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Naughty List : Novella
THE NAUGHTY LIST
It started like any other Christmas...
The village of Oakhaven is picture-perfect in December 1993. Holly wreaths hang on every door, fairy lights twinkle in frosted windows, and the smell of cinnamon and roasting chestnuts fills the air. For nine-year-old Megan Turner, it should be the most magical time of year.
Then her mum brings down an old Christmas decoration from the loft—a vintage elf named Jingles, with a too-wide smile and glass eyes that seem to follow you across the room. It's just a harmless tradition, Mum says. A bit of festive fun to watch over them until Christmas morning.
But as the winter days darken, something shifts in their little cottage at the end of the lane. Mum grows distant, neighbours begin to disappear. And Megan can't shake the feeling that Jingles is always watching, always listening, keeping his list of who's been naughty and nice.
Because some Christmas traditions hide secrets that should have stayed buried in the attic.
From author of Whispers in the Woods Don Campbell, comes a visceral descent into festive horror that asks what happens when holiday cheer turns to nightmare and the thing meant to bring joy brings only terror?
"A creeping, insidious reality that will have you questioning everything you know" -Author Kirsty Williams
"The first horror book that ever made me cry!" -Rebecca Allen (Horrifically Well Read, Bled, and Said podcast)
Contains disturbing content. Not suitable for sensitive readers.
It started like any other Christmas...
The village of Oakhaven is picture-perfect in December 1993. Holly wreaths hang on every door, fairy lights twinkle in frosted windows, and the smell of cinnamon and roasting chestnuts fills the air. For nine-year-old Megan Turner, it should be the most magical time of year.
Then her mum brings down an old Christmas decoration from the loft—a vintage elf named Jingles, with a too-wide smile and glass eyes that seem to follow you across the room. It's just a harmless tradition, Mum says. A bit of festive fun to watch over them until Christmas morning.
But as the winter days darken, something shifts in their little cottage at the end of the lane. Mum grows distant, neighbours begin to disappear. And Megan can't shake the feeling that Jingles is always watching, always listening, keeping his list of who's been naughty and nice.
Because some Christmas traditions hide secrets that should have stayed buried in the attic.
From author of Whispers in the Woods Don Campbell, comes a visceral descent into festive horror that asks what happens when holiday cheer turns to nightmare and the thing meant to bring joy brings only terror?
"A creeping, insidious reality that will have you questioning everything you know" -Author Kirsty Williams
"The first horror book that ever made me cry!" -Rebecca Allen (Horrifically Well Read, Bled, and Said podcast)
Contains disturbing content. Not suitable for sensitive readers.
183 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2025
1 person is currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 17, 2025
This book is a great read for the Christmas season! It’s fast paced and a short read. This book is a slow burn and while reading you’re filled with dread. You know something horrible is gonna happen but you just don’t know what.
Megan a nine year old girl living with her mom they may not have the best of everything but they make due. Megan’s mom decides to gift her an elf name “Jingles”. Something is not quite right with this elf, because he is always watching … almost like he is paying attention. You want to avoid getting on Mr. Jingles list, the naughty list.
I couldn’t recommend this book enough. Thank you, Don for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. Definitely what I needed for the season.
Megan a nine year old girl living with her mom they may not have the best of everything but they make due. Megan’s mom decides to gift her an elf name “Jingles”. Something is not quite right with this elf, because he is always watching … almost like he is paying attention. You want to avoid getting on Mr. Jingles list, the naughty list.
I couldn’t recommend this book enough. Thank you, Don for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. Definitely what I needed for the season.
November 3, 2025
OMFG read it!!! This should be a movie!
November 6, 2025
The blurb:
It started like any other Christmas...
The village of Oakhaven is picture-perfect in December 1993. Holly wreaths hang on every door, fairy lights twinkle in frosted windows, and the smell of cinnamon and roasting chestnuts fills the air. For nine-year-old Megan Turner, it should be the most magical time of year.
