. When she entered the

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front room and saw that the fireplace was lit and

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saw her mother in flames hanging out the opening, she

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began to scream as well. Paul's wife, Amanda, ran to

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the kitchen to get water to try to put Carol out.

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By the time she got back, Grandpa Henry's screams intensified

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as his hand and arms were severely burnt from trying

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to pull his daughter Carol out of the chimney. She

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was wedged tight with only her head sticking out. Amanda

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threw the water on her to extinguish the flames, but

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it was obvious to everyone that she was already dead.

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The Holly house was just as decorated the following year,

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but something looked off. Their mother's touch was missing her

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eye for perfection. The strings of lights were up but

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not pulled as tight as she would have. The inflatables

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were all out, but not angled for the optimal view

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from the street. Inside, the family sat in the living

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room listening to their mother's Christmas playlist, as they usually

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did after taking the family photo. Their mother wasn't the

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only one who was missed. Paul's wife and kids didn't come.

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They were too traumatized from the year before. Grandpa Henry

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had refused to ever step foot in the house again

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after watching his daughter burn to death. This year, the

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fireplace was left unlit, as it had been since that

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horrible night. The Hollies now exclusively relied on the heat

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from their HVAC system. Melissa flipped through the images of

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their little photoshoot on the back display of her Canon

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EOS while sucking on a large candy cane. The house

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looks like shit, Melissa said, while shaking her head. Melissa,

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Kyle said, and then looked at their father to gauge

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his reaction. She's right, your mother had the touch for

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making it look good. I can't tell you how many

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hours I've spent out there trying to get it to

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look just like she would have. Todd said, it did

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feel surreal when I pulled in. Kyle said, surreal. Paul asked, yeah,

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Kyle replied, then took his cell phone out. Dorkface. What

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is the definition of surreal? Then he covered his mouth slightly.

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I renamed my phone assistant to dorkface. Melissa gave him

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a sarcastic two thumbs up. Good evening, Kyle. The definition

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of surreal, according to Webster's Dictionary, is strange, not seeming real,

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like a dream. It's the correct usage, Kyle said. Paul

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ignored this. I just felt sad. I thought the house

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looked A clunking sound came from the chimney, stopping Paul

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mid sentence. What was that, Kyle asked, Probably some old

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soot or something, Melissa replied. They all listened intently for

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any other noise. If it wasn't for the Christmas songs

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playing on the smart speaker, it would have been complete silence.

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When a hand came out from the chimney chute, they

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all screamed. It was followed by another, and then ahead.

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The thing squeezed through and crawled out. Once it was

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on the floor, it stood up and smiled at them.

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Their screaming stopped as they were now in shock to

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see in front of them that it was their dead mother.

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Merry Christmas, Carol said. They didn't respond, so she added

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a happy Christmas Eve. The family still just stared. Well

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aren't you happy to see your mother on the eve

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of our favorite holiday? Carol asked. Her children and husband

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all asked questions, not giving her time to answer a

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single one of them. But you died, Kyle said, in

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that very spot, Melissa added, pointing to the fireplace. Did

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you go to heaven? Todd asked, Mom, what are you

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doing here? Paul choked out. The mother looked at the

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faces of her family before deciding on what to say.

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I'm here for the holidays, nothing less, nothing more, Carol

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smiled at her family and held out her arms for hugs.

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They all hesitated, but eventually they approached and hugged the

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dead matriarch. The Holly family listened to Christmas music, ate snacks,

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and caught their mother up on all the new things

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that had happened in their lives in the last year.

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Carol told them nothing about the afterlife.

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Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your

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doors weekly. Spooky, We'll be right back.

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This cycle continued the next year as well. The whole family,

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including Paul's wife and kids, came this time. They all

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waited by the fireplace as those who were there argued

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about what time she appeared last year. It was nine pm.

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Melissa said it was eight forty five pm. Paul corrected

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he always thought he was right because he was the oldest.

