Collected Christmas Horror Shorts III

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts #3

by Kevin J. Kennedy, Ann Keeran (Editor), P.J. Blakey-Novis

Kennedy has brought a wealth of quality anthologies to the horror genre over the years. It’s no secret he has a taste for Christmas horror. This year he brings you another collection of dark Christmas tales from some of his favourite authors. Grab yourself some hot cocoa, dim the lights, get yourself comfy, sit back and enjoy.

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Christmas, Short Stories, Fiction, Adult

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2023

About the author

Kevin J. Kennedy is a Scottish horror author known for his fast-paced storytelling, dark humor, and unforgettable characters. He is also the curator of the bestselling The Horror Collection and Classic Monsters anthology series.

When he’s not writing tales of blood-soaked chaos, Kevin champions indie horror, supports fellow authors, and dreams up new ways to keep readers sleeping with the lights on.

Reviews

[CYIReadBooks (Claire) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts 3 is an eclectic mix of creepy Christmas stories ranging from the macabre to the bizarre. There are ten different stories from various authors. All of the stories are centered around the Christmas holiday.

I didn’t find the stories horrifying, just creepy and unusual. Although some of the stories were pretty gory. I enjoyed most of the short tales with notable shorts that included: The Fourth Emergency Service, We Want to Sing You a Song, A Wanted Man, and Three Sizes Too Small.

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts 3 is my first novel from author Kennedy. It won’t be my last and I look forward to reading the next collection of horror shorts. Four solid stars.

I received a DRC from Kevin J. Kennedy through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I love a collection of Christmas horror stories and I had high hopes for this one, especially with the way it kicked off. The first story, 'The Fourth Emergency Service' by Lex H. Jones, was an instant favorite for me. It follows a woman who works at a very unique call center and, while it was predictable, it was in a good way — one of those stories that leaves you eagerly flipping the pages to see if you're right and to watch it all play out.

Unfortunately, after the first story, the rest were a bit of a letdown. I mostly enjoyed 'Ho Ho Howard' by RJ Roles and thought the writing in 'Lords of the Sleigh' by Gage Greenwood was beautifully written, but none of the remaining pieces stuck out to me and I even found myself skim-reading the endings of a couple because I couldn't seem to get interested in them.

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts III has some good pieces and is worth picking up if you're an avid lover of holiday horror short stories like I am, but it won't go down in my "best of" list this year, sadly.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Content warnings for: violence, gore, murder, dismemberment, drug addiction, abusive parents, neglectful parents, child death, grief, animal cruelty and death, alcoholism

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[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting collection of short stories. I love the holiday theme, that was a great idea to bring together a collection of eclectic tales highlighting the darker side of Christmas. The writing styles of the authors featured here varies so be ready for that. I am not familiar with many of the authors featured here so maybe they are newer authors or perhaps international authors. Either way, some of the writing is a little draggy, and sometimes too simple for seasoned horror readers, but I certainly enjoyed the imagination coming off of these pages.

The best stories included, in my opinion, are:

The Fourth Emergency Service by Lex H. Jones

The Legend of Ho Ho Howard by RJ Roles

We Want To Sing You A Song by P.J. Blakey-Novis

Three Sizes Too Small by John Durgin

[Diana | Indie Book Addict · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts III features 10 tales that highlight the darker side of the holidays. Just like all KJK anthologies, this one features a great mix of stories by some great authors that each weave their own creepy Christmas tale. Below are some of my favorites.

The Fourth Emergency Service by Lex H Jones
This was a great opener! I loved the idea of the afterlife call center and learning what happens if you hang up before they cross over. Great ghost story.

We Want to Sing You a Song by P.J. Blakey-Novis
Nothing good comes from being a drunk. I loved this haunting tale and the creepy ending. Think twice before you open the door for carolers.

The Last Christmas by Veronica Smith
This is what happens on a drug-fueled journey as Santa delivers presents. I loved how unique this was.

Three Sizes Too Small by John Durgin
A small town is tormented by a creature that comes around on Christmas. Durgin delivered all the feels in this one!

If you’re looking for some holiday horror to dive into this season, give this one a read!

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loooooove KJK's short story collections, but Christmas is still my fave.
I enjoyed these stories! Have rated the short stories separate.