Then her mum brings down an old Christmas decoration from the loft—a vintage elf named Jingles, with a too-wide smile and glass eyes that seem to follow you across the room. It's just a harmless tradition, Mum says. A bit of festive fun to watch over them until Christmas morning.
But as the winter days darken, something shifts in their little cottage at the end of the lane. Mum grows distant, neighbours begin to disappear. And Megan can't shake the feeling that Jingles is always watching, always listening, keeping his list of who's been naughty and nice.
Because some Christmas traditions hide secrets that should have stayed buried in the attic.
My thoughts:
This book creeped me out…. I’m not sure I want the elf to visit our house this year…
This book was well written, and I loved the suspense that built as the story went on. I loved the creepy atmospheric feel, and the descriptions of how Megan felt.
This author has a way with words that draws you in and keeps you wanting to keep reading. Another creepy short story that I enjoyed.
Thank you so much to the author for the advanced copy to read and review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
It started like any other Christmas...
The village of Oakhaven is picture-perfect in December 1993. Holly wreaths hang on every door, fairy lights twinkle in frosted windows, and the smell of cinnamon and roasting chestnuts fills the air. For nine-year-old Megan Turner, it should be the most magical time of year.
Then her mum brings down an old Christmas decoration from the loft—a vintage elf named Jingles, with a too-wide smile and glass eyes that seem to follow you across the room. It's just a harmless tradition, Mum says. A bit of festive fun to watch over them until Christmas morning.
But as the winter days darken, something shifts in their little cottage at the end of the lane. Mum grows distant, neighbours begin to disappear. And Megan can't shake the feeling that Jingles is always watching, always listening, keeping his list of who's been naughty and nice.
Because some Christmas traditions hide secrets that should have stayed buried in the attic.
My thoughts:
This book creeped me out…. I’m not sure I want the elf to visit our house this year…
This book was well written, and I loved the suspense that built as the story went on. I loved the creepy atmospheric feel, and the descriptions of how Megan felt.
This author has a way with words that draws you in and keeps you wanting to keep reading. Another creepy short story that I enjoyed.
Thank you so much to the author for the advanced copy to read and review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
November 3, 2025
So beautifully descriptive — this book perfectly captures that cozy Christmas village vibe… with a sinister twist. Picture a charming snow-covered town, twinkling lights, and the scent of cinnamon and chestnuts in the air — all haunted by a creepy elf doll that may (or may not ) be terrorizing the neighborhood.
This was such a fast, spooky read and absolutely perfect for getting my dark little self into the killing Christmas spirit 🤣
If you love atmospheric holiday horror that feels like a Hallmark movie gone wrong, This novella is a must-read.
It started like any other Christmas in the picture-perfect village of Oakhaven. But when nine-year-old Megan’s mum brings down an old elf decoration named Jingles — with his too-wide smile and glass eyes that seem to follow you — things start to change.
As neighbors vanish and shadows grow darker, Megan begins to wonder if Jingles is keeping more than just a naughty list…
Huge thanks to the author for the early read! 💀🎅
This was such a fast, spooky read and absolutely perfect for getting my dark little self into the killing Christmas spirit 🤣
If you love atmospheric holiday horror that feels like a Hallmark movie gone wrong, This novella is a must-read.
It started like any other Christmas in the picture-perfect village of Oakhaven. But when nine-year-old Megan’s mum brings down an old elf decoration named Jingles — with his too-wide smile and glass eyes that seem to follow you — things start to change.
As neighbors vanish and shadows grow darker, Megan begins to wonder if Jingles is keeping more than just a naughty list…
Huge thanks to the author for the early read! 💀🎅
October 28, 2025
Oh boy! Jingles is now on my list of nightmare inducing, creepy dolls.
Don Campbell has written a story that will make you second guess taking that Elf on a Shelf out this Christmas.
Don Campbell has written a story that will make you second guess taking that Elf on a Shelf out this Christmas.
