When looking for Christmas decor inspiration, folks tend to lean into the warm memories from their childhood celebrations or the over-the-top light displays from their favorite holiday movie houses. However, the season is not all holly-jolly. There is a dark side of Christmas that’s ready to jump out from the cold, frosty night. And its sinister leader is Krampus. 

 

Who is Krampus, you ask? 

 

 

A Devilish Holiday Meet Cute in NYC  

My first brush with Krampus came this year while holiday shopping. In a new tradition, I’ve taken to buying my staff Christmas ornaments to exchange at our Austin interior design studio holiday party. Even if someone doesn’t celebrate the season, we are all design aficionados who can appreciate a silly bobble to adorn our homes. 

This holiday season, I did my shopping at the online John Derian store, a favorite of mine. He designs the best vintage-inspired ornaments and holiday decoupage pieces, oozing humor, whimsy, and nostalgia. (Cornerstones to any good home design, if you ask me.) 

I browsed the dangling ornament collection in search of the perfect piece of blown glass to fit the personality of each of my team members. Among the nutcrackers, snowmen, and holiday pickles, I came across a frightening devil figure that stopped me in my tracks. While I was a little terrified, I knew I had to pluck up the fiendish bobble and add it to my cart. I had one particular team member in mind for this scary devil, who I knew would find just as much humor in the sinister ornament as me. 

After adding my holiday goodies to cart, I knew I had to research how the little devil made it into the Christmas collection. I discovered his name is “Krampus,” and he’s a bad Santa of sorts. But that’s just where his lore begins.

Who is Krampus? Meet Santa’s Not So Jolly Friends

So, who is this Krampus? Well, my first search revealed Krampus is a “Christmas devil who rides with Santa to punish naughty children by beating them with birch sticks or dragging them back with him to hell.” What the heck? 

Of course, this led me down a rabbit hole of discovery and into the darker side of Christmas traditions. 

Krampus

Krampus comes from the German word krampen, meaning claw. He’s a half-goat, half-man demon spawning from pagan Austrian and Germanic lore. The threat of coal from Santa has nothing on the punishments and fear Krampus doles out. He’s remained a staple of the Alpine holiday tradition for centuries. Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night, is celebrated every year on December 5th, as men dress up as the devilish figure to scare kids in the night. Sounds a lot more like Halloween than Christmas. 

Zwarte Piet 

I found Krampus isn’t the only scary Christmas character out there. Zwarte Piet is the sidekick to the Dutch Sinterklaas or Santa Claus. A character that’s traditionally portrayed in blackface (scary and problematic), this sneaky sidekick kidnaps bad Dutch children, stuffs them in a sack, and ships them to Spain. Maybe they’ll at least be able to enjoy some tapas once they get there. 

 

Come to the Dark Side (of Christmas) 

There’s a sense of poignancy to the holidays, whether that’s feeling a longing nostalgia for Christmas past or ruminating on the tribulations of the icy season. While the holidays boast joy, there’s the very real reality of people who are struggling through the season, whether distanced from family, living in hardship, or simply not up for the chore of acting jolly. 

 

I’ve had my fair share of blue Christmases, and sometimes the best thing you can do is embrace the moody chill of the season. (Krampus will surely keep you company.) These darker characters of Christmas address the wider range of emotions during the holidays and express the human experience during what can be a lonely or vulnerable time of year. 

 

Let’s face it. I would not have wanted to be a child in 1800s Holland or Austria fearing for my wellbeing based on my yearly conduct. However, there is a comedic side to these darker holiday feelings. While Krampus may have spoken to the conditions of the old world, David Sedaris captures the modern holiday struggles perfectly. One of my favorite holiday traditions is to turn through the pages of the humorous and touching essays in his Holidays on Ice. 

 

(These stories are on the darker side but way less scary than Krampus.)

Finding Light in the Darkness of Winter

Of course, where there is darkness, there is light. And really, one can’t exist without the other. Who is Santa, if not just the opposite of Krampus? Can we experience the joy of burning a Yule log without feeling the bitter chill of the icy snow? 

 

My flurry of research into the dark side of Christmas eventually took me to the winter solstice, which acknowledges the light to be found on the darkest day of the year. The Latin word for solstice translates to “sun stands still,” and the rituals around the day honor the warmth from its rays and our connection to nature. We bring holly and mistletoe into our homes to protect us and remind us that spring (and its warmth) is just around the corner. 

 

So, will you choose to deck the halls with boughs of holly or adorn your tree with Krampus ornaments? 

 

Either way, I hope you have a delightful or dark Christmas.