Terrify Your Child Into Submission With Krampus

Let's spend a little time talking about the Anti-Claus.

Krampus is a character from the Alpine Region of Austria, but probably existed in many cultures in many forms. Whereas Santa Claus gives the good girls and boys presents, Krampus may or may not whip them with one of the sticks in his quiver, or possibly drag them down to hell where they may or may not be eaten.

YEOW!

Let's get more into this. It's believed that Christmas was originally celebrated around December 5th or 6th as part of preparations for the Winter Solstice. At some point, Christmas got moved to December 25th, but Krampus, or Krampusnaucht, stayed on December 5th.

The December 5th date also makes things convenient for both getting the kids in line for Christmas without denying them Christmas itself. Meaning you can use December 5th to scare the hell into kids so they'll be good until Christmas Day (or morning, depending on how wild your kids are).

As for Krampus himself, he's a giant goat/man/demon who is traditionally pictured with the aforementioned quiver of twigs (to be used when it's whippin' time) or with a cage on his back to assist in the carrying away of children. It's pretty dark stuff when you think about it.

There's one other cool crossover between Santa and Krampus that I somehow overlooked until now. You know that coal that Santa gives to naughty kids? That was a message to Krampus that his services are needed.