Short Stories
Silver Strands Floating Down
Yulehide: The Green Book
Wicked Shadow Press 01/29/2026
Behind the lights, the feasts and the forced warmth of tradition, something watches. Something remembers older winters, bloodier rituals and the quiet violence lurking beneath celebration… YuleHide is a two-volume holiday horror anthology from Wicked Shadow Press that dismantles festive tradition and rebuilds it as something decidedly wicked! Edited by the veteran compiler of dark fiction Parth Sarathi Chakraborty, YuleHide strips the season of comfort & joy and exposes what the yuletide season has always hoped to hide.
These stories twist Christmas and winter folklore into visions of true dread, where family gatherings rot from within, ancient customs demand obedience and snow preserves secrets better left forgotten…
Authors of YULEHIDE: The Green Book Alexander Michael, Amber Willis, Andrea Tillmanns, Andrew Kurtz, Betty Stanton, Bill Diamond, C S Dixon, Celeste Kerspuy, Charles Stott, Christopher Dabrowski, Claire Davon, Cliff Hansen, Daniel DiQuinzio, Denise Landry, E. M. Wescott, Esther P. Landin, Gabriella Balcom, Issy Jinarmo, J. Rocky Colavito, Javin Blake, John RC Potter, Joshua Vise, Justin Carlos Alcalá, Kay Vance, Kenneth Walker, Kevin Patrick McCann, Lacey Magee, LaVern Spencer McCarthy, Linda M. Crate, Maggie D Brace, Miles Carnegie, Ria Cabral, Robb White, S. M. Summers, Simon Mohsin, Souad Zakarani, Stephen Lang, Tamara Kaye Sellman, Virginia Elizabeth Hayes AND Willow Nichols-Capra
Excerpt
The tinsel tumbled to the ground in a cascade, landing on the tree skirt with a rustle.
“Arnold!”
Caroline gave him a disgusted snort and nudged the clump with her toes. He picked the mess up and tossed it at the green pine.
“Be careful.” Caroline separated the muddled strands and placed them just so, eyeing each branch before she selected the location.
“You decorate. I want no part of this.”
“Don’t be a grinch. Come on, it’s Christmas. Just have fun with it. If you stopped complaining and helped, things would be done in no time.”
Arnold picked up a sparkling red ball, resisting the urge to send it spiraling across the room to break apart in a tinkle of thin glass. Maybe that would stop her asking.
Nah. If he had any aspirations of getting laid tonight, he had to be a good boyfriend. This was the one fucking holiday she was obsessed with.
“Sure, babe, whatever you say.” He separated a second clump, fighting the impulse to toss it on the branches. Arnold let out a yelp as something sliced his palm. He examined his hand where a red line now showed. Caroline blew out a breath like a horse did when agitated.
“What now?”
He stared at the tinsel at his feet.
“It bit me.”
“Don’t be a jackass.”
The pain on his hand faded, leaving a thin line of red. He clenched his fist and muttered a curse under his breath. Caroline stopped and put her hands on her hips.
Uh oh.