A nightmarish tale of a haunted Christmas, with traditions twisted and made terrifying as a mother and son grapple with their painful past, from the acclaimed master of horror and author of Anno Dracula. Deep in the British countryside, Lynda and her teenage son Rust prepare for Christmas, hanging fairy lights and making decorations. The first door of the advent calendar is opened, but the chocolate inside tastes off. Rust receives his first Christmas card, it’s unsigned and the message is aggressive rather than festive. The cards keep coming, one each day and each more sinister than the last, and a frightened Lynda recalls a seasonal TV show from her childhood that featured similar happenings, and while she remembers it vividly, there is no evidence that it was ever broadcast… As their Christmas cheer is gradually poisoned, real dead robins replace plastic ones, the turkey rots in the freezer and Rust becomes increasingly unwell, Lynda begins to wonder if her childhood Christmases were in fact as joy filled as she remembers…