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Paul's wife and children were trying to have an open mind,

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but they never believed Paul after he came home and

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told them that his mother had come back for Christmas. Regardless,

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they supported him and were there for him. Well, she

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did most of the supporting. The little ones were still

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kind of clueless as to what was happening. Their daughter, Layla,

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was only three when it happened, Amanda worried that the

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image of her grandma burning alive might just be her

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first memory. Their son Aiden was only one, so no

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fear there, but now that he was the one to

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turn three, could she be setting him up for a

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traumatic first memory as well. At eight forty five pm,

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they heard a noise coming from the chimney. Amanda looked

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at the fireplace nervously, while the rest of the family

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looked on with excitement. The mother came down and another

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great family Christmas happened. They caught her up on their

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lives and asked her about hers. Well, it's hard to explain,

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was what she would answer, most often, always being vague

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about what the afterlife was like this they noticed that

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she was a bit confused, no longer remembering their lives

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in detail, and sometimes even mixing up her own children's names.

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The following year, when she came, they all had their

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usual fun but the mood was different because she was

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even more confused, which led to an underlying frustration on

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her part. Noticing this, they decided not to let her

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avoid their questioning. This was their mother and they couldn't

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possibly let her suffer. What's going on. Paul asked, why

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do you seem off? Melissa added, Carol took in a

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deep breath. This takes a lot out of me. Each

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year that I return, I become a little more confused. Why.

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Kyle asked, why do you think I'm the only ghost

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you've ever seen? Why there aren't other beings like me everywhere?

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There is a huge cost to what I'm doing. Then

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you shouldn't do it, Kyle said, Mom, don't hurt yourself

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for us. It's not for you, dear, I wish it was.

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It's for me. I'm willing to give up my afterlife

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for more time with my family. She finally said it,

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something she promised she would never tell her family, But

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she was tired and her confusion was beginning to take

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such a hold that she even forgot she made that

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promise to herself. Todd, her husband, gave her a big

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hug and a fake smile. Why don't we all open presence?

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Carol's eyes lit up. It was always her favorite part

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seeing all her children and extended family smiling as they

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opened their gifts. The rest of the night was filled

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with joy, and that subject was not brought up again

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all year. Their mother's weakening state was the family's main discussion,

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so they planned to meet at the house on Halloween

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night and try to change things. And what if she

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is being truthful and she's trading her afterlife? Paul asked,

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I don't want to stop seeing mom. Melissa protested, but

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what if we are blessed enough to reach the afterlife

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when we pass and she's not there? Paul inquired. They

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all sat with this, So what is the plan if

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we go for it? Kyle Todd asked his youngest son. Okay,

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so I've been asking all the Wickan girls for advice

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at college and they helped me figure out a plan.

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Kyle pulled out a notebook that had loose papers tucked

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in it. They don't believe me, though, So now all

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the cute goth chicks think I'm crazy? Does that hurt

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or help your chances? Melissa asked, hardy horror? Kyle quipped,

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then he thought for a second, Actually, I'm not sure.

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Is Kyle's love life the most important thing to discuss

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right now? Todd asked, love life or lack thereof? Melissa joked, Melissa,

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stop teasing your brother, Todd scolded. The family helped in

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setting up the ritual, black candles were lit and salt

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was placed, all the usual cliches. Are we sure we

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want to do this, Melissa asked, No, I don't want

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to do this, their father said. They all looked at

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him as if this was what they were all thinking too.

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But it is the right thing to do. She sacrificed

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her whole life for this family. We can't let her

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sacrifice her afterlife as well. I hate this, Paul said

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as he looked at his father. But you're right. Should

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we begin? Kyle asked yes, Melissa, Paul, and Todd said

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in unison, Okay, take my hands. With the room lit

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only by the black candles, they began their ritual. Repeat

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after me, we are one, Kyle said, we are one.

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They all repeat it. We seek the one we love.

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We seek the one we love, they repeated. Mother, come

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to us like you have in the past. Come to us.

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Let no time pass. It wasn't Kyle's borrowed magic that

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brought her back. It was their connection, the strength of

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their family bond. It was only moments after starting that

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the candles began to flicker and the ghost of their

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mother appeared. Unlike her usual holiday self, she came as

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a spirit floating above the table. What's wrong? Why have

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you called me? Mother? We aim to set you free,

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Kyle said, then glanced at the rest of his family.

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Repeat after me, mother, you are free. Mother, you are free.

