An image a day for December 2025 no. 25. The Christmas rose! Only it's actually a hellebore. According to Simon Eade, a single black hellebore was found growing in an English abbey in the 1500s. People believed the hellebore bloomed around January 6, the original Christmas Day.

Watching the classic Whistle And I'll Come to You, AKA "Put That Thing Back Where It Came From (Or So Help Me)".

And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, found himself in later life invited to a Christmas party in an unfinished skyscraper where he fought thieves and found himself able to empathise with TV dinners.

And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, eventually became a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth!

Your annual reminder that if you want someone to chat or have a laugh with over the Christmas period there will be lots of folk on the #JoinIn and #DuvetKnowItsChristmas threads. 🎄

An image a day for December 2025 no. 24. Onions! Single and wondering who you'll marry? Sprinkle four onions with salt, and put them in each corner of your room on Christmas Eve. Name each of them according to a person you know. If any onion throws out shoots before 6 January, you'll marry them.

An image a day for December 2025 no. 23. Snowberries! Snowberry is an invasive species in the UK, but people use it in gardens for the ornamental white berries in autumn and winter. The berries are mildly toxic.

An image a day for December 2025 no. 22. Oats! According to W. B. Hannon, there was a British superstition that suggested you should leave corn or oats in the open air on Christmas night. Once they'd been coated in dew, they would be able to ward off cattle diseases when eaten.

I'm watching The Wrong Trousers and it's bonkers to watch it now, since a provincial museum in the north of England in an animation from 1993 has better security than the Louvre.

These are just a few of the books from authors who have all been interviewed for the Into the Greenwood podcast! Including... @benitocereno.bsky.social @icysedgwick.bsky.social @thehistorybits.bsky.social @jpwarchaeology.bsky.social

An image a day for December 2025 no 21. Mistletoe! Margaret Baker recounts the story of the Hay family in Perthshire. An oak on their land played host to mistletoe, and the family prospered for generations. The oak tree was eventually felled, and the estate passed out of the family soon after.

An image a day for December 2025 no 20. Cranesbill Geranium! According to Ernst Lehner, Crane's-bill represented constancy and availability, and also said "I desire to please!"

I've sent out my short story that only my subscribers get, inspired by an idea I had when I went to see Uncanny Live in November at the Theatre Royal. But you can still read it if you want more ghost stories in your life by signing up here: www.icysedgwick.com/late-sign-up/

This third episode in our Festive Folklore series is a portmanteau Christmas ghost story featuring the storytelling talents of @owenstaton.bsky.social, @eerieedinburgh.bsky.social and Dave Silk! I'm very grateful for their help in putting this portmanteau story together! youtu.be/Qj_P771v8G4

An image a day for December 2025 no 19. Christmas gifts! This tree made of Christmas gifts can be found in Exchange Square behind Liverpool Street Station.

An image a day for December 2025 no 18. Anemone! In myth, anemones were said to have sprung forth from the blood of Adonis after he was fatally wounded by a boar and Aphrodite decreed he would live on as a flower. In Mrs Burke's language of flowers dictionary, anemones meant 'forsaken'.

Look! I'm doing another writing workshop online!

The AI scams targeting authors need better admin - just got an email addressed to some other author with breathless praise about a motherhood memoir. Funny, given I have no kids and write about ghosts 🤔

An image a day for December 2025 no 17. Verbena! Roman brides apparently wore a wreath of verbena that they picked themselves. In Mrs Burke's language of flowers dictionary, verbena meant 'enchantment'.

An image a day for December 2025 no 16. I've loved seahorses for as long as I can remember, so it's rather handy they're on my city's crest! They were added to the shield back in 1575 as a reminder that Newcastle was a port. I got this one from Liverpool's World Museum in July.

An image a day for December 2025 no 15. The Crypt at Newcastle Cathedral. No one really knows what it was originally intended for but over time, it became a charnel house. It fell out of use, but was rediscovered in 1824, full of bones. The crypt was turned into a chapel in the 1930s.

An image a day for December 2025 no 14. A cheerful marigold in the winter gloom. Goethe featured a character picking off marigold petals while saying "they love me, they love me not" in Faust. In Richard Folkard's language of flowers 1892 dictionary, the marigold represented grief.

An image a day for December 2025 no 13. The Christmas tree at Newcastle Cathedral aka St Nicholas' Cathedral to me. St Nicholas is the patron saint of Christmas, seafarers, merchants, brewers, bakers, unmarried people, students, and the falsely accused!

An image a day for December 2025 no 12. Sunrise. Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning! This omen that bad weather is on the way...

An image a day for December 2025 no 11. Christmas jumper for Christmas Jumper Day. While the day is usually intended to raise money for Save the Children, I'm wearing my RNLI jumper to help raise money for them. Feel free to chuck them a donation too for all the excellent work they do!

An image a day for December 2025 no 10. Streetlight and branches. No folklore, I just thought it looked cool.

