Who or What is Krampus?
Move over Jack Skellington. Stand aside Grinch. Meet Krampus, the original darker side of Christmas.
Krampus is the not-so-jolly, demon-ish twin brother of Saint Nicholas. He has roots in European holiday mythology, and takes the “you better watch out” approach of the traditional Santa Claus to a bit of an extreme. In the original story, Saint Nick gives out candy, while Krampus deals with the naughty kids – this is the part of the world where Grimm’s Fairy Tales evolved, remember? More recently, Krampus has worked his way into popular culture in the U.S. as an entertaining figure in movies and television. There are even “Krampus Crawls” and parades in many cities.
Have a Listen to Michael’s Song
Songwriter Michael Gaither became fascinated with the character years ago when “The Krampus Comes Out Tonight.” Listen to the tune on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp or anywhere online where ya get your music these days.
For people who love Halloween as much as Christmas, Krampus bridges the gap.
Come Out and See Krampus
This year you can catch Michael appearing here as the friendly Christmas demon himself, along with a Dark Market of vendors, courtesy of Krampus Santa Cruz.
Saturday November 23rd
Santa Cruz Cider Company, 65 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA
Krampus makes his first appearance of the year at 5:30pm.
Thursday December 5th
Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Ave, Watsonville. Walk through the Holiday Lights display and take your photo with Krampus! 5:30 to 9:00pm. Tickets available at ticketaylor.com.
Friday December 13th
Steel Bonnet Brewing, 20 Victor Square Ext B, Scotts Valley
Dark Market Vendors at 5:00pm. The Krampus comes out at 6:00pm.
For a mixed crowd of kids and adults, Michael can downplay the scarier aspect of the character and even take off the mask, read from Krampus storybooks aimed at kids or play musical chairs dressed in full Krampus garb. (How’s that for a fun visual?)
Want More Off beat Holiday Music?
While you’re here, you might as well also have a listen to Michael’s other holiday tune, “No More Tequila For Santa.”
Merry Krampus!