Gothic Style Christmas

“Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat,

Please put a penny in the old man’s hat…” 

Too cheery?  Maybe that isn’t your sort of thing.  Maybe you would like something darker… a little Gothic Christmas.  Yes, Virginia, there is a Gothic Santa Claus, Christmas Tree and all the darker decorations that go with it.  Why decorate your tree with a jolly fat man and reindeer when you can use ornaments that inspire supernatural flights of fancy or mysterious creatures straight from the designers’ nightmares.

Well, The Dark Forest put the question of how do you celebrate a Goth Christmas to members of several Gothic groups on the various social media and here’s what the general consensus was:

First of all, you need to start with a black Christmas tree.  You can either by one or spray paint a regular Christmas tree black. 

Then, again, if you don’t want to spray paint a tree or buy a black one, you can always go the Addams Family route and decorate a tree with naked branches.  Bare branches with red tinsel looking like dripping blood instead of icicles was also another favorite theme.  And don’t forget to hang your Christmas tree upside down from the ceiling.

What makes something Gothic?  Characteristics of the Gothic include death and decay, ghosts and vampires.  When you decorate a Gothic Christmas tree, think terror and wonder.  Santa becomes a decomposing skeleton in a red Santa suit.  Snowflake ornaments are black instead of white.  Black bulbs have white skulls on them.   And don’t forget the black wreath for your front door.  If you are in the mood to hang Christmas stockings, black with skulls will do very nicely.  All you have to do is Google “Gothic Christmas” to find hundreds of dark ideas with which to celebrate the season.

Another recommendation that was popular was the graveyard look, which is a blending of Halloween and Christmas.  Then there was the Nightmare Before Christmas theme or  the Addams Family theme.  And what would say Gothic Christmas more than the presents wrapped with Edgar Allen Poe wrapping paper.

Edgar Allen Poe wrapping paper

A Gothic Christmas needs to be filled with purple, black, dark gray or navy blue colors.  And the images of sugarplums need to be replaced with dragons, gargoyles, fairies, wizards, ogres and ghosts. 

Another suggestion from our responding Goths was to go a little more Pagan and sit around and watch the Yule log burn and listen to Christopher Lee reading Edgar Allen Poe.  Don’t have a fireplace?  Don’t worry.  Check your TV listings.  There are several media groups across the country that offer a Yule Log presentation with their free over-the-air broadcasts.  That hours of commercial free TV with just the Yule log burning in all its fiery glory.

Christmas does not have to be traditional by any stretch of the imagination.  Just paint your tree black and let yourself go.

The Creative Nook with Book Reviewer Kami Martin

Some of you might already be familiar with Kami Martin, the host of Kami’s Korner on YouTube. Ms. Martin discusses audio books, e-books, comics, graphic novels, novellas — all of the horror persuasion.  As a true lover of all thing macabre, THE DARK SIRE couldn’t resist the opportunity of getting her totally unbiased opinion of what we do.  We seriously had no idea of how she would respond. 

TDS:   As a regular reviewer of all things dark, The Dark Sire couldn’t resist getting your opinion on our publication.  What was your initial reaction?

Kami Martin:  When Bre Stephens, your Editor-in-Chief, contacted me about reviewing The Dark Sire literary magazine, I jumped at the chance.  As a regular reviewer of fiction in all forms, I thought, what a unique opportunity to try something new! And I am so grateful I did! It was a delightful treat!

TDS:  Initially, we asked you to review our debut issue but then you agreed to review Issues 1-3. In the end, you reviewed the whole first year – all 4 issues. Was there anything that particularly stood out for you?

Kami Martin:  In the debut issue (Fall 2019), you published stories touching on gothic and horror works of fiction and poetry offering your readers a nice balance no matter their tastes or interests.

Grave by W.C. Mallery was certainly a stand out short story, and Beneath These Boards by Michael Thomas Ellis offered a poem that was sure to make readers shudder and shiver. The cover art presented by Christian-Rhen Stefani is by far my favorite of the entire year’s worth of covers. It is a work of art that speaks to you well after you close your eyes.

TDS:  What did you think or our serializations?

Kami Martin:  I thought that featuring two serializations was a truly unique gift for your readers.  Both Vampyre Paladin by Brenda Stephens and Kyuuketsuki by S. M. Cook offered exquisite detail and well-formed stories that will have readers turning the page to find what happens next. I was captivated immediately.

TDS:  Thank you for your kind words on our premier issue.  But the real question is: Were we able to continue with the quality of writing in our second issue that we presented  in our first?

Kami Martin:  Your stories and serializations continue to pack a punch but the stand out of this particular issue for me was the poetry! I loved every single poem included! Such texture, richness and deep, dark descriptions. The art was a nice mix of creepy, too!

TDS:  To be perfectly honest, we loved the poetry, as well. TDS was an international literary magazine by our 2nd issue, with readers and contributors alike. At the time, we thought Issue 2 was the best. But then, Issue 3 came out and we had over 2,000 readers.

Kami Martin:  It’s a great testament to a magazine that is rapidly growing with great success. Again, in your third issue, the fiction did not disappoint. Once Bitten: A Vampire’s Lament by Maureen Mancini Amaturo was a great gothic tale that was a top contender for my favorite. Poetry remained solid, especially with The Vision by Gregory E. Lucas and Progeny by Michael Walker. This issue also brought us some standout artwork by Shaun Power that any author of the macabre should want to snag up for future novels!!

TDS:  If you’ve enjoyed all the issues thus far, I’m excited to hear what you think of Issue 4, our Summer issue that was themed “Dark Summer.”

