Happy Krampusnacht to You!

If you haven’t been informed: beware! Today is the day that St Nicholas and his mountain troll companion, Krampus, come to visit to the children. To the good little ones, St Nicholas gives gifts, but bad children are punished by Krampus. Depending on whose version of the tale we’re following, bad children are switched, carried away in his pack, chased, or simply frightened into being good.

If you’ve been reading the DailyNightmare, you’ll remember that we’ve discussed Krampus in the past. We reviewed Krampus: The Devil of Christmas, an historical art book here. We think so highly of Krampus that we ranked him as #2 among the best Christmas monsters ever.

In 2013 however, you might worry, as this Christian Science Monitor article implies, that Krampus is being too commercialized. To that we say, pshaw. Although there may be Krampus cards and Krampus-shaped chocolates, the tradition of a demon who punishes and scares us is at its core a frightening proposition that we don’t want watered down.

So whether you are celebrating Krampusnacht quietly at home, making a list of resolutions to do better from this point on or getting your dance party on at a local Krampus party (Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti have an annual Krampus gathering at the Corner Brewery), we wish you a Happy Krampusnacht!