Review: Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus

The Christmas season in America is popularly portrayed as a jolly, gaudy time. But in old Europe, with its long history of dark, cold winter nights and thick, spirit-haunted forests, darkness has always walked hand-in-hand with light at Christmastime, evident in the numerous goblins, witches, wild men and child-snatching devils that prowl the Yuletide night.

In recent years one of these monsters- goat-legged, long-tongued, devil-horned Krampus- has made the voyage across the Atlantic to be warmly embraced by a small but significant number of American Christmas revelers. Krampus originally hails from Germany, where he accompanies St. Nicholas on Christmas Eve. While the kindly saint gives presents to good children, Krampus punishes the naughty with beatings from a bundle of switches, or sometimes even takes the worst away in a basket.

To celebrate Krampus’ growing popularity in the States, editor Kate Wolford and World Weaver Press put together an anthology of stories that showcase the Old Christmas Devil in his many forms and aspects.

Krampus as a holiday character is scary fun, his antics so over the top that they’re almost funny in a dark way. When you read an actual piece of fiction about Krampus, however, you realize that a demon who kidnaps and tortures children for minor misbehavior is actually pretty brutal. Some stories in this anthology embrace this grotesqueness, using it either for horror or absurd comedy. Other tales tweak the Krampus narrative a bit.  Sometimes he genuinely is a monster that is rightfully feared, as in Cheresse Burke’s “The God Killer” or Colleen H. Robbins’ “Peppermint Sticks”. Caren Gussoff’s “Ring, Little Bell, Ring”, however, explores the appeal and even attraction of Krampus.

Krampus does punish children in a few tales. Sometimes it’s for minor naughtiness as in Jill Corddry’s “Marching Krampus”, but other times it is for more vicious, selfish behavior as in Patrick Evans’ “Santa Claus and the Little Girl Who Loved to Sing and Dance”. Other stories, though, acknowledge that it is adults who are the most wicked and cruel, and most deserving of Krampus’ attention. Such is the case in Lissa Sloan’s Victoriana pastiche “The Visit” and Mark Mills’ more modern “Raw Recruits”.

Several stories, such as Elizabeth Twist’s “Prodigious”, mix Krampus with the modern trappings of American consumer culture Christmas: bored mall Santas, plastic trees, holiday sales, and kitschy décor.

My favorite tale, Elise Forier Edie’s “The Wicked Child” shows that many times people have a distorted perception of what a “bad child” is, and maybe when Krampus takes a child away, it is a far better gift to them than anything Santa brings.

For those looking for a darker alternative to elves, jolly men in red and sugar-coated cheer, or for long-time fans of the Old Christmas Devil, “Krampusnacht” is a satisfying addition to your holiday reading list.