Gloomth & Embracing Darkness for a Gothic Yuletide

We are approaching the time to celebrate the returning light in the depths of winter. At Yuletide we often do all we can to brighten our lives in the darkest month of the year. We might bring evergreens into the homes. We put up sparkling lights, eat, drink and try to make merry, but our ancestors knew much of this was in the face of struggles against cold, poverty, and hardship. 

Many people are finding this winter particularly tough for a whole variety of reasons. I’m not going into any specifics of current social, political and financial problems. Instead I’m writing about how this season’s trend for a Gothic Christmas can help us cope with miseries we might face. 

I’ve had a taste for Gothic things for decades, and I was pleasantly surprised back in early November when I got sent a press release saying “Scroogecore” was in this year. It said this trend brought together moody blacks, charcoal greys, and deep blues as a colour scheme. I’ll quote from the press release directly: 

“Sophisticated yet quirky, it combines darker colour palettes with tongue-in-cheek decorations for a playful, sardonic take on traditional elements.”

This is exactly what the term “gloomth” is about. By the way, the picture at the top shows an image from the suggested range of styles: a luxuriously dark bedroom decorated with Bee Bloom blue wallpaper that is almost black, by Hattie Lloyd. [There's the plug I have to give to use the image.]

Comforting gloomth

A few weeks after seeing the press release, I attended a talk on “gloomth”, the word for things that are both Gothic but somehow comforting at the same time. The online event was run by a pair of Americans, Sara and Brittany of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastc, who run courses in the Gothic. 

Their message was that Gothic fiction and fashion can be empowering, especially when all seems bleak. Many novels of the genre depict strong female characters who overcome societal pressures, particularly in relation to gender stereotypes and oppression. Embracing the Gothic can be subversively empowering for us in the real world too. 

I’ll be talking more about some subversive Yuletide tales and folklore at Viktor Wynd’s Museum of Curiosities on Monday 9 December. I’m giving an in-person illustrated lecture on Magic for Yuletide and New Year’s Eve Divination. Tickets are from £16.26 and the price includes a cocktail with Devil’s Botany. Viktor Wynd’s Museum of Curiosities, is at 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. Doors open at 6.30pm and the talk is at 7pm. You can find the details here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/magic-for-yuletide-and-new-years-eve-divination-with-lucya-starza-live-tickets-935414177987

Read my Yuletide folk horror tale for free

I’ll admit I seem to have tapped into this trend myself this festive season as I’ve written a Yuletide cosy folk horror novel and am serialising for free on Lucya’s Substack. It’s called Christmas Ghosts and the Holly Queen. You can find the first installment here and read later chapters on the substack as well. If you want to, you can subscribe to get them sent to your inbox.

Get 50 per cent off my other books

My other Gothic novel is called Erosion, and is published by Moon Books which is part of Collective Ink. The company is offering 50 per cent off all e-books until December 31st, including mine. 

All you need to do is:

• Click here > https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
• Choose your e-book(s)
• Click ‘Add to basket for direct download.’
• Click on your shopping basket
• Click on ‘Do you have a coupon?’
• Apply promo code WINTER50  and Validate.
• Proceed to Checkout.

If you want to search for my books, you can go straight to my Lucya Starza author page. I’ve written on candle magic, poppets, guided visualisations, scrying and the wheel of the year as well as my novel Erosion. You can read an excerpt from Erosion here: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/10/seance-with-skull-from-my-gothic-novel.html

To read more posts like this visit A Bad Witch’s Blog at www.badwitch.co.uk

Source: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/12/gloomth-embracing-darkness-for-gothic.html