The Singular Fortean Society's 2018 Fortean Holiday Gift Guide
By Emily Wayland
It’s that time of year again, and perhaps you need to do some Holiday shopping for your favorite fortean. If you don’t even know where to begin, we are here to help with a few paranormal ideas to ensure that the stocking of your otherworldly-inspired friend or family member is filled with cryptids, spooks, and items from out of this world.
If you’re a like-minded weirdo like us, you just might want to add some of the following items to your wish list.
Sidenote: Any family and friends that might be wondering, of course Tobias and I would LOVE to receive any of the following gifts for the holidays (kidding, but only a little). 😉
Grave Digger Candles: Black Beeswax Krampus Bell Candle
The Feast of St Nicholas originated in Europe and is celebrated on the 6th of December. On the same night St. Nick leaves his gifts for the good, the legendary Krampus arrives to deal with the bad. This evening is known as “Krampusnacht” and children who have misbehaved need to keep watch or change their ways before the anthropomorphic goat-man leaves coal, or worse, carries them away for their wrongdoing. May this natural, beeswax candle light your home to keep the bad spirits at bay and bring a piece of unique folklore into your holiday celebrations.
The Tranquil Turtle, based out of Massachusetts, has some scents inspired by cryptids—although we have a feeling that bigfoot doesn’t smell as pleasant as these.
All cryptid scents are made without chemical additives. They are homemade using a combination of essential oils, crystal essence, distilled water, healing reiki energy, and either witch hazel or vodka as a preservative. Some sprays also include white sage, holy water, and Himalayan salt.
If you get lost in the middle of the woods and come across an illusive sasquatch, keep this bigfoot noisemaker on your person to communicate with the mysterious beast...or not. Really, this one is just fun. Maybe don’t try to talk to a sasquatch with it.
Angel Hawari is an artist working out of the Minneapolis, Minnesota area and has also been a member of the Paranormal Art Portal since its beginning. We were fortunate enough to meet and interview her at the Gods and Monsters Art Show this past October. Angel has an Etsy shop, and you could do much of your holiday shopping there as she offers many wonderful, whimsical masterpieces.
If the person you are gifting for has visions of sugarplums, consider this best-selling print of a pink marmoset a sort of sugary treat for such a sweet time of year.
Angel also offers many great stocking stuffers in her shop. Consider her bean bears or candy corn patches.
We love a good pun, especially if it is a festive, cryptid pun. “Santa Squatch” marches through the forest on tshirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, stickers and more in our Singular Shop. Believe it or not, holiday-themed cryptids can indeed bring much seasonal cheer.
We featured Paranormal Art Portal artist Denise Gomez Markowski in October with a heavy focus on her paranormal photography. This talented Texan also makes some stunning jewelry such as the above memento mori skull necklace. If you are looking into purchasing one of her photographs, no worries—she sells those as well!
We love this whimsical design of the Mothman of Point Pleasant (one of our all-time favorite cryptids) with an ode to the Silver Bridge incorporated in the design. Kristen Puckett who designed this tee is also in our Paranormal Art Portal, so be sure to check out her work!
Did you ever hear the story of the man who claimed to have photographed Abraham Lincoln’s ghost? Dive in to learn about photography’s early beginnings and the controversial spirit photography of William Mumler.
This ornament is inspired by the techniques of cottage artisans during Victorian Germany. Fittingly enough the Krampus also originated in Germany. Keep your holidays weird with this little Krampus hanging out on your tree.
Paranormal Art Portal Artist Eli Wolff has the perfect festive cryptozoology print that you can hang in your home during the holiday season. It’s printed with half an inch of white space all-around so it is ready for framing.
Who says your cookies have to be shaped like gingerbread men, trees, and snowflakes? They could be shaped like Bigfoot, Nessie, and a UFO. They might look unusual on a platter next to all the festive shapes, but they still will have that favorite, familiar flavor of gingerbread. We guarantee that your cookies will be the talking point at every Holiday Party this season.
We all love a good ghost story, and Paranormal Art Portal Artist Kim Deslandes tells ghost stories through her photography. In a time where we are remembering those who have left us, this spooky yet charming image is a reminder to keep the memories and spirits of our dearly departed loved ones alive during this magical time of year.
Meet the lamp that you never knew you needed. Put this unique lamp on your nightstand so any potential abductors know you’re already on to them.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble...what’s brewing in your bathtub? Hopefully this soap! Make your bathwater a magical potion that will smell of fragrant patchouli, cinnamon, sandalwood, and cedarwood. Despite how it looks, this soap doesn’t contain any odd ingredients such as deadly nightshade, worm’s ward, and frog’s breath.
Wisconsin journalist, author, and investigator Linda Godfrey released this book in 2016 and it is easily one of the favorites in our paranormal library. This book tells tales of dog men, ufos, strange mists, and more...pick up the book to find out exactly what. We had a hard time putting it down.
This 10” nutracker is cast in resin and painted by hand. He’s happy to crush nuts for all your holiday cooking needs, as long as you share with him.
The National Cryptid Society doesn’t need to read our Christmas list to know EXACTLY what we want for Christmas. Forget your two front teeth, this hoodie can keep you warm when you go hunting for that Christmas miracle.
There are so many weird and wonderful paranormal-themed items out there, this post could be way longer than it is already. Feel free to keep looking, but as far as our Fortean Holiday Gift Guide goes, we can save those ideas for another year.
Last Year’s Gift Guide: 2017