With Karol and Brandon
I paid pilgrimage to Chicago’s German Christkindlmarket on Tuesday evening with Katie, Brandon and Karol. We all prioritised bratwurst, curry sausage, pancakes and glühwein (mulled wine) over splashing cash on fancy woodcuts and clocks, but it was all quite lovely and Germanic.
And I learnt all about Krampus, an evil Santa twin who kidnaps misbehaving children – this being a legend which had either escaped my attention until now or was effectively suppressed by childhood terror. I mean, for me, Krampus really changes the ‘naughty or nice?’ equation which children have to balance. Something to think about. [shudders]
Randi Lawrence, Katie Nichols, Jill Carey liked this post.
You’ve never heard of the Krampus? The Krampus is awesome! Most northern European countries pair Santa up with a more sinister foil. In the Netherlands his name is Swartepiet and we have photos of my dad with him and Sinterklaas (Santa) aged about 3 in Amsterdam looking petrified.