Christmas is a  holiday full of joy and family, a Christian holiday most people in the world take part in. Between decorating trees and hanging stockings on the chimney, Christmas is seen as one of the most famous and joyful holidays in the year with an infinite of unique traditions that make each family and culture different in its celebration.

But in some countries, unlike America, Christmas isn’t just seen as a fun holiday spent with the ones you love, but also as a holiday of terror and fear.

In many countries, the legends of Christmas are quite different than those of the U.S. For example, in some European countries, as well as Australia, Saint Nick isn’t the only person traveling the world on Christmas Eve.

There is also another mythical creature that travels through the night, only instead of leaving presents under the tree, it steals children from their beds and beats them into kindness.

He is known as Krampus.

This terrifying Christmas spirit bears inky black horns, a long tongue, and sharp fangs as well as features that greatly resemble that of a goat. He carries many qualities similar to that of the mythical Greek creature, the satyr, or the Roman counterpart, the faun.

He is a common nightmare in children’s dreams, haunting their Christmas Eves with his horrific tyranny.

Krampus is anything but his counterpart, Saint Nicolas, who is known to leave gifts in shoes or boots for good children beneath their trees or by their doors, creating a joyful and magical holiday.

Though Saint Nick is famous for his generosity and jolly attitude, bearing hundreds of movies in honor of his name and spirit, in recent times, Saint Nick’s fellow anti-Claus has also experienced some time in the spotlight.

The horrific beast of Christmas has had numerous televised features over the past few years with his own movie in 2015 as well as many holiday commercials in other countries.

Some argue that this has dulled the creature’s edge and has stolen away the complete mystery of the creature, overall taking away from the terrifying legend. But many also argue that with the films and commercials, the legend isn’t only gaining more popularity, but also gaining scare factor and spreading the myth to other countries, adding more culture to the holiday.

Overall, it is clear that the tale is seeing a bit more than its regular dose of fear and popularity. Whether this is truly taking away its effect of fear on children is beyond knowledge and opinion, but it is also clear that even with its growing publicity, the legend of Krampus is one of the oldest and is guaranteed to stick around for much longer.