December in the Shadows: The Growls and Grimm Monthly Roundup

All the winter-dark stories, lists, crafts, familiars, and rituals that hit the blog this month. Enjoy the December 2025 blog roundup.

December is always dramatic, but this year?
We went full winter witchery, from gothic gift guides to eerie book lists to the complete 12 Nights of Shadows. If you blinked (or hibernated), here’s everything that wandered onto the blog this month.

Settle in. Light a candle. December was busy.

December 2025 Blog Roundup

December Book Reviews

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

Wintry dread, inheritance secrets, and one of Ware’s most atmospheric mysteries. – Here

To Love the Reaper by Alex N. Rose

A review of obsession, devotion, and stalker-dark romance delivered right after Christmas. Here

Weekly Book-lists

Dark Romances for Winter Nights – Passion that burns hotter than the frost outside.

Gothic Winter Classics: Candlelight & Madness – Snow-drowned corridors, haunted estates, and slow-burn dread.

Winter Hauntings & Holiday Dread – Ghosts, mysteries, and Christmas crimes.

Year’s End Reflections: Best Dark Reads of 2025 – Five stories that haunted the whole year.

12 Nights of Shadows

A nightly descent into winter folklore.
Each creature came with its own story + item pairing for readers, cryptids, and midnight scrollers alike.

Catch up on all 12 nights here: 12 Nights of Shadows

Or revisit individual nights if you missed any:
• Night 1 – Krampus
• Night 2 – Perchta
• Night 3 – Yule Cat
• Night 4 – Mari Lwyd
• Night 5 – Frau Holle
• Night 6 – The Snow Queen
• Night 7 – The Tomte
• Night 8 – The Wendigo
• Night 9 – The Winter Witch
• Night 10 – The Night Reader
• Night 11 – The Solstice Fire
• Night 12 – The Candle Keeper

Affiliate Features & Gift Guides

Books & Baubles

Our winter crossover collection pairing gothic reads with aesthetic little treasures.
Perfect for gifting, convening, or decorating your haunted shelves. – Here

The Dark Side of Winter Gothic Winter Gift Guide

When winter presses its cold palm to the window, we trade noisy cheer for quiet rituals. These gothic gifts for kindred spirits are chosen like onyx beads on a thread. – Here

Gothic Gifts for Kindred Spirits

For the friend who speaks in book quotes, the maker who scents the house with cinnamon and clove, the familiar who curls like a crescent moon, this shelf is for them. – Here

Last-Minute Gifts That Don’t Need Shipping

Digital, instant, and cozy-goth approved – subscriptions, eBooks, and atmospheric experiences for the chronically late holiday shopper. – Here

The Good Soup Chronicles Vol 13 and 14

Soup Prepares for Yule Like a Victorian Ghost Cat

Your familiar’s seasonal chaos begins. – Here

The Seasonal Siren Song of Soup’s Belly

Static-charged loaf. Dusty garlands. The usual crimes. – Here

Until the New Year

December was heavy, magical, and wonderfully crowded.
Thank you for wandering through the winter shadows with me.

In January, we turn the page, new books, new spells, new chaos.

See you next month in the dark.