Sunday Funday: Favorite Photos of the Week - Christmas Edition

Hello lovelies! I am a bit under the weather today (blegh!) but I still wanted to do a quick post and share my favorite photos of the week with you!

Since Christmas is only one week away (weeeeee!) and I likely won't be posting until after the 25th (I'll be traveling and spending the holiday with my family), I decided that today's edition should be Christmas-themed! Check out some festive photos below!
  
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the photos below unless otherwise noted.

 I love the stark colors of this Christmas card plus 

you can't go wrong with a skull topper!

Adorable lil' gothic doll!

 Those kooky Adammses! 

 One of my favorite Christmas movies...Gremlins!

 Gomez and Morticia trimming the tree

I can't help it...I enjoy the heck outta Elf!

 Addams Family Santas!

So true!!

 Make Jack's spider snowflakes! How-to HERE!

 Another spooky Christmas tree! 

 I love the stark beauty of this print by Anne-Julie Aubry

 The Cure Christmas! I love this photo, it is so cute!

What Brings Me Comfort and Joy

The lovely Professeur Gothique has tasked her adoring readers with a homework assignment this month...but a very easy one for me to complete! The assignment this month is "Comfort and Joy" and sharing what makes us feel less frazzled during the stressful holiday season. I've been so focused on Creepmas and getting ready for the holidays that I didn't think I would have time to complete this homework assignment...lucky for me, Le Professeur accepts late homework!

When I need comfort, there are a few items I turn to for instant joy. Whether I've had a long day at work, stressed out over driving (always an adventure in SoCal) or having a humbug, grinchy kind of day, I can always turn to any of the items below for an instant pick-me-up!

Havoc

All I need is a good snuggle with my kitty-cat Havoc to know everything is right in the world!

Petting him is one of the first things I do when I get home from work and it immediately gives me a warm fuzzy feeling and makes all my troubles seemingly melt away!

A Good Book

I am an avid reader, as evidenced by this stack of books on my nightstand. If it is one thing that can make me forget my troubles, it is a good book! I grew up without watching much television, so my nose was always buried in a book. My second home was the library! I love a good horror novel (I started reading Stephen King and Anne Rice in elementary school/junior high) and even used to review books (among other horror-related media) for my old site (Fatally-Yours.com if you're interested). However, I DO read other books besides horror-fiction as  long as they have a darker theme. Little known fact: I also count the Lord of the Rings novels among my favorites!

Cleaning

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I don't know what it is, but cleaning totally zens me out. Whenever I am really upset, I start cleaning and the busy work takes my mind off of things, plus as I scrub away it works off any tension and aggression I'm feeling. Doing something productive like cleaning really helps pull me out of any funk!

[source]

Zoning Out with some Horror Movies or TV

There is nothing like crashing on the couch and zoning out to my favorite genre - horror! I have over 1,000 DVDs on my own, but now with Netflix streaming and tons of video-on-demand titles, I pretty much have access to whatever I want to watch whenever I want to watch it! I have also been digging the horror-themed TV shows on air - new favorites include American Horror Story, Grimm and even Once Upon a Time! Old standbys include Supernatural, Fringe and The Vampire Diaries.

My Sanctuary

I love cuddling up in bed with Mister Spooky and Havoc (and my bat pillows!) as Tim Burton's Vincent and Tobe Hooper's Leatherface gaze down at me. My bedroom is a place where I can unwind and be alone, if I choose. I love lighting some candles and just vegging out, either by watching movies, losing myself in a book,

drawing or spending countless hours online.

Tea or Hot Chocolate

Ahhhhh...I love a good cup of tea or mug of hot chocolate to really sink into pure relaxation! I found this yummy Starbucks Peppermint Hot Cocoa at the grocery store and thankfully it was vegan! Yay! It is usually hard for me to find cocoa mix that doesn't contain any milk products (ick!), so I'm glad I found this! Hot chocolate is usually a special occasion for me, so I drink tons of tea, especially in winter. I discovered this Trader Joe's brand Vanilla and Cinnamon Black Tea and OMG it is my new obsession! I love this tea and it really helps me chill out...and how can I resist that cute lil' lemur?!

Other things that bring me comfort and joy are lovely massages from Mister Spooky, my red flannel PJs, my heated blanket, talking to my family (or if I'm lucky, spending time with them when I get to see them) and taking naps!

13 Days of Creepmas: Merry Creepmas!

It's the 13th (and last) day of Creepmas and I just wanted to thank everyone who has stopped by to read my Creepmas posts! I have had a ton of fun injecting holiday fear into this Christmas season and have doubly enjoyed reading all of your creepily creative posts!

The hallowdays have been keeping me plenty busy, so today my final post will be an easy one...some favorite festive photos I've found while putting together Creepmas posts! I probably won't be posting much until after the holidays, but I just want to wish you and yours a very merry holiday season!

Please note I do not claim ownership of any of the above images

13 Days of Creepmas: Make Jack Skellington's Spider Snowflake

Remember Jack Skellington's spider snowflakes from Nightmare Before Christmas (seen above)? Well, now you can make your very own spider snowflakes courtesy of some simple instructions from Instructables.com! They even provide a template! All you need to make the spider snowflake is some paper and scissors (and a printer to print the template out).

You could even try using different colored paper if you are looking for something a bit more bold. If you make multiple ones, you can string them together and create a spooky spider snowflake garland!

For the template and instructions, visit the Instructables' article!

13 Days of Creepmas: Elvira's Scary Christmas

Who better to celebrate Creepmas with than the Mistress of the Dark herself, Elvira?! Last year, the Queen of Scream did a holiday special where she presented Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (available on Amazon!). This is awesome in of itself, but what I really love about it is the claymation intro that precedes the special! The claymation intro was supposedly done by the Chiodo Brothers (creators of the cult film Killer Klowns from Outer Space, which I LOVE btw) and features Elvira picking out a Christmas tree and running into some old fiends, including Santa Claus.