An image a day for December 2025 no 9. Holly berries! In a year in which people couldn't find holly bearing berries to use as a Christmas decoration, they might instead redden the berries of ivy, and put that up instead. Putting up holly without berries would bring bad luck, especially to farmers.

An image a day for December 2025 no 8. An osteospermum flower in the rain. The osteospermum is commonly known as the African daisy or Cape daisy since it comes from South Africa. I bought this one for my parents as an anniversary present in May, and it's still flowering right here in December!

The Vale of Mowbray is the most insane prehistoric site in the British Isles. In my opinion 🤔 An 11-mile chain of at least eight southeast / northwest aligned henges (among the largest in Britain), terminating at Britain's 2nd tallest standing stones... 😩 #archaeology #history #StandingStoneSunday

Deep down in the far south west, Boskenna Cross near St Buryan - this felt like a lonely place 📸 Dec 2025 #standingstonesunday

An image a day for December 2025 no 7. Agapanthus seed pods. The agapanthus is native to southern Africa, so it's referred to as the African lily. It's actually part of the Amaryllidaceae family. According to S. Theresa Dietz, in folklore, the plant is believed to protect against a fear of storms.

An image a day for December 2025 no 6. Wintry spiraea. Spiraea is sometimes known as meadowsweet, which in Mrs Burke's 1867 Language of Flowers dictionary meant 'uselessness'.

It's December, so it's time for festive folklore with my podcasting pals on Fabulous Folklore. First up, @loremen.bsky.social chat about Christmas superstitions and a bizarre carol about corporal punishment. Plus we chat about my Christmas tradition of watching Die Hard. youtu.be/0YmXZqzOc2s?...

An image a day for December 2025 no.5. An oak tree. I've photographed this oak in every season since the first lockdown in March 2020. I've grown rather attached to it in the process. In Mrs Burke's 1867 Language of Flowers dictionary, the oak tree represented hospitality.

An image a day for December 2025 no.4. The Newcastle Central Christmas tree. The first record of a decorated tree in England dates to the 15th century. Someone lit a fir tree in a London street with candles. There may have been others but this is the first we know about.

An image a day for December 2025 no.3. A robin. According to W. B. Hannon, the robin has a red breast because it tried to pull away one of the thorns on the Crown of Thorns, and ended up with Christ's blood on its chest.

An image a day for December 2025 no.2. A reflection of a tree in the burn. If you see a moon's reflection in a well, it means you'll become famous.

An image a day for December 2025 no.1. Garden Christmas lights! Using light bulbs to light up Christmas rather than candles dates to 1882 when Edward Hibberd Johnson strung 80 light bulbs around a Christmas tree and put it in his window. The idea caught on!

Roy Vickery will be sharing some queer plant lore in this online talk with @folkloretodmorden.bsky.social on Wednesday 3 Dec at 7 pm GMT! Get your ticket here: www.folkloremythmagic.com/event-detail...

Day 1 of the #HooklandChristmasTree. We retrieve the Bloody Boy ornament from the box of china Mummers. Some say it's not blood that makes his skin red, but crabapple bark dye. I say best not spoil the seasonal magic. Besides, we all know where the skin of his drum comes from.

We've put together a 25-day advent calendar showcasing Library and Archives collections. Enjoy! 1. 'Snowy Owls’, John James Audubon (publ. 1827-1838). Did you know... #adventcalendar #Christmas #SpecialCollections #Art #NaturalHistoryMuseum #BirdsInArt Alt text: an advent calendar, with 2 white owls

Look at this! For the first time since it was found, partially excavated and dispersed in the 1950s, someone has digitally reconstructed the 6th century mosaic from Qasr el-Lebia in Cyrenacia, Libya. 😮🤯 #MosaicMonday

Today on my Substack ‘Old Strange Things’, a new free post that takes a deep dive into the current state of exorcism in the Church of England open.substack.com/pub/drfranci...

I was very pleased to contribute something to the Excalibur project!

Behold, the Sword of Power! Excalibur! For anyone waiting for things from me, this is why: my brain has been consumed by John Boorman and Excalibur, both of them dear to my heart. The restoration is stunning, and finally presents the film in the right aspect ratio on home video... 🧵1/8

The way the news is going on about Budget Eve made me wonder if I'd missed a folk tradition.

I'm getting really tired of "book marketing experts" sending emails full of breathless praise about my books before asking if I want to hear their promo plan... You would think if they'd been as thorough as they say they have, they would've noticed the books have publishers who handle promo?

Me and @darrentite.bsky.social hanging out with the amazing @icysedgwick.bsky.social at #TheHauntedLandscape talks at Conway Hall.

The DLR always makes me think of a theme park monorail.

Ooh @odavies9.bsky.social and @cerihoulbrook.bsky.social talking about legend tripping at #HauntedLandscapes at @conwayhall.bsky.social for @forteanlondon.bsky.social