The elf on the shelf is nothing compared to Krampus. Our culture gets off pretty easy, if you ask me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus http://en.wikipedia.

The elf on the shelf is nothing compared to Krampus. Our culture gets off pretty easy, if you ask me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus (As satirized on an episode of The Office, and as Christoph Waltz recently discussed on Jimmy Kimmel.) "Krampus is represented as a beast-like creature, generally demonic in appearance. The creature has roots in Germanic folklore. Traditionally young men dress up as the Krampus in Austria, Romania, southern Bavaria, South Tyrol, northern Friuli, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia during the first week of December, particularly on the evening of 5 December (the eve of Saint Nicholas Day on many church calendars), and roam the streets frightening children with rusty chains and bells." I'm sure that makes for a very merry Christmas! :)