When Christmas is a little too bright … look to Krampus : NPR
Participants march during the Portland Krampuslauf on December 5, 2025.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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Celeste Noche for NPR
When Edgar Loesch was growing up, his Christmas was filled with family, friends and St. Nicholas. But his German parents also had a terrifying addition: a hairy monster named Krampus who they said would kidnap him if he didn’t behave.
With goat horns, gnashing teeth and a long tongue to taste his sins, Krampus is nothing short of horrifying.
To convey the threat, Loesch’s parents would sneak in through the window and rattle the chains.
“You go to bed, and then all of a sudden, at some point, you hear someone crawling past a bedroom door and scratching the door,” Loesch recalled.
Despite this early terror, Loesch, like many, came to embrace Krampus. He is the owner of Fressen artisan bakery in Portland, Oregon, and on Saturday it was filled with families eating pfeffernüsse (German spice cookies) and stollen (a yeast Christmas cake with almond paste filling) and lining up to have their photos taken.
Entire families, with children and dogs, took their holiday portraits – not with a pleasant Santa, but with a snarling Krampus, standing against an alpine forest backdrop. Some pose in mock horror, while others give the beast a high five. And of course, sometimes children burst into tears.
But it turns out that Christmas and monsters have gone hand in hand for a long time.
Octavian Dum participates in the Portland Krampuslauf in Portland, Oregon on December 5, 2025.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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Sarah Clegg is a folklorist and author of The Dead of Winter: beware of Krampus and other nasty Christmas creatures.
In medieval Europe, the end of the year was a chaotic and frightening season – it even included something like an early version of trick-or-treating. Clegg says costumed processions traveled through towns, inspired by the pre-Christian Saturnalia celebrations.
“They’re putting out antlers, going door to door, asking for treats. I mean, they’re asking for money and booze,” Clegg laughs.
In the 1500s, the figure of the child eater appeared – with greasy, greasy hair and torn clothes, stuffing children into his mouth. Over the centuries, Clegg says this monster has returned to the calendar, until the feast of St. Nicholas in early December. These monsters not only ate children for fun, but became the dark and vile assistants of Saint Nick; Santa’s carrot stick.
Clegg says that in the late 1800s, Krampus became the most notable and recognized version of these monsters. And she says that’s because it came with the best products: chocolates, pepper mills and, most importantly, Krampus postcards, which are made in places like Salzburg, Austria and can be sent easily and cheaply around the world.
The Rose City Dancing Witches perform in front of the Portland Krampuslauf in Portland, Oregon on December 5, 2025.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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Celeste Noche for NPR
Some of these postcards are scary, some are silly, and some… are something else
“There are sexy Krampus cards. There’s a grown-up lady Krampus with a really big whip…and a kind of debonair, handsome topless Krampus,” Clegg laughs.
Recently, Krampus has made a comeback in popular culture, even in the United States. for children booksA horror movie and the Krampus events of San Antonio, TX has Des Moines, IA.
And last weekend, about 150 Krampus and fans gathered in Portland, Oregon, for the fifteenth annual Krampuslauf parade — the day before the Krampus photo shoot at the Fressen bakery.
At first glance, it looks like a merry band of singers. But look a little closer and you’ll see horns, antlers, bloody doll parts and lots of homemade birch switches, although no children were harmed. In fact, some Krampus distributed candy from their bags, instead of stuffing naughty children in them.
Arun Joseph Ragan has been organizing the Portland Krampus Lauf for over 15 years. Ragan leads the Krampus festivities by teaching the Krampus song and leading the parade.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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Celeste Noche for NPR
Arun Joseph Ragan started the parade. He said he never felt much connection with all the joy and brightness of the Christmas season and preferred to lean into the darkness of winter. For him, Krampus brings a valuable lesson: “Make peace with winter and with the spirit of winter, by inviting him to your party – so that he does not sneak up behind you because you did not recognize him.”
And as the sun sets at 4:30 p.m., for some it seems normal to embrace the darkness – and become one. And have a little fun with it. And maybe scare a few kids along the way.