The fourth emergency service
4

The legend of ho ho howard
4

Tis the season
3

We want to sing you a song
4

A wanted man
3

The C word
3.5

Mari Lwyd
2

The last christmas
5

Lords of the sleigh
4

Three sizes too small
4

[Amanda Ruzsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every story in this book. A wonderful collection of creepy unsettling Christmas stories sure to eat at you in the dark and quiet times. I especially enjoyed We Want To Sing You A Song. So so creepy. Definitely recommend this collection of stories by various skilled horror word-masters.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another awesome anthology from KJK Publishing- this time the subject being festive Christmas horror!

These stories are creepy, shocking, and definitely not meant to be read to the little ones as a Christmas Eve bedtime tale.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kevin J Kennedy for a copy!

[Megan Wintrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the cover it's giving me spooky retro vibes.

In this book we have a range of horror stories such as:
🎄 The Fourth Emergency Service by Lex H Jones
🎄 The Legend of Ho Ho Howard by RJ Roles
🎄 Tis the Season by Daemon Manx
🎄 We Want to Sing You a Song by P.J. Blakey-Novis
🎄 A Wanted Man by Shaun Hutson
🎄 The C-Word by Matthew Cash
🎄 Mari Lwyd by David Watkins
🎄 The Last Christmas by Veronica Smith
🎄 Lords of the Sleigh by Gage Greenwood
🎄 Three Sizes Too Small by John Durgin

That lineup alone is amazing, some fantastic authors there!

I really liked all of the stories but some.of my favorites were: The Fourth Emergency Service was brilliant, I really liked Donna and her story was sad but so good. The Legend of Ho Ho Howard was amazing I read it gritting my teeth 👀. A Wanted Man was so so good it had me engrossed. The Last Christmas made me laugh out loud when the Elves found the packages from a certain "website" 🤣.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mixed collection of ten Christmas horror short stories by various authors, edited by Kevin J. Kennedy. Some are funny. Some are gory and grotesque. Some are funny and gory and grotesque.

This was definitely a different look at Christmas and I enjoyed the horror look at this usually festive holiday.

I received this advanced reading copy from Net Galley. The opinions I've written are my own.

[Dustin Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished Kevin Kennedy’s new Christmas Horror Shorts 3 and it did not disappoint!! I have to say I loved something about each one of these stories. From the rain drenched gutters of hard city life to the North Pole itself, this collection pulls out all of the stops and delivers an eclectic mix of Yuletide terror. 4.5/5 would recommend this holiday season

[Lenaasty · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 67%

I'd say 67% is enough to have a proper opinion on the book. I liked some of the stories, mainly in the beginning there were one or two interesting and nicely creepy ones. then at one point they just got worse and worse and lost me completely. one of them referred to covid and had basically an elves work place union revolution? another one is just a hitman killing Santa because a rich guy didn't a toy he asked for as a kid??? I should have stopped after the dimensional psychological dilemma one but I kept hoping a good Christmas horror story was coming. special appreciation for the one with the local urban legend of a guy killing someone every Christmas and coming for whoever witnessed it the year after that.

[arc review, honest opinion]

[Erica Robyn Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts III presented by KJK Publishing is another collection of killer holiday tales that horror fans need to read around the holiday season! From fed-up elves and a drugged-out Santa to horrific cosmic creatures and ghosts, this collection covers a great variety!

I’M OBSESSED WITH THIS COLLECTION! I loved every single story so much! Five out of five stars for all of them!

Holiday horror fans, you need this book ASAP! I love how these tales are sure to give you a chill and haunt your holidays!

Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/colle...

[Andrew Kurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Terror

   Kevin Kennedy has assembled a host of some of the finest names in Indie horror to show you the darker side of Christmas. Hide under the covers this Christmas Eve and pray that what comes down the chimney doesn't find you.



    The Fourth Emergency Service

When a malicious spirit refuses to go into the light, a psychic operator must fend for her life against a creature bent on tearing her soul apart.

   The Legend of Ho Ho Howard

When the urban legend of Ho Ho Howard becomes reality, nobody is safe from his blood-stained ax.


   Tis The Season

Declining an invitation from Santa Claus is digging your own grave.


   We Want To Sing You A Song

Don't answer the door when these Christmas carolers come calling.


   A Wanted Man

Two hitmen are given an assignment to murder the one entity in all existence that might give them a run for their money.


   The C-Word

Trying to flee from Christmas is unsuccessful because Christmas will hunt you down with a terrifying wrath.


   Mari Lwyd

When the Mari Lwyd sings to you, it would behoove you to sing back.


   The Last Christmas 

When Santa takes LSD, carnage is delivered on Christmas Eve.


