Monday, December 3, 2012

25 Days Of Krampus - Krampus Greeting Cards

 
A hundred year ago, Santa Claus didn't bother with keeping track of bad children who deserved coal lumps in their stockings. He had a devilish pal named Krampus who took care of the kids on the naughty list. With his red skin, shaggy black coat of fur, obscene pointed tongue, cloven hooves, pointed tail, and sharp horns emanating from his forehead, Krampus carried a switch to beat young miscreants senseless, after which he'd toss them in his backpack and drag them to his uncomfortably warm subterranean lair.


In the late 19th century and early 20th century, “Grüß Vom Krampus” (Greetings from Krampus) cards were popular in Europe. The evening of December 5th was Krampusnacht, when Krampus would descend upon villages to terrorize youngsters who wondered with horror whether their transgressions over the past year warranted a one way trip to hell in a hand basket.

 
By the mid-1930s the legend of the Krampus was on its way out. What remained of Krampus was sanitized and santa-ized (think of The Grinch, who undergoes a Fonzie-like metamorphosis from a misanthropic menace into a lover of humankind). But Krampus has been making a comeback. Check out this video of a Krampus attack in a German Village, where drunk young men in costume are given free reign to beat the heck out of townspeople with long sticks.

 
What better to way to celebrate the return of the Krampus with this set of Krampus greeting cards from Last Gasp? With art selected from Monte Beauchamp's historical postcard book, Krampus: The Devil of Christmas, the set comes with 20 cards (two each of ten designs) in a metal tin. My daughter Jane was fascinated by the cards, and she had a great time sorting them in order of scariness.

 

7 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Krampus need to trim his toenails too. They must be hell on his wife's sheets.

Unknown said...

I have absolutely no problems believing something like this comes from Germany.

Kal said...

Oh totally, wait until Lent. The town I lived in had a 'Burning of the Witch' ceremony each year. Equally as horrific.

Wings1295 said...

I saw these and said to myself "Self, you should send that link to Cal." But my self said "No, I bet Cal will find it all on his own."

We know who was right now, don't we?

Kal said...

What is your point? LOL. Thanks for thinking of me. I am happy to know that I am so predictable.

Dr. Theda said...

Great Post good Sir,, ... I would love to see the rest of these "postcards"... Dr. Theda

Unknown said...

Wao,
Amazing blog.
The pics are very very cool.
This is with the difference.
I see today something different..
I feel pleasure to see it.
I love to read and see this types of blog.
Video Greeting cards