Taking seats at our favorite table in the dining hall, Ms. Claus and I jumped when a loud clopping and grating sound came from the hallway. The elves stopped talking and looked at the door wondering what or who was making the noise.
The rattling of heavy chains created a nightmarish racket that frightened many of the elves. As they stood up and backed away from their tables, the door to the dining hall flew open and hit the wall with a loud THUD.
“Santa who or what is that?” Anya grabbed my hand and scooted her chair closer to mine.
Before I could answer, a towering, shadowy figure stood at the door. Horns curled up from its head, and its fur was as dark as midnight. A large basket hung from its massive back containing birch switches.
I watched a pair of glowing red eyes peer into the room. “Krampus,” I yelled.
The goat-like creature looked around the room and spotted me. “Hello, old friend,” he growled and raised his hand. “I thought it was time for a visit.”
“Oh my! Krampus.” Anya stood and walked towards him. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you. Would you like some hot cocoa?”
Krampus hesitated, then shrugged. “I suppose.”
I pointed to a chair, for my old frenemy to take a seat. Though his fearsome reputation frightened most who knew him, Krampus never posed a threat to me. We had a long, complicated history—partners of sorts. While I rewarded good children, Krampus took care of the naughty ones in his own, unique way.
The elves, however, were less at ease. They stared at the goat-like man, whispering to one another. “Do you think he’s here to chain us up?” one of them mumbled.
Another elf quickly responded, “He’s probably going to put us in a sack and take us away.”
Hearing the comments, Krampus snorted, “I don’t steal elves.” The chair creaked under his weight as he settled into it.
“Not going to take a switch to them, are you?” I asked.
“Not unless they start causing trouble!” he growled. “Speaking of switches, did you deliver any toys to Jeff, that little boy in the Bronx, who was terrorizing the dogs and cats in his neighborhood?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. After several years on my Naughty List, I was shocked that he turned his life around. What did you do to him?”
“Two years ago, I took my birch switch to him, but that did not work. Last year, just as he was about to hurt a little puppy, I grabbed him, wrapped him up with my chains and threw him in my sack.”
“Did you just leave him there?” Lyra whispered hoarsely.
Krampus glared at my elf and reached for a switch in his basket.
I quickly put my hand on his arm to stop him. “Lyra, it’s not polite to listen in on someone else’s conversation without being invited.”
“Sorry Santa.” Lyra hastily turned around to face the other elves at her table.
“So,” I said, passing him a mug of cocoa, “What did you do?”
Krampus took a long sip and sighed. “I took him out to a park near his house and left him there. He eventually got out and found his way home.”
I shook my head, knowing that Krampus and I did not agree on how to discipline naughty children. “Of course, I would have talked with him first,” I said. “Then I’d try to show or explain to him, why he shouldn’t be acting that way.”
“Yeah, and we both know that doesn’t work for everyone. Some children need a much harsher approach.”
“You may be right, but I just don’t see how physical punishment can make a child behave better. It doesn’t seem to be the right way to handle mischievous boys and girls.”
Nodding in agreement, Anya added, “I would think harming children might make them want to hurt others more.”
“Maybe.” Krampus leaned back in his chair. “Fewer girls and boys are ending up on my Naughty List. Where’s the mischief? The pranks? The rascals who used to make my job interesting?” He groaned. “I’m getting bored!”
My wife and I chuckled. “Krampus, times change,” I said. “Maybe children are learning kindness and patience. Isn’t that a good thing?”
Krampus scowled. “I suppose, but I feel… useless. What’s Christmas if I can’t put a little fear in the children who’ve been naughty? Besides I think this helps other children avoid bad behavior.”
“What do you mean?” my wife asked.
“Well last year, Sara from Toronto, Canada made life hard for some of the younger girls at her school. She would pull their hair, tease them, and say vicious things behind their backs. One day I swooped in and threw Sara into my bag. Then I glared at her friends who moments ago had been laughing with her. They backed away, but their faces told me that they might think twice about hurting or mocking others. I could tell they did not want to be thrown into my sack.”
Mrs. Claus patted his clawed hand. ” Krampus, I think you just made our point. There’s more to Christmas than scaring children into being good. Maybe you should try a new approach.”
Krampus blinked. “Like what?”
I stroked my beard and thought a minute. “Instead of frightening bad children, why not find a way to teach these boys and girls to do better. Maybe you could visit them before Christmas and give each one a chance to turn things around before ending up on your list.”
Krampus mulled it over, rubbing his chin. “Hmph. Interesting.”
Ms. Claus smiled. “We were just about to have dinner. Why don’t you stay, and we could talk about it.”
Not one to turn down a good meal, Krampus grumbled, “Fine.”
The three of us shared a fine meal while discussing different ways to discipline children and get good results. Though his laughter sounded dark and wicked as we talked about Christmas, he ate his fill and joined the elves in a gingerbread-eating contest. By the time he was ready to leave, his spirits had been lifted.
Trudging back into the howling winter night, Krampus turned and smirked. “I’ll try your idea, old man. But if I don’t like it, I’m going back to the switches, chains and sacks.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, my friend,” I said. “Safe travels!”
And with that, Krampus vanished into the snow, his chains jangling like bells in the wind.
My wife put her head on my shoulder. “Do you think he will really change and help children, instead of scaring them into being good?”
“I believe there is kindness in all of us, including Krampus. I can only hope he will find other ways to encourage children to learn from their hurtful behavior.”
Notes From Santa
I hope you enjoyed today’s story. Stories are posted on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, except December. Santa’s next story will be posted on Saturday March 1, 2025. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until the next time . . .
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Illustration from Ultanya