Scotty’s Horror Short Showcase: ‘White Christmas’

Written by Scott Edwards 

Some of the best times of Christmas seem to come when you are putting up the decorations. While you have to wait to open your presents, you get to bring back some memories of days gone by that put you in a better place. With so many of us putting up a tree and decorating it with ornaments with our parents growing up, doing it when you get older can bring those happy times back to light and put a smile on your face once again. As years go by, there are certain things that you do that can bring back memories of loved ones and hopefully they are the things that you never want to forget, since we only get so many years before we become someone else’s memories.
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While putting up decorations around the house, Elizabeth gets a call from her brother Mike who is stuck on the road. Needing to wait for the conditions to let up so he can make it to the house, Mike remembers some of the good times that they had together growing up, but wants to get rid of one memory, the one of ‘Bertha’ that their mother terrified him with. Knowing that it was just a children’s story to keep them good over the holidays, Elizabeth discounts it as a joke and is looking forward to spending the holiday with her brother. Pulling out an old stocking and reminiscing for a bit about her late boyfriend, Elizabeth pulls out the doll that is supposed to keep Bertha away from the house on Christmas Eve.

After having a plow drive by him on the road, Mike says his goodbyes for now and starts his trek back to the house. With really only one wish this year, Elizabeth says it out loud and a loud knock comes from the front door. Opening the door and seeing no one there, she closes it, only to have the knock come again. Thinking that it might be her brother playing a joke on her, she takes an extra step in pretending that she is not alone in the house before the lock turns and the door opens from the outside. Seeing a face that she never thought she would see again; the man asks if she has been good this year and of course she says yes. Receiving a silver coin from her past love, Elizabeth is shocked to see he has disappeared as quickly as he appeared only to find that the footprints left behind are not that of a human, but something from a living nightmare.

This is a pretty good seasonal horror short that will make you want to know a bit more about a German Legend. While I have never heard about this one, the quick synopsis is, Bertha is a witch who would give the good kids a silver coin over the holiday. But for the bad ones, she would take their innards and replace them with straw and pebbles. Pretty grim if you are a bad kid during the year I must say, but I am sure that the story worked well over the years to keep kids from acting out. I really liked the end of the movie, since it sets out to prove that some of the things that we heard as children, no matter how outlandish they may seem now, may have a bit of truth to them. With plenty of snow, a cell phone call, a disappearing door knocker, some rekindled memories and a gift that will last a lifetime, this horror short really makes you question what else you think might have just been a made up story might have an ounce of truth to it when all is said and done. Stay Scared.

Watch ‘White Christmas’ on YouTube. 

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