Last night the new, Christmas themed episode of American Dad stared the terrifying Christmas demon Krampus. At first I thought they had made him up for the show, but after I conducted a quick Google search I learned that Krampus is a real Christmas tradition!

So what does Krampus the Christmas demon do on Christmas? Well while Santa Clause is rewarding all the children on the nice list, Krampus is hard at work punishing those stuck on the naughty list.

The tradition is still very much alive in parts of Europe and some celebrations are even held here in the U.S. It all takes place on December 5, or the eve of St. Nicholas’ Day, when people dress up like Krampus to participate in Krampuslauf (Krampus Run). Yeah, it sounds like a blast.

Some of the costumes are pretty scary even for an adult, but they have good reason. Once everyone is good and drunk, people roam the streets scaring children and adults. Most of the time it's a bunch of costumed drunks with torches (not a good idea) running around the streets. You can see a few pictures below.

Krampus appears as your typical demon with horns, hooves and a Gene Simmons tongue, but his punishment is unique. He carries with him an almost child-sized sack, a rusty chain and a switch. When Krampus shows up at your door you know you're in trouble.

After beating the children with the chains and switches, he stuffs the extra naughty ones into the sack and drags them away. For an example check out the video below.

Now in the episode of American Dad that I mentioned earlier, Krampus kidnaps Steve and takes him to his castle where it turns out Krampus is the only one who cares enough about the children to discipline them.

But none of that matters because minutes later Stan, alongside Santa Clause, storm the castle killing Krampus. In my opinion the episode had a great message and you should watch it if you get a chance. You can read a recap of the episode here.

So if the kids have been misbehaving this year, tell the legend of Krampus the Christmas demon. It's sure to scare them strait. Maybe show them the video below but be sure you parents watch it before showing the little ones.

Krampus
Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images
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Krampus
Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images
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Krampus
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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Krampus
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
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Krampus
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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Krampus
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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