The Signalman: A Christmas Ghost Story

Dec 22

Written By Alexandra Kern

You know the line —

There’ll be parties for hosting

Marshmallows for toasting

And caroling out in the snow

There’ll be scary ghost stories

And tales of the glories

Of Christmases long, long ago.

This is one of those stories...

The Signalman is a gothic short story by Charles Dickens that centers on an isolated railway worker who becomes convinced he is being warned of coming disasters by a ghostly figure that appears before fatal accidents. Each warning arrives too late to prevent tragedy, and the danger no longer feels distant.

First published in 1866, the story is told through the perspective of a narrator who forms a cautious friendship with the troubled signalman, approaching his claims with rational doubt before gradually confronting the possibility that something supernatural may be at work. Shaped in part by real railway disasters of the era, The Signal-Man explores isolation, inevitability, and the fragile boundary between reason and the unknown.

Enjoy this rendition of Dickens’ classic Christmas ghost story, and happy holidays!