December 7, 2025
Megan and her mum Karen are just an average mother/daughter in a small village, but when Megan’s mother digs out an old elf Christmas decoration, things start going wrong.
Another great book from Don Campbell, a great horror author and I highly recommend this book
Ryan D Haigh
Another great book from Don Campbell, a great horror author and I highly recommend this book
Ryan D Haigh
November 27, 2025
Naughty List by Don Campbell
Narrated by Suzi Tatford
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a very engaging and creepy horror/thriller novella! This story definitely has some unexpected twists and turns that I shocked me! I loved all of the suspense and spooky darkness this story brought out!
The holiday spirit is in full swing for 9 year old Meg, until one day her mom pulls out an old Elf doll. After the appearance of Jingles, things begin to change in the Turner household!!
The Elf is always watching…isn’t he?
I was lucky to listen to the audio version as the narrator did an excellent job!
This is my first book that I’ve read from this author and I’m excited to read more!! He did a great job with the writing and vivid imagery in the story! I really enjoyed it!
*This is definitely an entertaining novella for the holiday season!! I recommend grabbing the audio version for the full experience!*
Narrated by Suzi Tatford
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a very engaging and creepy horror/thriller novella! This story definitely has some unexpected twists and turns that I shocked me! I loved all of the suspense and spooky darkness this story brought out!
The holiday spirit is in full swing for 9 year old Meg, until one day her mom pulls out an old Elf doll. After the appearance of Jingles, things begin to change in the Turner household!!
The Elf is always watching…isn’t he?
I was lucky to listen to the audio version as the narrator did an excellent job!
This is my first book that I’ve read from this author and I’m excited to read more!! He did a great job with the writing and vivid imagery in the story! I really enjoyed it!
*This is definitely an entertaining novella for the holiday season!! I recommend grabbing the audio version for the full experience!*
December 24, 2025
I loved how this was written, amazing novella with many twisted things I didn’t see coming. Starts off fun and gets dark real fast!
December 13, 2025
He told me they were on the naughty list… he said I had to cross them off…
3 ½ stars. Now go ahead and call me a Scrooge, Grinch, or even Krampus if you want to go old school (ah yes, time-tested corporal punishment for naughty kids! A system that still works today!), but there's a lot I just don't GET about Christmas and especially Christmas traditions [reviewer's note: please be patient, it's going to take me around 4 paragraphs to actually get to my direct comments about the book]. For example, I don't get flashing lights of any kind and how they're meant to be jolly or festive. I mean, we have neighbors that have put up lights from window to window, including the connecting bits, that flash red. And they do that all bloody night long. It doesn't look like anything except maybe cheap graffitti or a bad LEGO sculpture - it's all laid out in sharp, 90° angles - but they'd rather face capital punishment (that's the big kind!) than miss a year without those godsdamned lights. Even my wife has flashing lights up all through our garden. This includes our back terrace that faces about a square mile of … nothing in the form of already harvested farmland. No one can see those lights including us when we close the back curtains, particularly as it gets dark well before 6 p.m. now.
It all felt fake, like the whole village was putting on a show.
And what about the more internal decorations? You've got your nativity stuff which I find amusing in that a huge portion of the population would have all those participating deported through their "love thy neighbor" policies that Homeland Security and especially ICE enforce. But oh golly, do not forget to make guilt a HUGE part of your holiday celebrations. Including the one decoration I will never, ever, EVER understand, namely Elf on the Shelf. Introduced in 2004 by authors Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bel, they eventually won all kinds of literary prizes (becoming filthy rich in the process) and created a Christmas marketing juggernaut unlike any since Coca-Cola actually turned Santa Claus into a jolly fat man ho-ho-ho'ing his way through life and shopping malls everywhere vs. what we used to see (and often still do) in ye olde country. But that omnipresent Elf is now everywhere across the world and may the gods forgive the parents that forget to follow the requisite steps of moving it nightly.