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His siblings and father repeated. You must not turn to

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our plane, Kyle said, you must not return to our

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His family began to repeat, but stopped when their mother

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suddenly swiped at Kyle, scratching his face. You dare, after

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all I have done, try to get rid of me,

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she said. Then her eyes burst into flames as she

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looked upon the faces of her family. To her, they

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all looked evil. Kyle started again. You can't return to

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our plane. You can't return to our plane, the rest repeated.

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Then Kyle began to blow out the black candles. Carol

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floated higher above them, and the rest of her body

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burst into flames as he blew out the rest of

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the candles. You can't do this to your mother, she screamed.

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Kyle quickly blew out the last candle and she disappeared.

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That sucked, Kyle said, we did it. Paul added, that's

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what matters. Todd said, I hope by not coming back

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that her mind and soul is returned to what it

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used to be. Melissa said, can the soul heal? Kyle questioned.

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He looked for a response, but nobody answered.

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Don't go away, weekly, Spooky will be right back.

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When Christmas came, the family gathered as they always did

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at the Hollyhouse. There was talk about taking a family

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vacation and getting out of town instead, but with their

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busy lives, they never got it together. This year, they

285
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did make changes to the house, including replacing some of

286
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the older Christmas decorations with LEDs. Their mother had been

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talking about it for years, but she loved the look

288
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of the old incandescent bulbs too much to make the leap.

289
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Todd did it, mainly because he didn't want to troubleshoot

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the ancient bulbs. This year, the other big change was

291
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that Kyle got his way. They finally got one of

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those twelve foot tall skeletons, though their father insisted that

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it be fully christmasized. It had a Santa hat, a

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red coat, and a beard. At eight forty five PM,

295
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like clockwork, she burst out of the chimney, looking more

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like she did during the seance. Flames now perpetually surrounded her,

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which made all her skin blacken and crack. Her lips

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and eyelids had burned away, causing her teeth and her

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00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:06.039
eyes to be exposed. The mouth was ghoulish, but her

300
00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:10.920
eyes were even worse. They were charred, gibbous sphears that

301
00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:15.119
lost all their nuanced color, and all that was left

302
00:23:15.160 --> 00:23:20.839
were pale blue irises. If she wasn't a spectral creature,

303
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you would wonder how she could be seeing anything at all.

304
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Her family wasn't there to greet her because they weren't

305
00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:35.279
expecting her this year. This added to her anger, which

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00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:39.079
increased as she flew through the house looking for them.

307
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Didn't they want to see her? When she spotted her

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family outside through the front window, she saw that they

309
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were goofing around while taking the yearly family photo. This

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00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:57.359
made her even angrier. How could they be happy and

311
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goofing around after what they did to me. Paul was

312
00:24:01.559 --> 00:24:04.200
trying to be in the spirit this year and was

313
00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:07.480
wearing a Santa hat. I can set the delay on

314
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the camera, Paul said, You're going to fuck it up.

315
00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:16.319
Melissa retorted, no, I'm not. You press the button and

316
00:24:16.440 --> 00:24:19.079
run into the frame. How hard is it? Plus I'm

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the tallest, I have long legs to get back the quickest.

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It gives you fifteen seconds and you're ten feet away.

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I could do it with my short little legs, Kyle added.

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The mother flew out through the wall and into their

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00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:37.759
Santa blow mold, possessing it. That piece was the first

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decoration that Todd and she had bought on their first

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Christmas before any of the children were around. Whatever, I'm

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00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:49.599
already here. The button is pressed, Paul said, and then

325
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ran over to join his family. They all smiled and

326
00:24:53.640 --> 00:24:57.480
waited for the camera to go off. The mother was

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furious at how they could enjoy themselves on Christmas without her.

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00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:05.960
The blow mold had no articulation, so she had to

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00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:09.680
pivot back and forth to move the thing. It was

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00:25:09.799 --> 00:25:13.319
dreadfully slow, but she was able to move it just

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00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:17.359
enough to get into the frame of the photo. It

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was the last photo they would all ever take together.

