People can't get over terrifying Christmas tradition to stop naughty children

"You don't want to end up on Santa's naughty list, do you?"

For a lot of kids, that warning coupled with the threat of ending up with a lump of coal in their stocking is all it takes to put a stop to bad behavior.

In some cultures, however, adults take it upon themselves to get a little more theatrical with their warnings.

Each year, as we dive headfirst into the festive season, residents in Alpine Austria and some parts of Germany celebrate Krampusnacht - meaning Krampus Night - by dressing up as Krampus himself.

A world away from a jolly Santa Claus or mischievous elf, Krampus is a much more terrifying creature covered in dark hair, with cloven hooves, pointy ears, horns, and a long tongue.

His origins stem back as far as two thousand years, and he while he's often considered to symbolize the onset of the dark nights and the pressures of surviving in the cold, he's also used to prevent children from being naughty.

The Kinsman Free Public Library, in Ohio, explains: "Krampus is a terrifying monster who scoops up bad or naughty children into is sack to work in his coal mines after beating them with a switch."

X/@mherfurt

The creepy creature has even been said to drag naughty kids to hell - so it's safe to say he's not exactly the jolly figure you usually might associate with Christmas.

It's a terrifying image, especially if you're a young kid, but that hasn't stopped Krampus showing up every year in certain cultures.

People will dress up as the terrifying creature and wander through the streets, or even frighten children at their homes - with their parents' knowledge, I'm sure.

The tradition has become more widely known thanks to the 2015 horror movie named after the creature, as well as the spread of videos and photos of the tradition shared online.

X

Increasing awareness of Krampus has left internet users shocked at the practice, with one baffled person commenting: "WHAT KIND OF XMAS TRADITION IS KRAMPUS?!?!?!?! WTF AUSTRIA?!?!?!?!"

Writing on X, another stunned person wrote: "what the hell is this tradition people getting hit by krampus in the streets??? wild (sound kind fun tho)."

"Just learned about Krampus, thank f**k I was not aware of that sh*t as a child," wrote a third, adding: "Christmas would have been terrifying."

Hopefully you'll never want to do anything bad enough in your life to warrant being dragged to hell by a horned, hooved creature, but on the off chance you are considering it, maybe just keep Krampus in mind.

Happy Christmas!