Unwrapping the Darker Side of Winter

The Dead of Winter by Sarah Clegg is not your typical holiday read. No warm cocoa, no twinkle lights, and definitely no jolly fat guy sliding down a chimney. This book peels back the layers of our winter traditions and reveals just how weird, dark, and manipulated they actually are—and I loved every second of it.

You think your family’s traditions are strange? Wait until you read about the ones we used to have before the church and capitalism tag-teamed history like a WWE duo. Pagan festivals? Hijacked. Seasonal rituals? Rebranded. And don't even get me started on how much has been whitewashed to fit into neat, inoffensive packages with glittery bows. Clegg doesn’t hold back, and it’s kind of refreshing to read something that actually questions the sanitized fairytales we’ve all been sold.

The book is packed with the kind of stuff that makes you stop mid-sentence and go, “Wait, what?” It’s like sitting around a bonfire listening to your sharpest, most well-read friend talk about all the creepy, forgotten traditions buried under the December snow.

So, if you’re tired of the same old holiday fluff and want something that digs a little deeper—maybe even makes you side-eye the holiday aisle at Target—this one’s for you. It’s smart, it’s strange, and it’ll absolutely ruin a few carols for you. Worth it.