333
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The picture went off, See easy, Paul said, sure it was,

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Melissa added, Can we open presents now? Young Layla asked,

335
00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:38.039
not yet, but we can go in and have hot chocolate,

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Paul told his child. Yay Leyla grabbed her younger brother's

337
00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:46.799
hand and ran towards the house. Amanda put her arm

338
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around her husband and then they followed. The rest of

339
00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:55.440
the family did as well, except for the father. You coming, Dad,

340
00:25:55.839 --> 00:26:00.720
Melissa asked, We're going to have hot chocolate in a minute,

341
00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:05.920
Todd said. Melissa shook her head in understanding, and left

342
00:26:05.960 --> 00:26:12.839
her father. Todd walked around for a bit, looking at

343
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the house and all the decorations. We did an okay job, right, Carol,

344
00:26:20.359 --> 00:26:24.680
he said to himself as he looked around. He eventually

345
00:26:24.759 --> 00:26:28.240
focused on the chimney where she had had her accident.

346
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I miss you, he said under his breath. Looking for

347
00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:38.519
a happier memory, he turned to observe their blow mold.

348
00:26:39.319 --> 00:26:44.240
As their oldest piece, it held the most memories. That

349
00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:49.200
was a decoration he could never replace. But it wasn't there.

350
00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:53.920
He knew the value had gone up on vintage blow molds,

351
00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:59.119
but he never thought someone would steal his. He looked around,

352
00:26:59.240 --> 00:27:03.960
hoping to see it elsewhere. The wind was known to

353
00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:09.359
move the lightweight thing. Then he saw it flying through

354
00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:13.200
the air at him. He tried to duck, but it

355
00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:17.519
was too late. There simply wasn't enough mass for the

356
00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:22.400
thing to kill him. But she got lucky when she

357
00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:25.640
hit him as hard as she did. He stumbled back

358
00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:30.240
and fell His head cracked open when it hit one

359
00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:34.759
of the cement steps leading to the house. She flew

360
00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:37.319
out of the blow mold, letting it drop to the

361
00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:46.200
ground as she neared the house. In the kitchen, Paul

362
00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:48.960
was waiting for the kettle to heat up to make

363
00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:53.279
the hot chocolate. He had seven ceramic cups set out,

364
00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:56.799
one for each of them, not knowing that his father

365
00:27:57.200 --> 00:28:01.559
was now dead and would not be partaking. As he

366
00:28:01.640 --> 00:28:04.839
looked at the chrome kettle, he thought he saw someone

367
00:28:04.920 --> 00:28:09.119
behind it. He didn't turn around. They all had been

368
00:28:09.160 --> 00:28:11.759
a little on edge that night, and he thought it

369
00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:15.960
was just his nerves. Though they banished their mother's spirit

370
00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:20.039
to save her, they each secretly wished for her to

371
00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:24.759
come back. The thing and the reflection moved, and he

372
00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:31.720
couldn't resist. He turned around, but nothing was there, Mom,

373
00:28:32.480 --> 00:28:37.839
Paul said. Behind him, he heard the familiar voice of

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00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:43.880
the smart speaker playing Mom's Christmas classics playlist. Paul was

375
00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:47.400
excited to see his mother again, but then got a

376
00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:51.599
flash in his memory of Halloween and how mad she was.

377
00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:56.839
The kettle began to whistle. He looked at it and

378
00:28:56.920 --> 00:29:01.319
again saw her reflection, though this time she was closer

379
00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:04.240
and he could tell she was the version of her

380
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:09.119
they saw it Halloween. Paul tensed up as he saw

381
00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:12.960
her moving towards him with her hand out. When she

382
00:29:13.079 --> 00:29:16.599
got to him, she swiped at his head, taking the

383
00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:21.400
Santa hat off of it. From the other room, Melissa yelled, Paul,

384
00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:25.799
the kettle's going off. Paul turned around just in time

385
00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:30.720
to see his mother, who was engulfed in flames, placed

386
00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:34.960
the hat on her head. How it and everything around

387
00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:41.960
her didn't catch fire, he didn't understand. How festive she said,

388
00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:50.200
You you look nice, Paul lied, ah Son, give me

389
00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:54.119
a hug. Paul backed away as she put her flaming

390
00:29:54.279 --> 00:29:57.079
arms out. He looked at her and saw that she

391
00:29:57.200 --> 00:30:00.759
was right up against the counter and not affecting, so

392
00:30:01.119 --> 00:30:04.240
he thought maybe I could hug her and not burn.

