Krampus

This month has been amazing. It's my first December in Austria, not to mention my first Christmas here too. Life here has been slightly different than Southern California. For instance, I've never dealt with a frozen car door, or driving to work using the snowplow guide poles to find my way. It was -22c (-8f) when I got off work the other day.

Interesting to say the least.

The interior of my car windows were frozen. So frozen, the ice wouldn't chip off. Could it be that the ice and glass fused together like some freaky science experiment? I doubt it, but it was weird. I sat there in my car for 20 minutes blasting the defroster. One of my rear brakes was apparently frozen because I dragged a tire for a while in the hardened snow. The manual trasmission got stiff on me. The tranny oil was too cold etc. How cool is that?

Have you heard of a Krampus? I hadn't until this month. They're ugly creatures with horns who whip or beat bad kids. They only come out in December. There was a little Krampus festival in our village earlier this month. I went alone. My 3 yr old, Noah, doesn't like them. Go figure? As well, my wife, Yvonne, doesn't like them either. She's scared. Ha-ha. This is what Wikipedia says about the Krampus:

"Krampus is a mythical creature. According to legend, Krampus accompanies St. Nicholas during the Christmas season, warning and punishing bad children, in contrast to St. Nicholas, who gives gifts to good children.

In the Alpine regions, Krampus is represented by a demon-like creature. Traditionally, young men dress up as the Krampus in Austria during the first two weeks of December, particularly on the evening of 5 December, and roam the streets frightening children with rusty chains and bells."

May I add they pull kids' hair and whip them with sticks! Yup, I've seen it.

The Christmas spirit is alive in Windischarsten. The area is amazingly beautiful right now; not that it isn't during the other months. It reminds me of old Christmas movies showing falling snow, people singing, and warm plates of cookies. We even nibble on roasted chestnuts in front of the t.v. People sometimes ask me, "when is the best time to visit Windischgarsten?" Well, now I say, come for Christmas:)

Gabe

Krampus video