Is Krampus for Kids? Yes! But no.

It’s time for Krampusnatch again! Not to be confused with Krampusnacht, which occurs every December 5, Krampusnatch is Rabid’s own version of a winter holiday celebration, untethered by calendars or tradition, yet undeniably drawing from the past. Krampus has a rich history, having gone through a few evolutions, one of which is upon us, but is the goat-legged, horned-humanoid child-abductor a kid-friendly concept?

Children’s films in the 1980s are remembered as having a darker bent to them, some so much so their viewers grew up to talk about them fondly as being semi-traumatizing. The evil Skeksis overlords in The Dark Crystal, the slaughter of the unicorns in The Last Unicorn, or the death of the horse Artax in The Neverending Story are each iconic in the collective memory of ‘80s kids. They may have been emotionally shocking or terrifying, but, if anything, each of those cinematic elements were good for us in our emotional development, providing lessons to be taken from the undeniable existence of fear, hurt, and sorrow.

Krampus, for most of his celebrated mythological career, was the darker side of a children’s celebration, providing counterbalance to good ol’ St. Nicholas. As time went on, the likes of fascists and churches sought to ban Krampus due to the devilish appearance, imagining that it was somehow a doorway for evil into people’s hearts. This sanitizing effort lasted well into the still young life of the USA with the likes of Norman Rockwell paintings, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and wholly unnecessary eternal parade of Santa movies. Nevertheless, Krampus persisted, as better minds understood the value of representing the darker side of existence as a developmental tool for children. Yes, dammit, Krampus is for kids!

Today, Krampus still reigns in the underground of Christmastime celebrations, the heavy metal of the holidays, not quite breaking the Hallmark Card Glass Ceiling, and probably with no real aspirations to do so, making it a perfect fit for a Rabid taproom bash. There’s more to that party checklist, the most salient of which is that Krampus has horns, not to mention that we have a Friday the 13th to celebrate it on. As with most holidays in America, aimed at children or not, it’s a great excuse for the adults to have a party. So, while I’ve extoled the virtues of including Krampus in the holidays with your children, leave them at home, put on some horns and come have a drink.