Beware of Krampus

It's getting to be that time of year when Santa is checking his list to find out who was naughty or nice. Of course, if you were nice you'll get all your presents. If you were naughty you'll probably end up with some coal in your stocking. Hey, it could be worse, you could get the coal or you could be stuffed in a sack by the evil Krampus and taken back to his lair where you'll become a Christmas feast. Take the coal.
Krampus is a tradition that's followed in alpine countries over in Europe like Bavaria, Austria, and Northern Italy. The Krampus is an evil spirit that follows Santa around on Christmas night. If you've been bad Santa will skip your house and in his place the Krampus will appear and take you away. Pretty brutal stuff for a kid, it's like the Christmas version of hell. Krampus is a cross between a satyr and demon. He has hooves, long horns, and a long slithering tongue. He carries a sack on his back to stuff the kids into and carries chains. The chains are believed to symbolize his binding to the devil. In some characterizations he carries a handful of branches to beat the child with.
Back in the day Krampus was used as a scare tactic, like I said, a little more dramatic then the naughty/nice list. Today Krampus marks a celebration of sorts. A mix of Halloween and Christmas. Some European cities have parades where everyone dresses up and takes to the streets. Basically an excuse to go out and get shitfaced and put on a costume.