393
00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:08.079
But it wasn't just the flames that made him hesitate.

394
00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:13.759
She was scary looking and she didn't appear friendly. Paul

395
00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:18.200
the kettle it's annoying, Kyle yelled from the front room.

396
00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:22.920
What's the matter, sweetie, she said, trying to give him

397
00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:27.599
dull eyes, but without eyelids, she wasn't selling it well,

398
00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:32.039
but Paul never could refuse his mother, and so he

399
00:30:32.119 --> 00:30:35.960
went in for the hug. She held him tight, and

400
00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:41.240
he too, burst into flames. Her grip tightened as he

401
00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:46.000
screamed and flailed around. Amanda was the first one to

402
00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:52.720
enter the kitchen. Oh, my favorite daughter in law, Carol said,

403
00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:59.240
your only daughter in law, Amanda replied. Carol dropped her

404
00:30:59.319 --> 00:31:04.640
dead son body to the floor. This initiated Amanda's fight

405
00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:08.920
or flight response. She screamed and ran back to the

406
00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:11.079
front room.

407
00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:15.279
You're not safe yet, Weekly Spooky will be right back.

408
00:31:18.839 --> 00:31:22.000
In the front room, Melissa and Kyle were moving towards

409
00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:26.279
the kitchen. Melissa nervously chewed on her ever present at

410
00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:30.279
the holiday's candy cane. Amanda burst out of the kitchen

411
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:34.160
and beelined to her children, whom she grabbed up one

412
00:31:34.200 --> 00:31:38.240
in each arm. In normal circumstances, Leah was getting a

413
00:31:38.240 --> 00:31:42.079
little too big to carry with one arm, but these

414
00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:46.799
were not normal circumstances. She's back. We've got to get

415
00:31:46.839 --> 00:31:49.680
the fuck out of here, she yelled at them, and

416
00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:53.559
then ran out the front door, leaving their mother floated

417
00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:57.559
into the front room. As Amanda exited the house, Amanda

418
00:31:57.680 --> 00:32:02.200
wasn't her concern. She was here to punish her own children.

419
00:32:03.079 --> 00:32:06.519
From outside. As they stared at the rotting, floating Santa

420
00:32:06.599 --> 00:32:10.160
hat wearing living corpse of their mother, they heard a

421
00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:14.119
car start. She looked towards the window and watched as

422
00:32:14.160 --> 00:32:17.920
the car dramatically sped backward into the street and then

423
00:32:18.039 --> 00:32:22.880
sped off. She looked back at Melissa and Kyle. Ah,

424
00:32:22.920 --> 00:32:27.720
isn't this nice? Just me and my children for Christmas? Well,

425
00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:33.359
what's left of them? Carol said. Melissa took out the

426
00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:37.880
candy cane she had been sucking on. What the fuck, Mom,

427
00:32:38.680 --> 00:32:42.680
what's going on? Why do you look like that, Kyle asked,

428
00:32:43.480 --> 00:32:49.480
because my ungrateful family tried to cast me out. That's

429
00:32:49.559 --> 00:32:53.400
not it at all. We were just Melissa began to say,

430
00:32:54.359 --> 00:32:57.799
but she was startled when Carol grabbed the large candy

431
00:32:57.839 --> 00:33:01.440
cane that she had been working on. Carol looked at

432
00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:04.400
it for a moment. In her hand, Melissa had worked

433
00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:09.960
a nice point into it. Melissa changed her approach. We

434
00:33:10.039 --> 00:33:14.000
are so glad to see you, mother. Didn't I warn

435
00:33:14.079 --> 00:33:16.799
you if you keep eating these you're going to get

436
00:33:16.799 --> 00:33:22.400
a cavity? Sorry, Mom, you're right. Carol didn't respond. To

437
00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:25.839
this in words, She cocked her arm that was holding

438
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:30.319
the candy cane back and then thrust it towards Melissa.

