Page 3 - Autumn Brilliance - We Wish You A Scary Christmas! Winter 2020

From the Editor
Autumn Brilliance
Celebrating the Very Best of Halloween Artistry
Winter 2020 Special Holiday Issue Volume 1, Issue 2 Published digitally
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
Ellen Gee
AB_magazine@yahoo.com
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Ellen Gee
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
John Davis, Kristen Stafford
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Stan Pe Films, Pixabay Images, Wikipedia
We strive to give full credit to all involved, but if we inadvertently fail to do so, please let us know so that we may fix our mistake!
Are you ready for a little Halloween in your ho-ho-ho!?
We warmly welcome you back to our second issue – and a very special one at that. With the great positive reception to our premiere issue this past fall came an enormous amount of requests from artists and readers alike to do a creepy Christmas edition. It took no time at all to mull this over – it was an instant YES! So many of the wonderful Halloween artists previously profiled also create their own special versions of a combined Halloween Christmas, with a sumptuous variance of styles from light and humorous to dark and scary. It is, after all, not only the season of lights, but too the beginning of the season of darkness.
The Yuletide darkness fits in with our theme here. The origins of the modern holiday season are a mixed bag of beliefs hearkening back eons in human civilizations across the globe. From it springs narrative of ghosts and assorted spirits returning to pay us visit - not all of them dropping in to engage in niceties; some are downright nightmare inducing. We all know about A Christmas Carol’s Jacob Marley and Krampus, the cohort of Saint Nick, but who among you has knowledge of Iceland’s Jólakötturninn? Or the Mari Lwyd of Wales? Within those bits of ancient folklore, many traditions emerged and some even remain with us to this very day.
You’ll find a couple interesting and informative articles here chronicling some of these traditions, including the History of Wassail by John Davis; The Dark Season, by yours truly; plus a look at some downright bizarre Christmas cards from the Victorian era. And, let’s not neglect to mention that our good friend, the Halloween Art & Travel Podcast’s Kristen Stafford, returns to share her charming experience at the Icelandic Elf School where she and her son each earned a diploma in ‘Elfs and Hidden People Research.’
Of course, it goes without saying the whole purpose of this issue was to present the finest in holiday art by many of our favorite artists, including Nicole Johnson, Audrey Swarz, Mandy Palumbo, Susie Krichbaum and more, as well as
Pittsburgh, PA’s delectable
in the
online/retail shop, The Weeping Glass, where you can find specialties to warm your dark soul. And, while you’re
neighborhood, take a peek at the delightful Yule ghouls display of David Anderson’s Bloodwither Studios. Who says that Halloween decorations are supposed to be taken down by Christmas!
We’re beyond grateful to everyone who participated in this issue, and to all the readers out there who cheered us on. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Till we return next autumn: please be kind to one another, stay well, and stay creepy!
Nicole Johnson’s holiday monsters will incite giggles galore! Find them beginning on page 6
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