 Through roofs of tin and roofs of thatching, Beware, beware, Krampus is watching. Say you're creeping down yuletide stairs, To spot your gifts for mornings there. And should you see black tufts of hair, Run, Black Peter awaits those who dare. To spoil the joy of holiday's mourn, Corporate Greed receives his scorn. It's not just children who'd be well to fear, CEOs shiver when Black Peter's here. It is their greed that brings the Krampus near through this holiday and in New Year. The origins of the creature known as the Krampus are thought to date back to pre-Christian tradition. According to legend, the Krampus is a horned creature from the Alpine folklore, who during the Christmas season punishes or scares those who misbehave. It's actually the story of the Krampus where the idea of bad children receiving coal originated. Because according to tradition, on the evening of December 5th, which is known as Krampus Night, or Krampus Schnott, in parts of Europe, the Krampus appears to give coal and rutten bundles to those who are naughty. The custom is, to just as we would set milk and cookies out for Santa, we should also set out schnopps for the Krampus. In parts of Croatia, the Krampus is described as a devil who wears a cloth sack around his waist and chains around his neck, ankles, and wrists. After the 1932 election in Austria, traditions such as those involving Krampus were prohibited by the Dolphus regime. According to many traditions, the Krampus is usually covered in brown or black hair and has cloven hooves with the horns of a goat. He also has fangs and a long pointed tongue which hangs out. He carries chains which he thrashes about for dramatic effect, which are meant to represent the binding of the devil. In some cultures, he uses the birch branches he carries to spank children, while in other cultures he uses a whip. Many incarnations have him carrying a sack, basket, or even a barrel on his back in order to carry away evil children, and take them to be either drowned, eaten, or straight to hell. In some parts of North America, Krampus is an anti-hero who seeks to prevent children from becoming spoiled by rampant consumerism, which flows from the economics of Christmas. More modern incarnations have the Krampus resembling a twisted and demonic version of Santa Claus, while others present him as having the fanged face of an elderly man with horns and a body covered in white hair. According to Austrian and Bavarian folklore, the Krampus is known as the Christmas Devil. Across the United States and Canada, many cities have gotten into the Krampus Celebration trend, with Krampus Schnapp being celebrated in Washington, D.C. The Krampus Ball being the celebration of choice in Toronto, Chicago, and LA have Krampus Fest. San Francisco has the Krampus Crawl, and Philadelphia has Krampus Lough. The character of the Krampus has appeared throughout pop culture in recent times in films such as Krampus The Christmas Devil in 2013, Krampus The Reckoning in 2015, as well as other films in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. There are currently, at the time of this recording, two other films in production, Kevin Smith's Anti-Claws, and Happy Krampus from Walden Media and the Jim Henson Company. You can also find the Krampus in episodes of The Venture Brothers, Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated, American Dad, Hotel Transylvania, and Robot Chicken. The most well-known film incarnation of the Krampus is the 2015 film, which takes place in the same universe as Trick or Treat by Todd Casey, Michael Daughtry, and Zach Shields from Universal Pictures. In it, three days before Christmas, the Engel family, who is fairly wealthy and though dysfunctional, gather for the holidays, win young Max Engel, who has a bad Christmas, accidentally summons the Krampus to his family's home. The film A Christmas Horror Story is also a great film which revolves around the battle between Santa Claus and the Krampus, with the twist ending, also released in 2015 as an anthology horror film, and directed by Grant Harvey, Stephen Hoban, and Brett Sullivan, as well as starring William Shatner as a radio DJ. If you enjoyed that video, make sure you hit the subscribe button right there, so you can stay up to date on All Thanks Geek Culture. Also, go ahead and check out one of these two playlists on the side for more videos just like the one you just watched. I'm Shatner for Comic NTV, the only place on YouTube where All Geek Culture collides. Take care Geeks.