439
00:33:31.319 --> 00:33:34.839
Though it was done in one quick movement, to Melissa,

440
00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:38.759
it felt like her life had entered slow motion. She

441
00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:42.079
watched in horror as the sharp end of the extra

442
00:33:42.200 --> 00:33:46.559
large candy cane moved towards her face, then made its

443
00:33:46.640 --> 00:33:52.200
way through her cornea pupil, and then the lens. This

444
00:33:52.480 --> 00:33:56.640
is when she started screaming, But those screams would end

445
00:33:56.680 --> 00:34:00.720
soon enough, as the candy cane continued through the eyeball,

446
00:34:01.440 --> 00:34:05.200
then through her brain before smashing into the back of

447
00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:10.360
her skull and shattering, leaving bits of candy cane that

448
00:34:10.400 --> 00:34:13.840
would have needed to be removed by a surgeon, except

449
00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:17.079
for the fact that any surgery at this point was

450
00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:22.719
useless because she was dead and then there was only

451
00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:33.159
one Carol said. Kyle didn't waste time with a response

452
00:34:33.480 --> 00:34:36.719
or trying to reason with her. He took off, running

453
00:34:36.760 --> 00:34:40.639
out the front door. She took a shortcut through a wall.

454
00:34:41.320 --> 00:34:43.920
She looked around the exterior of the house for what

455
00:34:44.039 --> 00:34:49.679
she could use to kill her ungrateful child. Perfect she

456
00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:53.679
thought when she saw it, she would use the thing

457
00:34:53.760 --> 00:34:56.840
that pissed her off the most when she came back,

458
00:34:57.760 --> 00:35:02.039
that dumb twelve foot skeleton that they dressed as Santa.

459
00:35:02.840 --> 00:35:05.960
Kyle looked at his car and ran towards it, having

460
00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:08.880
to jump over the corpse of his father. When he

461
00:35:08.960 --> 00:35:14.320
got to the car, he checked for his keys. No keys, fuck,

462
00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:17.920
he yelled out loud, remembering that he had a bad

463
00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:21.039
habit of hanging up his keys whenever he was here,

464
00:35:21.440 --> 00:35:24.760
even though he hadn't lived at home in years. Kyle

465
00:35:24.840 --> 00:35:29.519
looked at her, now in giant skeleton form, then looked

466
00:35:29.519 --> 00:35:34.639
at the house and decided to just run. Kyle could

467
00:35:34.719 --> 00:35:37.880
run fast, but the gait of a twelve foot plastic

468
00:35:37.960 --> 00:35:43.360
skeleton was impressive. Though she moved slower, she was closing

469
00:35:43.400 --> 00:35:47.119
the gap. Kyle was nearly out of his mind, fearful

470
00:35:47.360 --> 00:35:50.639
and shocked at what had happened in his life. Running

471
00:35:50.679 --> 00:35:54.559
in fear and without looking, he ran into a group

472
00:35:54.599 --> 00:35:58.960
of carollers, knocking a few of them over. Hey, watch

473
00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:02.679
where you're going, one of them yelled, but he kept running.

474
00:36:03.320 --> 00:36:09.719
How rude, a woman said, kids today, Another replied, Then

475
00:36:09.800 --> 00:36:15.119
they all saw the skeleton and understood. They all screamed

476
00:36:15.199 --> 00:36:18.360
loud enough that the other neighbors started coming out of

477
00:36:18.400 --> 00:36:22.920
their houses. Luckily for them, Carol in skeleton form was

478
00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:26.400
on a mission, so she didn't attack any of them.

479
00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:30.840
Another fortunate thing for them was that her spirit inhabiting

480
00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:34.320
it did not add any weight to the plastic skeleton's

481
00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:39.000
mere ninety five pounds, so she did no permanent damage.

482
00:36:39.400 --> 00:36:43.639
As she stepped on the knocked over Carollers son, where

483
00:36:43.639 --> 00:36:47.039
are you going, my dear? It's Christmas? Don't you want

484
00:36:47.079 --> 00:36:50.880
to spend it with mommy? She asked? As she chased

485
00:36:50.920 --> 00:36:54.039
her son and looked for something to murder him with.

486
00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:58.239
She didn't think her bare skeleton hands would be enough.

