Not all of Santa’s helpers are cute and friendly. In Austria Saint Nicholas forgoes elves in favor of a creature that really gets the job of scaring children done – the Krampus.  The Krampus is a horned cloven hoofed demon with sharp claws and glowing red eyes. He wears chains and bells around his neck. The Krampus is able to spot bad children even when St Nicholas can’t. He is happy to point them out and make sure that Saint Nicholas passes them by. He’s also famous for stealing back the gifts that St. Nick has left. The Krampus carries a birch whip. While he will whip any child, he prefers young girls. Austrian girls are notoriously evil and it’s the Krampus’ custom is to beat them just in case. The Krampus carries bad children off to hell, or if he’s in a hurry he’ll drag them out in to the woods and eat them. Thank you Krampus for putting the fear back in Christmas where it belongs.

Posted by: Kate Jonez