Send us a text

Christmas is meant to be a season of comfort, light, and safety — but history tells a darker story.

In this Dark Christmas Special, we explore the unsettling folklore, traditions, and true crime cases that reveal what Christmas has always carried beneath the surface: fear, rules, and the quiet belief that the night is watching.

We journey through chilling European Christmas folklore — including Krampus, Frau Perchta, Grýla, the Yule Cat, and the Christmas goblins — beings meant to punish, watch, and enforce order during the darkest time of year.

Then, we turn to real cases that shattered the illusion of safety on Christmas itself:

• The Lawson Family Murders (1929)
• The Covina Christmas Eve Massacre (2008)
• The disappearance of the Sodder children (1945)

To close, we reflect on why Christmas traditions endure despite the darkness — and why humanity continues to choose ritual, light, and togetherness even when the night proves it offers no protection.

This is not the Christmas you remember.

📜 SHOW NOTES

🎄 Christmas Folklore & Legends

• Krampus — the Alpine enforcer of punishment
• Frau Perchta — the silent inspector of homes
• Grýla — the Icelandic Christmas witch
• The Yule Cat — the devourer of the unwary
• Kallikantzaroi — the Christmas goblins who slip inside during the Twelve Nights

🩸 True Crime Cases Discussed

• The Lawson Family Murders (Germanton, North Carolina — 1929)
• The Covina Christmas Eve Massacre (Covina, California — 2008)
• The Sodder Children Disappearance (Fayetteville, West Virginia — 1945)

🔔 Listener Interaction

• Dark Christmas Would You Rather
• Christmas Myth or Real

🎧 Next Episode

This Friday, we head north into the Alaska Triangle — where planes vanish, people disappear, and the land offers no answers.

📚 SOURCES

Christmas Folklore & History

• Smithsonian Magazine – Christmas folklore & winter traditions
• NPR – You’ve heard of Santa, maybe even Krampus, but what about the Yule Cat?
• Guide Collective – Meet the Krampus
• Visit Croatia – Krampus: The Christmas Devil of Alpine Folklore
• Boroughs of the Dead – Frau Perchta
• The Greek Vibe – Kallikantzaroi: The Greek Trolls of Christmas
• Education at Turpentine Creek – The Spooky Legend of the Yule Cat
• Miss Direction Entertainment – The Dark Origins of Santa, St. Nicholas & Père Fouettard

True Crime

• North Carolina State Archives – The Lawson Family Murders
• Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reports – Covina Christmas Eve Massacre
• Smithsonian Magazine – The Sodder Children mystery
• FBI historical case summaries

✨ Step through the veil with us…

🔮 Follow on TikTok & Instagram: @VeilOfEchoesPodcast

👻 Share your stories: VeilOfEchoesPodcast@gmail.com

🕯️ New episodes drop every Monday (True Crime) & Friday (Paranormal) — where true crime meets the supernatural.