K.A.C. 2018 - T - 1 ...

      And so we come to the end of another year of the K.A.C. Seeing as it is Christmas Eve, I'd like to alert you to an Icelandic custom that is rather near and dear to my heart, the Christmas Book Flood (picture at left). What a great tradition! And rather interesting, given a recent article from Smithsonian.com - 'A Plea to Resurrect the Christmas Tradition of Telling Ghost Stories' - you can see the article below:

     https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/plea-resurrect-christmas-tradition-telling-ghost-stories-180967553/?fbclid=IwAR2GccrOumKuN8Zl2ygujc6qzq7i2Xa3ubggQ0-L52L3f9J1BDjLoGWuxGs#1DG8uLtybDC6PSgc.01

     

       We're pleased to say that we've kept that tradition alive and well here, with our last entry usually dedicated to just such a tale. This year's story was picked out by my son Justin, a nicely eerie M.R. James entry called 'The Ash Tree'. Here's the best part: it was adapted by the BBC as part of their Ghost Stories For Christmas series, with Sir Christopher Lee playing the author and narrating the stories to select students of his, just as the real professor did years ago. It was also filmed at Kings College, Cambridge, where M.R. James taught. And a final bit of trivia, courtesy of IMDB.COM: "As described in his autobiography, while passing oral tests for scholarship at Eton in the 1930s, young Sir Christopher Lee met M.R. James, the then Provost of the school, in person."

      So turn down your lights and turn up the sound and enjoy this hair-raising tale of terror!

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc095E5DwEE 

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     With that, it is time for the K.A.C. to retire. May you have the happiest of holidays, the merriest of Christmases and a bountiful New Year. Thank you for reading and following our daily jaunts this month - we'll see you again next year.