"Grüße vom Krampus" translates from the German to "Greetings from Krampus".... But who is Krampus? Well, in Germany and Austria and the Netherlands and other such places in Northern Europe, St. Nicholas's Day on the 6th of December is a very big deal. The evening before is St. Nicholas's Eve, when the good saint travels the land delivering small presents for good children. St. Nick, however, has a dark companion, who goes by many names... but in Germany, he is called Krampus, and Krampusnacht (Krampus Night) is another name there for St. Nicholas's Eve. It is Krampus's job to deal with the children who have been not so good. He carries a switch and a chain and a sack of coal that he sometimes uses to steal bad children away. A bit terrifying, yes, but also all good fun. Here in Lake Worth, at the American German Club west of town, there is a Christkindlmarkt (or Christmas Market) one weekend each December... but on the Friday night before the Christmas Market, we celebrate Krampusnacht there. It is wonderfully dark and mysterious and great fun!

This mischievous Krampus card is made by our friends at The Divine Iguana in Detroit, Michigan. The image is a reproduction of a vintage penny postcard (no doubt printed originally in Northern Europe). The image is printed on white cardstock. The card is blank inside for your own greeting, but a separate insert, which explains the Krampus legend, is included with the card. Comes sleeved with a red envelope.

Grüße vom Krampus!