The 'Ghost Story for Christmas' series has some great tales. For example, 'The Signal - man' is quite spooky. It tells the story of a signal - man who is haunted by a spectre that seems to be a warning of impending doom. The atmosphere of the railway setting and the sense of dread make it a memorable Christmas - themed ghost story.
They add a sense of mystery. Christmas is often associated with warmth and family, but ghost stories bring in an element of the unknown. It's like a different kind of 'spice' to the holiday mix.
For a story to be the best Christmas ghost story, it should blend the festive and the spooky well. It could start with a normal Christmas scene, like a family opening presents, but then introduce a strange occurrence, like a strange sound or a cold draft that doesn't seem normal. The ghost character should have a purpose. Maybe it's a guardian angel - like ghost that only appears at Christmas to protect the family from some hidden danger. And the language used should be evocative, painting pictures in the reader's mind of the Christmas - themed haunted setting, such as a snow - covered graveyard near the family's home where the ghost is said to roam.
It could mean that the character is in a very dangerous or threatening situation. Maybe they are trapped in a haunted house with some malevolent spirit. For example, in many classic horror stories, a character might plead for help when they are being chased by a monster or when they are lost in a dark and eerie forest where strange noises keep them on edge.
Sometimes, it could be another character who is brave or naive enough to respond. In some stories, a curious bystander might hear the plea and go to investigate, not fully realizing the danger. For example, a young journalist in a horror story might hear a plea for help from an old, abandoned asylum and decide to check it out for a story.
Well, 'A Christmas Carol' is a very well - known one. The three ghosts that visit Scrooge really bring out the essence of a Christmas ghost story. They show him his past mistakes, the current state of things he ignores, and the future that awaits if he doesn't change. Then there's 'The Ghostly Guest' which is about a family who has an unexpected visitor during Christmas. This visitor seems normal at first but then strange things start to happen, and they realize it might be a ghost. And 'The Christmas Haunting' is a story where a young girl starts seeing the ghost of an old woman in her new house on Christmas Eve, and as the story unfolds, she discovers the connection between the ghost and the house's history.
The two main characters are clearly the father and his son. The father is the one who is taking a stand and reaching out. He's concerned about his son's situation in school. His son is the one at the center of the issue, being misjudged or not fully understood in the educational environment. There could be other characters like school administrators or teachers in the background that the father is trying to communicate with, but the focus is on the father - son relationship.