I'm trying so hard. But I don't know what you want anymore.
Now thankfully some detractors (read: smart people that don't care what the unwashed masses think) have spoken up along the way. The Atlantic columnist Kate Tuttle called The Elf on the Shelf "a marketing juggernaut (yeah, I already stole that bit above) dressed up as a tradition", the purpose of which is "to spy on kids". She argues that one shouldn't "bully [one's] child into thinking that good behavior equals gifts." Writing for Psychology Today, David Kyle Johnston called it a "dangerous parental crutch", akin to what he terms the "Santa lie" (time to grow up, Virginia!). VOX also published a critique, warning that "the toy can breed competition (and potentially feelings of inadequacy)" and that it added "holiday stress" for parents, as well as calling it "a symbol of the surveillance state disguised as a children's toy". For more details, feel free to steal as freely as I have from Wikipedia (noting I do so without guilt as I make sure to provide a yearly donation to their continued existence)!
Some things couldn't be cleaned. Some things stayed with you forever.
Which is why I found Don Campbell's "Naughty List" to be an especially delicious and increasingly creepy Christmas tale (I told you I'd get to this!). It starts off seemingly as a story about a young girl, Megan, who is having some disciplinary problems especially at school. Now that doesn't seem all that troubling as her father is absent and/or dead (this is left open most of the book, noting she doesn't even know his name) and a little acting out under the circumstances can be expected. However, her mother is not in the best place either, with both physical ailments (not explained) and showing signs of increasingly worrying mental lapses. Not to mention her professed detestation of the Christmas season ("I hate it," Mum said suddenly, a bitterness slipping into her words. "The lights, the songs, the bloody adverts with their perfect families. It all makes me sick."), which I understand thoroughly can lead one to have all kinds of destructive thoughts towards one's fellow man. Obviously though, our two ladies' home life is not a jolly atmosphere which only gets SIGNIFICANTLY worse once Mom brings down from the attic an especially creepy red felt elf, which had been seemingly packed away for some time.
The house seemed quieter than usual and the village felt just a little... off.
Immediately things in the house gets even more than troubled than before, which can be understood as this Elf is not the cutesy version we all think of ("The horrid grin, the glossy eyes—they felt alive."). Needless to say, the Elf begins to play on poor Megan's mind, with his presence - whether when she's awake or sleeping - driving her thoughts to not only increased anxiety but to sheer terror. Her mother insists its only just in her head - well, duh - but that doesn't fix anything. Again, then, it all becomes increasingly strained as it seems the Elf is only there for nefarious reasons that we can only imagine as to their purpose. All this then becomes more and more acute as Megan's mom begins to behave extremely strangely, with wild mood swings and even night-time wanderings in her bare feet outside in bitter cold and icy grass to an old coal cellar that is attached to the house. Note during all this time we never see the Mother working nor find out why she's injured. We only get a slight look into her life owing to the fact that her sister lives three doors down.
Naughty girls get nothing for Christmas. Naughty girls get taken to the cellar.
Again then, the best part of this book is the increasing tension. We are left to decipher if its Megan that's beginning to unravel or if her Mom is perhaps not well… and no matter which is cracking the fastest, we don't know why. We also learn two new names that are wrapped in mystery, both in terms of their relationship to the girls and what is happening around them. And throughout, we're left to wonder just who is possessed by said Elf. It finally becomes so bad that Megan one night flees to her Aunt to describe all that's been going on, which unleashes a whole host of discoveries that will shock and perhaps even terrify the reader. It's really quite well handled in terms of the actual story, even if the editing winds up being what I'd call sub-part at best. But if you're like me and have always wondered if maybe the Elf on the Shelf wouldn't serve a better holiday purpose instead as the Elf in the Garbage Disposal Unit, this is one creepy tale that you would enjoy.