   Lords of the Sleigh

Three teens discovered the monstrosities responsible for the Santa Claus legend.


   Three Sizes Too Small

When a small town is under attack by a heart eating monster, who will survive?

[Serena Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gently easing myself into the holiday spirit even though I never want Spooky Season to end 👻

[Dan Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Christmas is right around the corner and what a way to prepare for it than with this collection of horror stories based on Christmas. The book is epic and very entertaining from start to finish. The stories are well paced. The book is a must have for short story lovers. I have enjoyed this series so far.

[Lisa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bibliophilia Templum review
https://bibliophiliatemplum.wordpress.com/2023/12/15/collected-christmas-horror-shorts-iii/


KJK Publishing brings you the third book of Collected Christmas Horror Shorts with 10 stories of holiday season horrors and terrors. From the intense and impactful dark tale “Tis the Season” by Daemon Manx to the bloody and brutal extreme horror story “The Last Christmas” by Veronica Smith, this anthology has an incredible range of horrors to show you.

“The Fourth Emergency Service” by Lex H Jones is a compelling and unique ghost story full of intense horrors and underlying poignant reflections on the sources of deep sadness some experience at the holidays. Very well done.

“The Legend of Ho Ho Howard” by RJ Roles and “Mari Lwyd” by David Watkins are intense stories of enduring Christmas horror legends, while “Three Sizes Too Small” by John Durgin is a riveting and brutal tale in a similar vein, putting a new horrifying and wrenching twist on the Christmas beast the title alludes to.

“We Want to Sing You a Song” by P.J. Blakey-Novis and “The C-Word” by Matthew Cash are very different tales of suspense and terror, the former being haunting and jarring and the latter evoking an ultimate reaction of “Wow!” Both great stories. By contrast, the suspense of the intriguing hitman story “Wanted Man” by Shaun Huston evokes more of a “Dayum!”

“Lords of the Sleigh” by Gage Greenwood is horrifying and wrenching in equal measures as it mixes real world darkness with the fantastical and challenges your perception, beliefs, and cardiac health.

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts III is everything a Christmas horror anthology should be. The diversity of quality stories and skilled authors make this a must read for the holidays or any time you want entertaining and impactful horror.

[WendyLikesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tell you, this was a doozy to read. In a good way, but it's not for the faint of heart, unless you are the Grinch. :)

This collection of short stories involved a few tales involving Santa Claus and ... ah, let's just say I really don't want to end up on these Santas' bad lists.

I enjoyed the fact that the stories took various elements of folklore surrounding Christmas things (like Santa) and twisted them into something different.

Thank you NetGalley and Kevin J. Kennedy for an e-copy of COLLECTED CHRISTMAS HORROR SHORTS 3 to review.

I rate COLLECTED CHRISTMAS HORROR SHORTS 3 four out of five stars.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy for review.

Loved this one. All new authors to me so I’ll be looking up other books and stories from them. Full of holiday horror,; demented and drug crazed Santa’s, a killer Grinch, an emergency line for the recently deceased.

My favorites were the first and last stories respectively. The Fourth Emergency Service by Lex H Jones and Three Sizes Two Small by John Durgin. All the stories were fun and I’d definitely recommend to horror readers!

[Mandee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again KJK publishing has done it again. A perfect Christmas collection full of some amazing stories by some of the best authors in the horror genre. Get your little horror heart in the spirit for the season and give this a read. From beautifully horrific original stories to horrifying the classics, this is the perfect holiday read! Even if you don't have time to read it before Christmas, its still a perfect read, as KJK collections are some of the best anthologies around.

[Barbara (Booslittlehausofhorror) Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts lll
Curated By: Kevin Kennedy
A wonderfully creepy and macabre mix of 10 different stories from different horror authors. I loved every single story in its own Unique way! Usually anthology’s are nice because you can read a short story and move to something and take breaks as needed. I could not put this down! It was the perfectly curated collection of eccentric and horrifying holiday horror!

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts 3 is a collection of short stories that all center around Christmas and/or Santa. I really enjoyed the first 2 or 3, but a few of them were just a little corny. I really did like the idea of horror stories based at the holiday just for something new.

Thank you to the authors and NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last story by John Durgin was so good and heartbreaking!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great collection of short Christmas horror stories. All the stories were good. I enjoyed them all. Some of my favorites were The Legend of Ho Ho Howard by RJ Roles, The Last Christmas by Veronica Smith, Lord's of the Sleigh by Gage Greenwood, and Three Sizes too Small by John Durgin

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts III was a very quick read, but Kevin gathered a blockbuster set of authors for this collection!