Kami Martin:  Your fourth issue continued to show growth and promise and will continue to give your readers a reason to continue revisiting the magazine. The cover and interior artwork continued to impress. Bre Stephens certainly has a great eye! The artwork really seemed to flow well within this issue. One item of fiction I certainly feel deserves real attention, as it has appeared in each of the quarterly issues, and can be considered a continued serialization of sorts: The Village Series by David Crerand. True horror broken down into parts 1-4.

TDS:  David Crearand has been with us from the very beginning and has become a staple of TDS; Shaun Power has take a page from Mr. Crerand’s book, as he, too, has become a staple artist. We certainly do our best to provide quality work to satiate our readers’ hunger for all things fiction, poetry, and art.

Kami Martin:  There wasn’t a moment that I was not entertained and delighted. This literary magazine is well-rounded for lovers of the macabre with a bit of something for everyone!  This was one hell of a debut and I just want to thank Bre Stephens for the opportunity to share my thoughts on the contributions of your many talented writers! This is quite the gift for us eerie readers!

YouTube trailer for Kami’s Korner. Copyright Kami Martin.

                                      

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TDS is one literary magazine that treats everyone like family. We’re always looking for ways that will exceed expectations, and our issues are packed full of engaging material that will make you think, shake, and quiver. We encourage all creatives to submit to TDS year-round, and for readers to visit the TDS Store. Don’t make us wait too long – come join the THE DARK SIRE family!

Art and Horror: How TDS Artists Epitomize the TDS Brand

THE DARK SIRE magazine strives to bring you a banquet of the best in horror, gothic, fantasy, and psychological realism.  And what is a banquet without desert?  It’s high time that The Dark Forest paid well deserved kudos to the TDS artists.  In an earlier blog, we said that a good horror story provokes an emotional response in the reader.  Good art does the same.  From the first issue to the latest one, TDS has incorporated various photographs, drawings, and other forms of art to add to the emotional stimulus that is our magazine. 

A good piece of horror artwork, stays with you.  It cannot easily be forgotten.  In our debut issue, we presented you with the art of Christian-Rhen Stefani and the photography or Dee Espinoza.  Ms. Stefani’s  acrylic on ceramic tile entitled Shadow Still graced our first cover.  We hoped that it would catch your attention and draw you into the magazine.  It had a particular kind of intensity, one with out explanation, one that would captivate you with its abstract power.   Between the covers, we gave you Ms. Espinoza’s Preston Castle Play Room.  The black and white photograph leaves a lingering imprint and one can only image the loneliness and despair of the children who, once upon a time, had to survive there.

Shadow Still (2019), Christian-Rhen Stefani, acrylics on tile

Preston Castle Play Room (2018), Dee Espinoza, photo

In our second issue, Rorschach by Doria Walsh appeared on our cover.  This India ink on paper possessed an eerie tranquility that makes you look twice.  Is it a soul catcher?  Or something alive?  The question is different for each viewer as is the answer, if there is one.  In side, you discovered Lonely Soul by Paula Korkiamäki.  It’s a haunting piece that shows her impression of the universe and the spirit world occupying the same place in space and time. As beautiful as it is, there is an instinctive discomfort as one contemplates the overlapping boundaries. 

Rorschach (2019), Doria Walsh, alcohol ink on Yupo

Lonely Soul (2019), Paula Korkiamaki, India ink on paper

THE DARK SIRE is not about horror for horror’s sake.  The metaphors and allegories reach far beyond the printed page.   They make us look at ourselves from a different angle, adding a further dimension to the impression of our lives.  In our third issue, you were treated to twelve pastels from our featured artist, Shaun Power (who was a guest in our Creative Nook interview series).  His work invokes images that would warm the heart of Edgar Allen Poe, himself.  There is an intimacy to his work that allows each individual viewer to suspend belief and enter into the art themselves.  His work grants the viewer permission to become as much involved with the piece as they dare, perhaps demanding of the viewer concessions that they would not normally be willing to make.

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In our fourth issue, we added the works of Dena Simard, Kibbi Linga, Juhi Ranjan, Brian Michael Barbeito, and Lam Jasmine Bauman (respectively). Shaun Power returned, as well, rounding out this group of talented artists.  These works of art elicit an emotional response in the viewer which is exactly what we wanted them to do.  In some cases, they inspire horror and dread; in others a reexamination of our objectivity. They evoked thought and a need for the dissection of our world and of ourselves – a contemplation before the storm.  There is a paradox involved – and that, perhaps, is the greatest tribute we can give to our artists: They challenge the viewers to examine the world around them through an abstract artistic lens that only the great masters of the past could muster.

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In our fifth (and most recent) issue, we combined the artwork of Shaun Power with the illustration of Kailey Reid, whose drawings have a peculiar kind of elegance to them.  Yet, nothing is exactly as it should be.  While Power supplied the horror of being overtaken by the dark, Reid provided the necessary undertone of “the other side,” the place in which the lost souls of mankind inhabited. Doing this created a mood that was fearsome, absurd, and unsettling all at the same time. The mix of both Power and Reid, then, became synonomous with the meaning of our latest issue: Halloween, and the meaning of the darkness on the most frightening day of the year.

Art is a collaboration between the artist and the viewer.  At THE DARK SIRE, we try to offer our subscribers works that challenge their imaginations.  It’s not just the dark and gruesome but also the magical that provides a release from an internalized fear, stimulating fascination with the dark and mysterious. And let’s remember: Not all art has to be innately horrific to be horrifying – for the world is filled with horrific things that come in bright packaging. That’s the beauty of art and abstracts – they can be anything the viewer envisions.

If you like art that touches your soul, subscribe to The Dark Sire – and tell a friend.