Unholy Night: A Christmas Horror Novelette

by River Gardner

Noelle and Mira are excited to spend Christmas together, celebrating Noelle’s 30th birthday and their first Christmas together as a couple.

On Christmas Eve, Mira gifts Noelle an early birthday a ring. An antique she picked out for her plans to propose to Noelle.

Overjoyed at the thought of spending her life with Mira, Noelle goes to bed, dreaming of what their future will be like.

On Christmas morning, Noelle awakes to find herself surrounded by small, sharp-toothed creatures in a place she’s never seen before.

After a visit with Santa Claus, she finds out she’s got a gift that will keep on giving.

The gift?

Her life.

55 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2025

About the author

River Gardner (she/they) is an author from Central Alabama. She lives with her two children and husband, along with an army of cats. In her spare time, she likes to draw, read, and play video games.
She enjoys writing dark romance, horror romance, and horror. Her debut novella, Good-Bye, Valentine came out in February of 2024, and she’s since published two other novellas and two anthologies.
You can find her on Instagram to keep up to date on upcoming works!

Reviews

[Horror Haus Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cannibalistic Santa is absolutely unhinged, and exactly what I expected from River Gardner. This story delivers everything you want from a twisted holiday horror: vicious, bloodthirsty little elves, plenty of gore, a strong-willed main character, and a surprisingly helpful Mrs. Claus. It’s a fast, feral, festive read that hits all the right notes for the season. I’m seriously hoping we get more from this world!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

damn... that was wild and bloody

[Stuart Knott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this disturbing Christmas short, which puts an unsettling twist on Jolly Old Saint Nick. Noelle and Mira are all set to celebrate a Christmas to remember, having just gotten engaged, but their happiness is rudely interrupted when Noelle is abducted by Santa Claus's demonic little elves. Held captive at the North Pole, Noelle is forced to find the resolve to fight back and escape from a twisted version of Santa Clause who's all into occult practices.

I really enjoyed River's descriptions of the elves, who resemble ravenous gremlins more than cute little pixies, and the macabre reimagining of Santa's workshop. River presents a gruesome explanation of Santa's long life and mission and doesn't skimp on descriptions of torture and blood in Noelle's seasonal nightmare.

This was a quick read that hints at a much larger world and left me wanting to know more about Santa's turn to the dark side and his mistreatment of Mrs. Claus, and how other seasonal characters are affected by this ghastly reimagining. River captures the confusion, fear, and determination of their main character well and triumphs overcoming unspeakable atrocities above all, as usual, which was enjoyable to see in this festive context.

[Nadine Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great quick read (only 49 pages!), but wow, it packs a punch. It jumps right into the action and doesn’t hold back. It’s a gory little Christmas horror story that’s equal parts festive and disturbing. Noelle and Mira are spending their first Christmas together (and Noelle’s 30th birthday) when their cozy holiday turns into something much more disturbing. What follows is bloody, bizarre, and honestly pretty creative. It’s a gruesome, gory twist on the classic North Pole tale. I also loved Gardner’s take on Santa and especially the elves. They’re described so vividly that I could picture them perfectly. And Mrs. Claus? Loved her. The ending leaves things wide open, so I’m definitely hoping for more!

[SJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, creepy ARC read. A cozy Christmas turns bloody fast. With twisted elves, a dark Santa.

[Hooterbby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you need a short & fun christmas horror? This has gross visuals mixed with a Christmas setting about a power-hungry Santa & flesh craving elves, making it quite a horrific festive filled story.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know I needed a horror novelette about a cannibalistic Santa until I read this. 🙂

[fanboyriot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noelle being the human sacrifice for Santa because she was born on Christmas was such a creative way to tell the lore.

This was such a wild and fun book. Yes, it was gory and had some questionable food choices but it was everything. I loved the mix of holiday cheer and gore filled horror. It’s a short story that has a good flow, it’s balanced out perfectly.

Also the formatting of this book was so cute, the Christmas lights at the beginning of each chapter was so lovely.

(Note: I received this copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author for the opportunity to be apart of their ARC team.)

📚READ FOR
✓ Evil Santa
✓ Cannibalism
✓ Horror Christmas
✓ LGBTQIA+ Characters
✓ Angst with a (mostly) Happy Ending

POV: First Person
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Sad Level: 💧💧
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character(s): Noelle

⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS
Graphic: Cursing, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore

[Jen Self · Rating 5 out of 5]

This quick read is so much fun! I love how Santa & the North Pole ventures off into House of 1000 Corpses territory! If you're wanting some Christmas horror this season, this book is a great place to start!