THE ROVING PECKER PRESENTS: Raincoaster's Humorous Chills For Christmas Eve!

Greetings, Manor Hors! Periodically, "The Roving Pecker" presents urgent missives from filthy esteemed guest writers. Today's entry is from Raincoaster!

If there's one thing we know about Jerome K. Jerome, it's that his parents were people of remarkably little imagination. That said, it's a flaw their son did not share.

One of the most famous and popular humourists of his time, Jerome K. Jerome had a talent that hasn't become stale with age, unlike many of his peers. For that reason, today we're posting his explanation of why, exactly, ghost stories are traditional at this time of year. 

It's the old pagan idea, evolved over centuries, that the powers of evil grew stronger with the darkness; with Christianity, it's the idea of evil becoming more powerful until the birth of Jesus, who beat them all back, leaving them to flee until Halloween.

But there, I'm getting ahead of my betters. Let's learn from the very best - and the funniest - bard of the season, Jerome K. Jerome. We're just looking today at the introduction to his ghost story collection, but you're certainly free to read the entirety. Don't expect Blackwood-style chills, but do enjoy.

Full text of "Told After Supper" is RIGHT HERE. 

Audio from The Cotswold Explorer is RIGHT HERE. 

Photo Credkts: Getty Images; pgold05/Reddit