Have you ever heard of the Tomten? It may be an important folklore figure to know since legend says every home has a Tomten. A Scandinavian version of a house elf, Tomten are gnome-like creatures that watch unseen over children and animals, protecting homes and farms from evil and misfortune… but don’t let the Tomten’s protective role or diminutive stature fool you…

The following written confession was shared via Reddit: …We were in the park as usual, and while we were walking there was a sewer hole from which were coming waves of steam, as it if was a furnace. We were heading towards it and I remember my dad saying: "Look, maybe here is where Santa prepares the gifts for the good children". I laughed a little because around that time I already knew Santa wasn't real. Then, as we passed by the hole I looked through the holes of the covering…

The following written confession was shared via Reddit: So this happened to me when I was around 10 years old. This little story haunts me to this day and I can still see it all happening in my head…I expected to see a lot of presents lying under the tree, but instead I saw a big shadow, like something big was lying infront of the tree. I stared at it for a little while, when it suddenly begins to move, it was definitely not human…

Merry (late) Christmas! If you were not able to catch our live Christmas Eve Special last week, a replay of the full show is available for viewing! For over four hours, we welcomed some excellent guests, gave away lots of prizes to say thanks to our TC members, and held a fundraiser for disaster relief for Kentucky. A huge THANK YOU goes out to all the podcasters who joined us in conversation, everyone who tuned in live to watch, and all those who were able to donate during the show!

Impish or admirable? Cheer or fear? If you’re a diehard fan of the legendary show The Office, then 1) there’s a good chance we can be best friends, and 2) you’ve definitely heard of the cantankerous Yuletide folk figure known as Belsnickel. So just who is this grim, grimy Christmas legend?

The following written confession was shared online by Caitlin Williams: My parents and I lived in a small home that was around 90 years old. The year would have been 1996. We lived there from the time I was seven years old to the time I was 19. From the very day that we moved in, I felt that I was not alone. One year around Christmas time, I was having a friend spend the night. The heat had just shut off briefly and she and I were sitting in the living room watching television when the temperature dropped substantially….

The following written confession was shared online: On Christmas Eve night, 1978 at about 3:00 a.m. in Klamath Falls, Oregon, I was suddenly awakened by a choir singing. The house was new construction, miles from the nearest church. I strained to hear any words that I could understand or a tune that I could identify, but I could not understand the language or tune….