I love the nod to traditional Christmas claymation specials with a macabre twist! 

Check it out below:

13 Days of Creepmas: The Gothic Night Before Christmas

I am sure you are familiar with Clement C. Moore's Christmas poem, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, which most of us can recite at least part way through. The poem has been altered and parodied in hundreds of different ways, from books like Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas to pretty much any holiday movie. And now I've finally found a gothic parody of the poem!

I'm not sure who the author is, and the website hasn't been updated since 2006, but this is one of THE BEST gothic parodies of this poem I've ever read! I hope the author doesn't mind me reposting, because this poem really bears sharing!

Check it out below!

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through our house
was blasting the "St. Vitus Dance" by Bauhaus;
Torn fishnets were draped on my forearms with care,
And two cans of Aquanet applied to my hair;
My thoughts were of graveyards, and horror and dread,
Black visions of pain and despair in my head;
And Bianca, whose face was as pale as the moon,
Had thrown up her arm for this evening's swoon,
When out by the gravestones there came such a clatter,
I sprang from the coffin to find out the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a ghost,
Expecting to find a dark devilish host.
The moon on the breast of the uncaring snow
Threw ominous shadows on objects below,
When, before my tormented eyes did traverse,
But a gorgeous black Crane & Breed carved-panel hearse,
With a gaunt, shrouded driver, who filled me with fear,
And eight skeletal creatures that might have been deer.
More rapid than vultures his coursers they came,
And his deep Andrew Eldritch voice called them by name;

Now, Murphy! Now, Morgoth! Now, Torment and Woe!
On, Dreadful! On, Lovecraft! Mephisto and Poe!
To the top of the gravestones where fog wisps its breath!
With a weight on my soul I consign you to death!

As dead leaves that before hellish hurricanes fly,
When they flutter like giant bats' wings to the sky,
So up to the crypt-top the coursers they leapt,
While dearest Bianca, like death, still but slept.
And then, to my horror, I heard on the roof
The clicking and scratching of each bone-white hoof.
As I drew in my arm, and was whirling around,
Down the ebony chimney he came without sound.

He was clad all in black, and he looked oh-so-goth,
A billowy ensemble of crushed velvet cloth;
His boots were knee-high, quite buckled and zipped,
And the Spandex and fishnets 'round his legs were ripped.
His eyes glowed with bluish fire, deathly and cold,
A black eye-liner'd face neither youthful nor old.
A broad lipless mouth drawn with torment and hurt,
And his sorrowful face was as white as my shirt.

A smoldering cigarette tight in his grasp,
Its smoke curling eerily 'round his cloak clasp;
His gaunt frame was topped with long ebon hair,
And a sharp scent of brimstone and cloves choked the air.
His arms were outspread in the shape of a cross,
And I quailed when I saw him, feeling sorrow and loss;
He narrowed his eyes with a twist of his head,
And I felt the full weight of his angst and dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his task,
Left some Dead Can Dance CD's; before I could ask,
A single tear fell across his aquiline nose,
And then, like an angel, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his hearse, to his team he then hissed,
And away they all drifted like early dawn's mist.
But I heard him intone, ere he vanished from sight,
"Gothic Christmas to all, and to all a good fright!"

13 Days of Creepmas: Gothic Christmas Music

I'm pretty sure 97% of the population loathes Christmas music by mid-December (if not earlier). Sure, it can be fun the first few weeks of holiday shopping (even I like Christmas music in small doses...very small doses), but it gets old quick...especially since it seems like the same five songs play over and over in a hellish rotation (Jingle Bells can go suck it!). And if you've ever worked retail during the holiday season and sat through endless hours of saccharine music, I commend you for your bravery and hope you retained your sanity. I did that once during high school and by the end of December I seriously wanted to rip every single speaker out of the store. Ugh...

So,  I'll bet you'd be surprised if I told you that I've developed a taste for Christmas music during December...but not for just any holiday music and certainly not the kind they pipe through malls to torture already frazzled shoppers...No, my holiday musical choices are a bit darker and decidedly more gothic. If you are looking for a different kind of holiday music that is as haunting as it is beautiful, please check out the music below to get you in the Creepmas spirit!

Type O Negative - Red Water (Christmas Mourning) available on October Rust

Nox Arcana - God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen available on Winter's Knight

Arcanta - Carol of the Bells available on Projekt's A Dark Noel

London After Midnight - The Christmas Song available on Oddities

Lycia - We Three Kings available on A Dark Noel - The Very Best of Excelsis

Unto Ashes - Krampusnacht available on Projekt's Excelsis Box Set

Love Spirals Downward - Welcome Christmas available on Projekt's A Dark Noel

And just for ghoulish giggles:
Tales from the Crypt - 12 Days of Cryptmas available on Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas  

13 Days of Creepmas: Spooky Christmas Cards from Etsy

I love getting Christmas cards in the mail! While I am good at receiving them, I am the absolute WORST at sending them! Let me explain...it's not that I'm a Grinch (far from it, because I love Christmastime), but I can never seem to find a card design I like, let alone that I would want to bestow on my friends and family!

Well, this year I hope things are different because I found some beautifully gothic Christmas cards on Etsy that would make the perfect Creepmas correspondence. Check them out below and wish me luck on actually getting these ordered and sent out this year! Links lead to each card's Etsy page!

GingerDead's Assorted Christmas Cards

Black Raven Christmas Card by Rocknrobin

 

Black Widow and Skull Snowflake Card by Agorables

Gothic Christmas Tree with Skulls by Agorables

Antler Wreath by the1900letter