487
00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:01.800
She thought about rowing him, but was unsure of how

488
00:37:01.880 --> 00:37:05.239
successful that would be unless she had a good target.

489
00:37:06.079 --> 00:37:10.440
As she passed each yard, she looked engaged the murderability

490
00:37:11.079 --> 00:37:15.559
of the yard decorations, but was finding nothing. Most of

491
00:37:15.599 --> 00:37:19.159
the yards were filled with inflatable characters and light projectors.

492
00:37:20.039 --> 00:37:23.480
Finally she caught up to him. She came across a

493
00:37:23.559 --> 00:37:27.320
yard with a north pole sign that looked solid. In

494
00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:30.239
her rotted mind, she thought it would be perfect for

495
00:37:30.320 --> 00:37:34.559
punishing her youngest son. He screamed as she picked him

496
00:37:34.639 --> 00:37:37.760
up and continued to scream as she threw him high

497
00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:41.960
in the air. The last thing he saw was his

498
00:37:42.079 --> 00:37:46.079
mother's smiling face as his body landed on the metal

499
00:37:46.199 --> 00:37:50.599
North Pole sign. It pierced his back and exited through

500
00:37:50.639 --> 00:37:54.880
his heart as he slid down to the ground. The

501
00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:58.920
jaw on the skeleton moved into a smile as she spoke,

502
00:38:00.360 --> 00:38:09.119
Now I have my family back. Epilogue. Kyle woke up

503
00:38:09.159 --> 00:38:11.840
in what appeared to be his family's living room with

504
00:38:11.920 --> 00:38:15.760
all his siblings. His dad was there, and so was

505
00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:20.800
his brother and sister. God, I just had the worst dream,

506
00:38:21.360 --> 00:38:26.960
Kyle said, Yeah, it's not a dream. Melissa replied, with

507
00:38:27.079 --> 00:38:31.599
the candy cane still sticking out of her eye. That's

508
00:38:31.599 --> 00:38:34.840
what I first thought when I woke up here too.

509
00:38:35.320 --> 00:38:39.920
We're dead, Paul sighed. He was as burnt as his mother.

510
00:38:41.039 --> 00:38:45.199
Their father got up. Let's not dwell on the bad.

511
00:38:45.920 --> 00:38:49.679
Let's just be thankful that we're finally together as a family.

512
00:38:51.039 --> 00:38:56.159
It's a real Christmas miracle, Melissa said. It's not ideal,

513
00:38:56.440 --> 00:39:02.280
but we will adapt. Todd reassured. Easy for you to say,

514
00:39:02.800 --> 00:39:05.239
you just have a bloody bump on your head. I

515
00:39:05.239 --> 00:39:08.679
have a candy cane stuck in my eye. For eternity,

516
00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:13.679
Melissa retorted. Their mother walked into the room with a

517
00:39:13.719 --> 00:39:17.719
plate full of cookies. I don't know what came over me.

518
00:39:17.800 --> 00:39:24.119
I'm so sorry, my DearS. Are we back home, Kyle

519
00:39:24.239 --> 00:39:35.000
asked no, Carol said, then where are we? Melissa asked purgatory.

520
00:39:35.039 --> 00:39:40.480
Todd guest, I still don't know. The important thing is

521
00:39:40.519 --> 00:39:45.079
that we're all together, Carol said. But I don't have

522
00:39:45.199 --> 00:39:50.920
my wife or kids. Paul said we could go get them.

523
00:39:51.480 --> 00:39:57.760
Carol said and laughed, no, that's okay. I would rather

524
00:39:57.840 --> 00:40:04.599
we not murder my family. Paul said, you sure. Kyle asked, yeah,

525
00:40:04.639 --> 00:40:09.119
it won't bother mom one bit. Melissa joked, stop it.

526
00:40:09.559 --> 00:40:15.000
Paul said, you're no fun. Kyle cackled, Oh, I'm no

527
00:40:15.159 --> 00:40:17.719
fun because I don't want to joke about killing my family.

