You may have seen the commercials for the new horror movie Krampus, but have you found yourself wondering what exactly Krampus is? Krampus is from folklore that originated in German-speaking countries near the Alps. Krampus is St. Nicholas’ evil counterpart that punishes bad children at Christmastime. He is commonly depicted as a horned, anthropomorphic creature. According to the lore, Krampus visits badly behaved children and whips them with his the whip, or dismembers the children and puts them in his basket. Although the myth is depicted in a less serious way today, it is still prominent in the Alps. The threat of Krampus would certainly seem to be more effective than the threat of getting coal. There is even an annual Krampus Run where young men parade around dressed as Krampus, and sending Christmas cards with Krampus on it is quite popular. So what’s the moral of this story? You better watch out, because Krampus is coming town!