The holiday season is often celebrated with traditions of joy, generosity, and storytelling, including the long-standing custom of sharing ghostly tales during Christmastime. As the classic lyric reminds us—“there’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago”— these chilling narratives have been a part of the season’s folklore for centuries. From eerie apparitions to unexplained phenomena, the season of goodwill has a darker, mysterious side woven into its history. Are they only holiday legends, or real ghosts of Christmas past? On this Friday the 13th, here 13 haunting Christmas tales as chilling as the winter air.

The following written confession was submitted via email: I was listening to 678 and a description stood out to me of something that has been seen in physical form twice in the house I currently live in. I actually managed to capture an image of it, totally by accident…

As Halloween draws near, cemeteries become hotspots for ghost tours and paranormal investigations, with many hoping to capture something supernatural on camera. If you're planning your own spooky adventure, be sure to keep your eyes open—these haunting locations have a way of surprising even the most skeptical visitors. To get in the spirit, here are some eerie images of alleged ghosts caught on camera in graveyards, leaving us to wonder: are they genuine ghosts or trick photography?

The following written confession was submitted via email: I've only lived in one haunted house (old farmhouse) and one old house that one bedroom I never felt right in along with the hayloft out in the barn. I found out over a decade later after we moved away from that house, that a teenage girl hung herself in the hayloft decades before we lived there. The one house I'm sure was haunted, because when my youngest daughter was three through four years old, several nights a week she would wake up talking and laughing at around 2a.m.-3a.m....

When it comes to ghost hunting and all things paranormal, not all searches are generated equal! According to a new study, these states rank the highest and lowest in searches for the paranormal…

For every enduring love story for the ages, there is an equally tragic tale of lost love and broken hearts. And for every other one of those ill-fated love affairs, there’s a horrible ghost story to make it even worse. Whether your relationship is single, married, or “it’s complicated” this Valentine’s Day, you can be thankful you aren’t involved in any of these five tales of tragic love that grew into ghost lore, proving that true love never dies — it haunts you forever.

The following written confession was submitted via email: I saw the woman who used to live in the flat below standing in my hallway when I was around 4 or 5. She used to come up to our flat to escape her abusive husband (he also used to terrorise my mother years after this he had a knife to her throat in front of me one time)…

The following written confession was shared via Reddit: …When I was a kid about 11 or 12 I used to walk to and from school and I would always take a shortcut through the local cemetery. One day after school I was talking my shortcut through the cemetery as usual and I tripped and fell. As I went to get up I saw bare feet in front of me and I immediately felt very uneasy…

Depending on your family, the holidays are a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends, or a real horror show. With Thanksgiving coming up and the December holidays not far behind, we’re taking a look at some photos from family events that really became something of a horror, after the pictures were found to contain some pretty scary uninvited guests. From an alleged demon’s animal face, to a disembodied hand, to a famous photograph that may not be what it seems, here are 10 Photos of Unexpected Ghosts and Entities Taken at Family Gatherings!

The following written confession was shared via email: I had surgery on my spine in 2013. It was major surgery and I was most definitely under the influence of pain medication . However, if I hallucinated it, I had company… I remember dozing off and then hearing a noise at the room entrance…

Today we will be exploring the beautiful and haunted Burn Brae Mansion in New York! Burn Brae Mansion holds tales of different ghosts and paranormal activity within its many rooms, including one of the more famous figures of ghost lore - the “Woman in White.” The apparition of a pale lady in a white gown has become a common sighting over centuries of ghost stories, but remains no less chilling across history and culture. What do you know about the Woman in White?

The following written confession was shared via Buzzfeed: I was a kid sleeping in my brother's room while mine was getting painted. His closet doors were mirrors, and when I woke up in the night I saw the silhouette of a girl staring at her reflection while on the edge of my bed. Her hair was pulled back, she wore a cream shirt and a long pink skirt, and looked like she was made of TV static….

The following written confession was submitted via email: When I was 20 years old, I was on a trip with my family and a friend in Edinburgh, Scotland. We decided to do a Ghost Tour in this underground part of the city called “The Vaults”. Well, one part of the tour had a simple circle made of stones. The tour guide claimed that people who stepped foot in it had been pushed, kicked, etc. Thinking I was really clever, I took a picture of the circle….

Lists of “The World’s Most Haunted Places” would not be complete without the looming, castle-like specter of Eastern State Penitentiary. The imposing prison is remembered for its unique methods of criminal reformation, famous for its compelling paranormal activity, and also happens to be located in Philadelphia in our home state of Pennsylvania! Eastern State Penitentiary is an unmissable destination with a storied background - check out 10 horrible history facts about Eastern State Penitentiary, followed by our own quick impressions about our tour of the infamous prison!

On July 20th & 21st, The Confessionals Podcast attended Pennhurst Asylum ParaCon 2019 in Spring, City, Pennsylvania! During what became the hottest weekend of the year in PA (so far), paranormal enthusiasts, vendors, and special guests gathered at the legendary haunted hospital complex of Pennhurst Asylum for historical tours, investigations, lectures, and much more! Check out over 60 photos of our weekend at Pennhurst ParaCon 2019.