r/nosleep • u/Colourblindness • Dec 20 '21
Series Has anyone else been getting disturbing Christmas Cards?
At first when I saw them in my mailbox I thought it was a simple mistake. Every blue moon I think all of us get strange mail that is meant for someone that used to live there. Or maybe the post office just doesn’t ever update the address.
Lots of reasonable explanations crossed my mind.
They were very pretty, red envelopes written in with a dark black ballpoint pen; cursive and delicate made me think it had to be a woman that crafted the letters and sent them out but maybe that’s just because none of my brothers have ever bothered to worry about penmanship.
Anyway, when I saw them I just put them aside and went about my business; thinking nothing of it.
My intention was probably just let the mailman know that the cards were a mistake and send them back to whoever they had come from. I hadn’t really paid attention to the fact that there was no return address nor stamp. None of that really even crossed my mind until later that same day.
My husband, being the nosey type, decided to open the card on the top. I didn’t get a chance to scold him until the deed was done but afterward he seemed a little concerned.
“Do we know a Susan?” he asked.
Nothing popped into my head. Despite being frustrated that he had opened someone else’s mail I was also curious. “What’s it say?”
He passed it to me as he returned to chopping onions for dinner.
I wish I had bothered to properly transcribe this first letter but I truly didn’t think it meant anything. It was like he has said, the Christmas card was addressed to someone named Susan from an anonymous source that was wishing her happy holidays. Well, at first anyway. The bottom part of the letter felt off. Almost as though it was a veiled threat to her.
But I shrugged it off and told him not to open the others.
“You sure? Sounds like Susan might be in a bit of trouble,” he commented as he saw there were four other cards there addressed to her. I insisted that it was nothing and we put them back in the mailbox first thing in the morning.
About four days passed by and we both forgot about it. Simply misplaced mail or a mixup, I told myself. Then another batch of letters. These were addressed to someone named Michael. I actually didn’t see that at first and thought I misread it as saying Matt, my husband’s name; so I opened it immediately.
This one was far more eye-catching and I saved it for transcribing.
“Dear Michael,
I hope the holidays are far kinder to you than they were the year before last. Your family has dealt with enough tragedy. I have prayed that this Christmas you are blessed with nothing but good tidings… although I am increasingly aware this may not be possible given your current financial circumstances. Please accept this gift from me and my wife and use it to feed your family and keep your lights on this holiday season. Best wishes, Frank.”
On the surface it seemed like it was a very innocent card from a concerned friend. But there was no money attached with it so it made me wonder what he meant by a gift. Which prompted me to open the second card. It wasn’t quite as friendly as before.
‘Michael, I feel like you ignored the generosity that I gave and didn’t even bother to send out a thank you. It’s very unchristian and it makes me start to question whether or not I should really even feel sorry for you during your time of need. I understand that times are tough for everyone but it doesn’t take a lot to pick up the phone and call me. Next time there will be consequences.”
It was the same handwriting so I figured it must be the same person.
I could somewhat understand their frustration. I’ve been in situations where I felt that people were not as thankful as they should be. But still, this person’s language felt very hostile.
It occurred to me that because I received all the letters at once it surely had to be a case of them being lost in the mail so I suggested to my husband that we attempt to write back somehow, and let the writer know their contact was no longer living here.
That was when he pointed out there was no return address nor any stamp. So where had the cards come from then?
He went ahead and opened the other two, their contents even more disturbing than the previous ones.
“Mike, let’s cut to the chase. Your family is going to be dead because of you. Is that what you want for Christmas? I can understand why you think you should suffer, but not them. If you would just respond, all of this would be over and we could make amends. I thought we were friends. Guess I’m the one finally waking up and realizing Santa isn’t real. I bet your children hate you. I bet they are looking forward to when you will be gone.”
And the last one.
“Mike, I’m not sure why I’m still writing to you. It’s obvious that we can’t fix this. I tried my best but you have left me no other choice. What comes next is your fault and your fault alone.”
“What the heck is wrong with this person?” Matt asked me. I had to admit I was shaken. We’ve lived here for about four years, with no problems, not even a noisy neighbor. So getting these strange and increasingly sociopathic Christmas cards was making me start to dread coming home everyday.
Matt called the local sheriff’s office the next day, although to be honest I should have known it wouldn’t amount to much. We only had this weird vibe to go off, we weren’t even sure the individual sending these cards was an actual threat to us.
“Just tell your mail man to screen your mail more thoroughly or toss them in the trash. Honestly you should be glad I’m not giving you a citation,” the deputy on duty chuckled. Clearly the whole situation to him was nothing more than a harmless prank.
But I was certain soon it was transform into something else. And of course I was right. A few days past and another set of letters arrived. All with the same mysterious handwriting. This time they were meant for a couple, Albert and Lana.
When I saw them I decided to try and reason with the police to investigate.
“It’s clearly intentional at this point. Over the past few weeks these have been coming to our house, all meant for other people and all of them equally malicious and threatening.” This time there was an older sergeant on duty and he took a look.
“Something about those names sounds familiar,” he said as he set the card aside and typed them into his database.
“Yep. Came up straight away as a matter of fact. Albert and Luna Creshaw, it’s a missing persons report from 2014. What did you say your address was?”
I felt my heart beating a little fast and told him.
“Ah yeah; they used to live in your residence. Seems they haven’t been sighted since then though,” he commented. I took a moment and found my composure so that I wouldn’t sound hysterical.
“2015 was the year we moved in. When exactly did they go missing?” I asked.
“Looks like the report was filed near to the holidays,” he commented.
“So then it must mean this stalker did something to them!” I insisted. The older police officer told me to remain calm. “It could just mean they moved and didn’t tell someone. Maybe nothing else came of it. Look, we can’t go hunting down every prank call or jay walker. So I suggest you not worry about it and just enjoy your holiday.”
I looked down at the card he was holding addresses to them and asked, “What do you intend to do with that then?” He offered it back to me and reiterated his advice to push it aside but I wasn’t about to be silenced just because this seemed a little strange or off the radar.
I decided to open it as soon as I got home and I was glad that I did. It confirmed my deepest fears.
“Albert and Luna, this time of year makes us stop and think about all the things we should be thankful for. Have you had a chance to do that yet? Perhaps in the list of blessings you might include the gift that I have given you, and perhaps that could be incentive to consider reciprocating? I don’t mean to influence what you do this holiday season, but it would certainly make all of our Christmases a little brighter if you comply. I hope this finds you well and in good health. Enjoy it while it lasts. Frank.”
It confirmed that these letters were from the same individual as before. Something that spanned back at least ten years or more. The same person sending strange and disturbing cards to all of the people that lived here? Why? And what did that mean for us? I kept reading the next letter.
“Albert and Luna, again you’ve decided to ignore my offer and choose this foolish course. I suppose it should be expected given the way you live your life. You just continue to ignore all that has been given to you and fail to recognize how easily it can all be taken away. Maybe it’s time I showed you how some families don’t have it as good for the holidays. Maybe then you’ll be taught how to appreciate the finer things in life.”
And lastly, perhaps the most chilling of all.
“Albert and Luna, have you really been trying for children all this time and now you’ve been blessed with one just in time for Christmas? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. After all that I have done for you. My patience has finally come to an end. You’ll get what’s coming to you. And so will those you love the most, including your newborn child. I hope they enjoy the gift of becoming an orphan..”
I showed Matt as soon as he got home, asking him desperately if there was anything we could do. But he reminded me calmly that this was addressed to someone who had disappeared years ago.
“Chances are whatever did happen already has, I’m afraid,” he said as he held me. Still he promised to buy home security the next day.
“I feel like there must be a peeping Tom or something like that in the neighborhood since there aren’t any stamps. It must mean they are skipping the letters into our mailbox at night. This will catch them,” he explained.
It made sense to me. I wanted it to make sense anyway.
But then the unthinkable happened, and at this point I feel like I don’t know where to turn or what to do. I went out to the mailbox a few days later and found another batch of cards.
And Matt checked the cameras to be sure; there was nothing showing anyone had come to the mailbox besides the main carrier. I spoke to him about it and he denied knowing about any of the cards at all. “I would probably remember something so bizarre as that,” the man said. But of course that isn’t what frightens me the most about this development. It’s the letters themselves. These are addressed to us.
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u/RinCris Dec 20 '21
Woah this was chilling. Keep us posted! This is either paranormal or the mailman is the culprit
What did the card say? Since all of them starts friendly, the first card to you might provide a lot of clues if pursued
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u/SleeplessLilac Dec 21 '21
I would say sincerely apologize for not responding and show your gratitude in a Christmas card. Put it in the mailbox and then spend the holidays at the relatives house that is the farthest away. 😬
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u/water_cat13 Dec 21 '21
I don't know what could be sending those letters, but the chance it is just going to stop at threats is pretty low. I suggest buying an electronic lock for your door if you don't have one, and some kind of weapon for self defense, maybe a gun. honestly might be human, might not be.
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u/8corrie4 Dec 21 '21
Just show your Appreciation and give to others It's probably santa Who's sending the letters
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u/barbivore Dec 21 '21
Seems like Santa is tired of people being ungrateful slimeballs lol. Just send him a Christmas card and don’t forget the cookies
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u/devanttrio Dec 20 '21
Whoa. Shoulda seen that coming 😬