Despite our dark and dreary exterior, lots of us goths actually love Christmas. Apart from that family member not quite nailing your style and yet more Nightmare Before Christmas merch, it’s a time to eat, meet (loved ones) and be merry, what’s not to love about that?
But what if you want to bring a bit of darkness to your (second) favourite holiday? Well, luckily for you, you’re in exactly the right place! Our guide will help you transform your traditional Christmas into one that’s a little bit more your taste.
Dark Christmas Decor
No goth Christmas is complete without dark decor. There are lots of routes you can go down, from gothic victoriana vibes to murdered out black on black decorations. Go for a black Christmas tree, pair with white and grey ornaments, maybe a couple of skull baubles and at first glance your Christmas decor might even appear normal.
For something more dramatic, try a white tree and black baubles for a hit of contrast that’ll make your macabre Christmas decs really stand out.
Cursed Christmas Clothes
There’s no need to compromise on your personal style just because it’s Christmas. While sequins and sparkles might not be the usual everyday fare for folk like us, they do add that little bit of a festive feel. Choose a sequin dress or top in black or dark red for a goth take on traditional christmas clobber. If that’s a bit too far – you can always opt for velvet. You’ll see lots of it about for normie Christmas, and you’ll probably have something velvet in your wardrobe anyway.
When it comes to goth christmas jumpers, there are plenty of options available – you might just struggle to pick one up for Primark prices. However, you always have something in your back pocket – DIY! Whether that’s embroidering a second-hand sweater with a cute goth christmas design or even knitting your own, there’s always something you can do.
Creepy Christmas Cards
Got goth mates or family members? Or just want to add a bit of goth christmas vibes to your normie loved ones’ Christmases? Then a goth Christmas card is the way to do it. Trawl the likes of Etsy and Instagram for everything from beautifully gothic designs to funny festive cards to pop culture references.
Goth Christmas Gifts
You have SO many options when it comes to goth Christmas gifts, so you don’t need worry if you’re buying for a fellow darkling. Easy gifts for goth include jewellery, as there’s something for every budget and type of gothic style, mugs, just stick a ghost on it and you’re sorted, and candles, that they’ll never burn!
Don’t forget to go gothic when it comes to wrapping too. You could make your own coffin gift tags with some black card, a hole punch and a silver pen. Black sugar paper decorated with white swirls and a big black bow is the perfect homage to NBC. If you’re not so crafty, try finding a festive but frightening wrapping paper someone else has made. Easy!
Frightening Festive Films
There’s nothing cosier or more Christmassy than cuddling up in front of a festive film with a cuppa and a mince pie (if that’s your sort of thing). But what if you crave an edge or a darkness to your Christmas film?
There’s a wealth of festive horror films out there, drawing on that Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories in the Yule time period. Try Rare Exports, Better Watch Out, Black Christmas and Krampus for a bit of holiday horror.
If you’d prefer your Christmas films on the spoopy side, you can’t go wrong with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands and A Christmas Carol (bonus points if it’s the muppets one).
Macabre Christmas Music
There’s no shame (in my humble opinion) in listening to Christmas music at Christmas time. However, it’s always fun to add a little bit of gothic Christmas music into your playlist to make you feel like you’re staying true to your dark little heart.
Listen to classic goth bands like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Bauhaus, who have all released Christmas-themed songs. Add in some Christmas film soundtracks from Nightmare & Edward Scissorhands and you’ll be in for a good old festive time.