3 ½ stars. Now go ahead and call me a Scrooge, Grinch, or even Krampus if you want to go old school (ah yes, time-tested corporal punishment for naughty kids! A system that still works today!), but there's a lot I just don't GET about Christmas and especially Christmas traditions [reviewer's note: please be patient, it's going to take me around 4 paragraphs to actually get to my direct comments about the book]. For example, I don't get flashing lights of any kind and how they're meant to be jolly or festive. I mean, we have neighbors that have put up lights from window to window, including the connecting bits, that flash red. And they do that all bloody night long. It doesn't look like anything except maybe cheap graffitti or a bad LEGO sculpture - it's all laid out in sharp, 90° angles - but they'd rather face capital punishment (that's the big kind!) than miss a year without those godsdamned lights. Even my wife has flashing lights up all through our garden. This includes our back terrace that faces about a square mile of … nothing in the form of already harvested farmland. No one can see those lights including us when we close the back curtains, particularly as it gets dark well before 6 p.m. now.
It all felt fake, like the whole village was putting on a show.
And what about the more internal decorations? You've got your nativity stuff which I find amusing in that a huge portion of the population would have all those participating deported through their "love thy neighbor" policies that Homeland Security and especially ICE enforce. But oh golly, do not forget to make guilt a HUGE part of your holiday celebrations. Including the one decoration I will never, ever, EVER understand, namely Elf on the Shelf. Introduced in 2004 by authors Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bel, they eventually won all kinds of literary prizes (becoming filthy rich in the process) and created a Christmas marketing juggernaut unlike any since Coca-Cola actually turned Santa Claus into a jolly fat man ho-ho-ho'ing his way through life and shopping malls everywhere vs. what we used to see (and often still do) in ye olde country. But that omnipresent Elf is now everywhere across the world and may the gods forgive the parents that forget to follow the requisite steps of moving it nightly.
I'm trying so hard. But I don't know what you want anymore.
Now thankfully some detractors (read: smart people that don't care what the unwashed masses think) have spoken up along the way. The Atlantic columnist Kate Tuttle called The Elf on the Shelf "a marketing juggernaut (yeah, I already stole that bit above) dressed up as a tradition", the purpose of which is "to spy on kids". She argues that one shouldn't "bully [one's] child into thinking that good behavior equals gifts." Writing for Psychology Today, David Kyle Johnston called it a "dangerous parental crutch", akin to what he terms the "Santa lie" (time to grow up, Virginia!). VOX also published a critique, warning that "the toy can breed competition (and potentially feelings of inadequacy)" and that it added "holiday stress" for parents, as well as calling it "a symbol of the surveillance state disguised as a children's toy". For more details, feel free to steal as freely as I have from Wikipedia (noting I do so without guilt as I make sure to provide a yearly donation to their continued existence)!
Some things couldn't be cleaned. Some things stayed with you forever.
Which is why I found Don Campbell's "Naughty List" to be an especially delicious and increasingly creepy Christmas tale (I told you I'd get to this!). It starts off seemingly as a story about a young girl, Megan, who is having some disciplinary problems especially at school. Now that doesn't seem all that troubling as her father is absent and/or dead (this is left open most of the book, noting she doesn't even know his name) and a little acting out under the circumstances can be expected. However, her mother is not in the best place either, with both physical ailments (not explained) and showing signs of increasingly worrying mental lapses. Not to mention her professed detestation of the Christmas season ("I hate it," Mum said suddenly, a bitterness slipping into her words. "The lights, the songs, the bloody adverts with their perfect families. It all makes me sick."), which I understand thoroughly can lead one to have all kinds of destructive thoughts towards one's fellow man. Obviously though, our two ladies' home life is not a jolly atmosphere which only gets SIGNIFICANTLY worse once Mom brings down from the attic an especially creepy red felt elf, which had been seemingly packed away for some time.
The house seemed quieter than usual and the village felt just a little... off.
