It’s Christmas once more
A joyous time of the year
But to those who are naughty
They have something to fear
For if St. Nicholas comes knocking
As he most certainly shall
He may bring a tag-along with him
Who just might drag you to hell

He’s a devil named ‘Krampus’
A servant to St. Nick
And he takes care of bratty children
When coal just won’t do the trick
Horns spiraling to the heavens
Hooves way down below
A big hairy monstrosity
You probably don’t wish to know

A large wicker basket
Belted to his broad back
Chains to secure simpering hellions
His whipping switch set to attack
Both nice and naughty tend to cower
When spotting him in their path
But if you’ve said your prayers
You won’t feel his wrath

So when December doth come
Bringing the man in the red
Be sure to be kindly
Or else he’ll come instead
With ‘Greetings from Krampus!’
Much cause for concern
Hell-bent on punishing the wicked
His chains heralding his return.

..:*:..

When I was a kid, or teen rather, my mom had a book filled with old worlde, Victorian Christmas postcard pictures. Among them, there was a page devoted to a horned beastie who tagged along with a very saintly depicted Santa, and who did I think was awesome? Why, the devil guy of course!

I was enthralled with him, as well the idea that Santa would have something of an opposite, who, for all intensive purposes took care of the children Santa would not touch with a 39 and a half foot pole. Naughty, bratty, evil, snot-nose miscreants who didn’t even deserve coal, would get a sound warning or beating from this guy, while their good brothers or sisters would receive gifts from Santa. And if the kid was really bad, like beyond hope awful, Krampus would chuck him into the basket upon his back, and carry him off to the bowels of hell and dump him in!

Nifty, huh?

Primarily and myth in Germany and Austria, it goes a long way to explain why I’d NEVER heard of this guy, and until recently I actually thought I was the only person who knew about him. Some of my fondest memories of my early drawing years were of doing pictures around Christmas, I’d draw up my own creations celebrating the holidays in various ways, be it carrying lights or decorating, and when I discovered Krampus, he became a big part of it too. Every year I’d do a new incarnation of him based after the pictures in the book, I think I did at least five or six, and imagine stories centered around him. Usually the ‘Krampus’ would be fed up with having to be a tag along to Saint Nick, and try to thwart his gift giving in some way. Though a few versions were happy with their job, and only went bad at the order of the other more ‘seasoned’ Krampuses.

I remember about a year ago, when I’d long forgotten about Krampus, he happened to pop up on an episode of the ‘Venture brothers’, and I was like…jumping out of my seat excited going, OMG, I remember him! I used to draw him all the time! And Simba turned to me with an utterly baffled, or worried look before stating: 'that’s kind of disturbing’. Though at this point that version of Krampus had begun ramming doctor Venture in the ass… so I can’t really blame him for feeling the way he felt at that time.

But anyways, Just a little blast from my childhood, albeit disturbing one…

BE GOOD!