528
00:40:18.519 --> 00:40:22.920
It's not a joke. She'd do it. Melissa laughed, lay

529
00:40:22.920 --> 00:40:28.599
off your mother. Todd said, it's okay, it's okay. I

530
00:40:28.679 --> 00:40:34.039
have it coming, Carol said, wiping a tear from her eye,

531
00:40:34.119 --> 00:40:39.800
And so marked another Christmas with the Hollies. There were laughs, tears,

532
00:40:40.519 --> 00:40:45.920
and a lot of family bonding and just a few murders.

533
00:40:50.639 --> 00:40:53.639
Well my Spookyes, I hope you enjoyed that little bit

534
00:40:53.679 --> 00:40:57.880
of holiday cheer, because being together is what really matters

535
00:40:57.920 --> 00:41:03.119
around the holidays. Details are another matter, though, and a

536
00:41:03.119 --> 00:41:05.280
big thank you to Bruce Haney for such a fun

537
00:41:05.320 --> 00:41:08.400
and creepy story. I hope you enjoyed it as much

538
00:41:08.400 --> 00:41:11.360
as I did, and make sure you're subscribed. I know

539
00:41:11.440 --> 00:41:13.840
I keep mentioning it, but we have so much content

540
00:41:13.920 --> 00:41:16.079
coming out this month, I don't want you to miss it.

541
00:41:16.280 --> 00:41:19.440
In fact, tomorrow you'll be able to listen to a

542
00:41:19.480 --> 00:41:22.760
brand new episode of Cutting Deep into Horror as myself

543
00:41:22.800 --> 00:41:26.840
and Rachel Rodolfi take a scalpel to the film Killing

544
00:41:26.880 --> 00:41:29.880
of a Sacred Deer and dissect it for all of

545
00:41:29.880 --> 00:41:33.320
you to hear. It's a very creepy movie, all about

546
00:41:33.400 --> 00:41:36.559
family and so much more, so make sure you don't

547
00:41:36.559 --> 00:41:40.639
miss it. And then on Wednesday, on our usual published day,

548
00:41:40.920 --> 00:41:43.320
we'll be heading back to Strickfield with a story from

549
00:41:43.400 --> 00:41:47.119
Rob Field's a Chain Letter Christmas, So don't miss it.

550
00:41:47.400 --> 00:41:50.440
Be subscribed on your favorite podcasting app, and while you're there,

551
00:41:50.800 --> 00:41:53.280
leave us a five star rating. It makes a very

552
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big difference. And if you want to support us and

553
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get bonus content of all kinds, whether it's bonus shows

554
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or audiobooks. All you have to do is go to

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Weeklyspooky dot com slash Join. For as little as one

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00:42:05.039 --> 00:42:07.039
dollar a month, you can support us and keep the

557
00:42:07.079 --> 00:42:11.159
spooky going and going. And an extra special thank you

558
00:42:11.199 --> 00:42:14.000
to our Patreon podcast boosters, folks who pay just a

559
00:42:14.000 --> 00:42:15.599
little bit more to hear their names at the end

560
00:42:15.639 --> 00:42:18.239
of the show. And they are Jessica Fuller, Johnny Nicks,

561
00:42:18.320 --> 00:42:21.920
Jenny Green, Amber Hansford, Brent mccaullough, Karen we Met, Jack Kerr,

562
00:42:22.119 --> 00:42:24.159
and Craig Cohen. Thank you guys, and if you want

563
00:42:24.159 --> 00:42:27.639
to join those names, go to Weeklyspooky dot com slash Join.

564
00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:31.280
You can saddle up with one hundred other spookies and

565
00:42:31.360 --> 00:42:33.639
support the show. We really do appreciate it. But now

566
00:42:33.679 --> 00:42:35.639
I've got to get back to work. We have five

567
00:42:35.719 --> 00:42:40.000
shows publishing just this week, so don't miss it. For myself,

568
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:44.119
for my executive producers Rob Fields, Markshields and babbletopia dot Com,

569
00:42:44.119 --> 00:42:47.760
my producer Dan Wilder, and my composer Ray Mattis, I

570
00:42:47.800 --> 00:42:51.840
will talk at you tomorrow. Thank you for this space Greens.

571
00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:56.159
Make sure to find your way back next week, but

572
00:42:56.320 --> 00:42:58.960
for now you are safe.

573
00:43:00.360 --> 00:43:00.920
Trust me,