Immediately things in the house gets even more than troubled than before, which can be understood as this Elf is not the cutesy version we all think of ("The horrid grin, the glossy eyes—they felt alive."). Needless to say, the Elf begins to play on poor Megan's mind, with his presence - whether when she's awake or sleeping - driving her thoughts to not only increased anxiety but to sheer terror. Her mother insists its only just in her head - well, duh - but that doesn't fix anything. Again, then, it all becomes increasingly strained as it seems the Elf is only there for nefarious reasons that we can only imagine as to their purpose. All this then becomes more and more acute as Megan's mom begins to behave extremely strangely, with wild mood swings and even night-time wanderings in her bare feet outside in bitter cold and icy grass to an old coal cellar that is attached to the house. Note during all this time we never see the Mother working nor find out why she's injured. We only get a slight look into her life owing to the fact that her sister lives three doors down.
Naughty girls get nothing for Christmas. Naughty girls get taken to the cellar.
Again then, the best part of this book is the increasing tension. We are left to decipher if its Megan that's beginning to unravel or if her Mom is perhaps not well… and no matter which is cracking the fastest, we don't know why. We also learn two new names that are wrapped in mystery, both in terms of their relationship to the girls and what is happening around them. And throughout, we're left to wonder just who is possessed by said Elf. It finally becomes so bad that Megan one night flees to her Aunt to describe all that's been going on, which unleashes a whole host of discoveries that will shock and perhaps even terrify the reader. It's really quite well handled in terms of the actual story, even if the editing winds up being what I'd call sub-part at best. But if you're like me and have always wondered if maybe the Elf on the Shelf wouldn't serve a better holiday purpose instead as the Elf in the Garbage Disposal Unit, this is one creepy tale that you would enjoy.
November 7, 2025
Don has been so clever with his writing. He sets the perfectly quaint Christmas scene but turns up existential dread to 100 quickly.
What unfolds is not only terrifying but truly thrilling. I did not anticipate what was to come with this one. Safe to say I will never look at an elf in the same way ever again…
What unfolds is not only terrifying but truly thrilling. I did not anticipate what was to come with this one. Safe to say I will never look at an elf in the same way ever again…
November 29, 2025
Megan lives with her mother, Karen, and is a pretty normal 9 year old, mostly good with just a bit of naughty thrown in. When her Mum brings down an elf named Jingles around Christmas time, Megan immediately doesn't like it. Her Mum says it to help Santa watch for who is naughty and report back to him.
After the elf arrives, things start to get strange with Karen. Strange events happen, which are blamed on Megan, but she knows it's the elf. There is a pretty gruesome animal death in this one, so be warned. Megan eventually decides to enlist her Aunt's help when her Mum's behavior gets worse and worse.
The story is filled with tension, creepy occurrences and more than a bit of sadness. Part psychological thriller, part horror, this story kept me thoroughly entertained. The narrator was perfect and her performance added a lot to the tale.
I have never been a fan of the whole "Elf on the Shelf" trend and this novella (plus another short story I just read) make me dislike it even more. There's just something creepy about the thing and it's ability to move around when you aren't looking.
November 22, 2025
A wonderful and horrifying psychology horror. Megan's relationship with her mum and the hidden secrets around the family, only added the dread and terror of what was going on with Mr Jingles (Elf).
The mother-daughter relationship was well written. The tension was built up. The questions it constantly made you wonder and doubt yourself.
Don sprinkling descriptive words that allowed the story to flow and create vivid images. Don has a distinct voice with his prose and it shows here. He knows how to build suspense and release the tension with deep paranoia.
Had a great time reading this.
The mother-daughter relationship was well written. The tension was built up. The questions it constantly made you wonder and doubt yourself.
Don sprinkling descriptive words that allowed the story to flow and create vivid images. Don has a distinct voice with his prose and it shows here. He knows how to build suspense and release the tension with deep paranoia.
Had a great time reading this.
November 29, 2025
Finished this today and it was a great listen. A fun horror story for a cold winters night. So grab yourself a hot chocolate, cuddle up under a blanket, and be unnerved by this tale.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews