I received the following account from a reader in 2010:
Mr. Strickler - I wanted to communicate with you a few strange incidents I experienced this past week.
I am a collector of vintage Christmas ornaments and have done so for over 30 years. The day after Thanksgiving, I received a telephone call from a local auctioneer who had just received a consignment that included several rare handmade ornaments. The next week, I attended the auction and was delighted after obtaining several of these fine pieces at very reasonable prices. One ornament in particular stood out from the rest. It was a porcelain figure of a St.Bernard dog that was English and hand painted.
Each Christmas, I select my favorite ornaments from my collection to display on my tree. I was very proud of the new St. Bernard dog ornament and wanted to show it off to my friends and family.
One morning last week, I noticed that the ornament had fallen from the tree and was laying on the carpet. The string that attached it to the tree branch was not tore and I felt fortunate that it had not broken. I just placed it back on the tree.
That evening, I was sitting in the living room reading a magazine when I started to hear a 'ringing' sound coming from the tree. It was like a the sound of a porcelain bell. The sound lasted for a few seconds then suddenly stopped. About an hour later, the ringing sound started again but this time it was a bit louder and lasted for almost a minute. I looked at the tree but could not tell where the sound was coming from. I just assumed it was coming from outside the house.
That night, I was laying in bed asleep (around 11:45 pm) when I thought I heard heavy footsteps coming down my upstairs hallways towards my bedroom. I got up, looked around the house and rechecked the intruder alarm. I was in the kitchen checking the outside door when I heard footsteps rapidly going up the stairs to the second floor. I live alone, so I was very concerned. I called 911 just to be safe.
The police looked around the property to make sure it was safe. I live in a small community where everyone knows everybody else's business, so anything out of the ordinary is common knowledge the next day. The police assured me that they would not make a report. They soon left and told me to call back if I noticed anything unusual. I thought that was an odd statement but I appreciated their concern.
I walked up the stairs and turned towards my bedroom. As soon as I got to the bedroom door I noticed it. The St. Bernard ornament was setting on my nightstand. Now I was freaked out. I have never experienced any paranormal activity though I love to read about these things. Now it was happening to me.
I picked up the ornament, walked downstairs and placed it back on the tree. I looked at it for a minute or two and then noticed that two other ornaments were missing. I looked on the carpet but nothing was there. After looking around for several minutes I decided to go back to bed and look again in the morning.
The next morning, I woke and walked downstairs. I entered the living room and immediately noticed that the St. Bernard ornament was missing from the tree - but the two ornaments that were missing the night before were back on the tree. I looked all over the house, but the ornament was gone.
It has been almost a week and the St. Bernard ornament is still missing, but there has been no further activity since it disappeared. I cannot explain any of this. Are you familiar with this type of activity? I hesitate to speculate what is going on and really don't want anybody coming into my house to investigate.
If the ornament returns, I will notify you. Please feel free to publish my story if you like but I would appreciate anonymity. Thank you.
NOTE: As far as I know, the St. Bernard ornament never resurfaced. Lon
The Little Book of True Ghost Stories
What Happens When We Die: A Psychic's Exploration of Death, Heaven, and the Soul's Journey After Death
Ghosts: True Encounters with the World Beyond