The Fourth Emergency by Lex H. Jones was the opener, and it sucked me right into the book. It was an extremely satisfying read, and I'm intrigued by the world that surrounded this story. A call center for the recently deceased is a unique twist on the Ferryman legends and breathed fresh life into a tale that everyone knows.

The Legend of Ho Ho Howard by RJ Roles followed, and what a delightfully naughty story it was. Who needs Krampus when you have Ho Ho Howard? I like the idea of an anti-Santa, and I'm really curious what his story is. Did he get too many lumps of coal in his stocking, and it twisted his enjoyment of Christmas into extreme hatred? Was he cursed by Santa for being too surly on Christmas? There's lots of different ways his story could go, and I'd love to see more of this.

The real showstopper for me was Gage Greenwood's Lords of the Sleigh. The loss of innocence of the three boys that led to them taking matters into their own hands was heartbreaking. It really shows how little help people in bad situations get and the lengths they'll go to when they have no hope left to change their situation. My heart broke for Sawyer and his mom; despite everything that happened, at least they were together when everything fell apart.

Kevin always takes so much care when putting together his collections and delivers a great experience for the reader! Whenever I pick up one of his books, I know I'm in for some fantastic reading and that I'll be introduced to more amazing authors!

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great seasonal horror! And that cover is excellent too!

This collection is pretty diverse, and honestly, there isn't a story I didn't enjoy.

Some of my favorites from this collection included stories about a call center for the deceased, a man being haunted by some Christmas carolers, an obvious and bloody vendetta between Santa's and the elves, a man who would do anything to avoid the "c word" and a horrorific retelling of the green guy who stole Christmas.

There is a story in here for everyone, and it's perfect for putting a little bit of horror into your holiday!

[Destiny Imperati · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆Christmas Horror Anthology☆
This is a mix of all different Christmas themed horror short stories. There's a wide range in scales of how gory/spooky each story was, so there's definitely one in here for everyone to love! Personally, I enjoyed each one, I thought they were very easy to get into and highly perfect for Christmas and horror lovers combined.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC!

[Artist_carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Christmas stories, don't let the kiddies read lol unless that like that sorta stuff, bad things happening to Santa and everything lol. I did enjoy this some stories better then others but all in all a good read.

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Stories

I enjoyed the stories. I would highly recommend this book. If you like short stories this book is a must.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Kennedy has done it again: he's curated a fine anthology of ten Christmas horror stories, superbly edited, the authors some of the biggest names in indie horror (Durgin, Greenwood, Manx, Hutson!), the tales not simply amazing holiday-themed horrors but impactful horror stories that can stand on their own. There's a great variety of themes, from Santa Claus stories to creature features and ghost tales, no gore or extreme horror, just tasteful writing and a subtle atmosphere of dread throughout. My favorite stories (though it was not easy to choose) were certainly the opening story, "The Fourth Emergency Service" by Lex H. Jones, a terrific, original ghost story, about a calling line that helps people pass into the afterlife (but what happens when a caller refuses to comply?), "Tis the Season" by Daemon Max (a rather sad story about a guy who dislikes Christmas, whose horror elements, I think, lie far from just the surface), "A Wanted Man" by Shaun Hutson, about a mafia boss hiring hitmen to get rid of a well-known icon of the Christmas season, "The C-Word" by Matthew Cash (wow! this story brims with originality - but first you have to get to the ending!), Gage Greenwood's "Lords of the Sleigh", a moving story of three teen friends facing the injustices of Christmas, and Durgin's "Three Sizes Too Small," a Christmas creature horror, about a small-town tormented by a monster on Christmas, a story written with such great skill that it feels more like a novel than a short story. This is more than half of the book! And no wonder, since the anthology is both chilling and festive, showing dark aspects of Christmas rarely allowed to appear during the festivities of the holidays. If you dig horror tales, well, you won't be disappointed!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short, horror stories centered around Christmas is just what I needed. I really enjoyed most of the stories in this collection. They are the stuff of nightmares. Not your children's bedtime stories. Not unless you want them to stop believing in Santa.

There is a story about a 911 operator that helps the dead, a boy who gets lost in a snowstorm and meets Krampus, another boy who meets an ax wielding man dressed as Santa, or how about Santa tripping on LSD!

No matter what your dark cravings are, there are stories for everyone who likes their Christmas to be "black".