Book review: The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures

As an American reader, Krampus and scary yuletide creatures are mostly foreign to me. In The Dead of Winter, Sarah Clegg takes us on her winter travels through different European countries to explore the dark and threatening side of the season. 

In these pages, we go from the English Lord of Misrule, the horsehead-skulled Mari Lwyds in Wales, the judgy Italian witch Befana, and the punishing Germanic horned beast Krampus to the upside-down social order of the Carnival in Venice. As a folklorist, Clegg is good at exploring how these traditions started out and evolved over the centuries.

With The Dead of Winter, I was struck by how different the American upbringing compared to European families over the centuries—even though many of us have ancestral ties to Europe. But if you look hard enough, North American children know the threats of bad behavior and coal in their stockings. It’s just subtler, without the parades of nightmarish creatures passing through. 

After reading Clegg’s book, you’ll understand hidden meanings behind some Christmas TV classics and carols. Perhaps you'll even incorporate some of these traditions, like a Krampus run, into your holiday festivities. 

rating: ★★★★

The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures
by Sarah Clegg
Algonquin Books

Real Krampus, 2024

Here's the Real Krampus who visited Old Town Hall in Salem, Massachusetts, a few days before Krampusnacht (December 5). Impressive and scary, he punishes bad children or scares them into being good so that they'll find treats from good Saint Nicholas the next morning (St. Nicholas Day, December 6).