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  Legendary Pictures’ Krampus, presents a dark and twisted tale of the infamous creature of European pagan origin best known in the United States as the infernal sidekick of Saint Nicholas. Instead of greeting the holiday with the usual Christmas cheer, the movie presents a predictable plot where all hell breaks loose with a family punished for their dysfunction as Krampus stalks the nonbelievers and malcontents during a dark blizzard on Christmas Eve. Krampus was co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty, known for another holiday-based horror film, Trick 'r Treat. Krampus begins with a portrayal of a normal family who is awaiting the arrival of extended family members to celebrate the holiday. Parents Tom (Adam Scott) and Sarah (Toni Collette), grandmother Omi (Krista Stadler), teenaged daughter Beth (Stefania LaVie Owen), and pre-teen Max (Emjay Anthony) anxiously await Sarah’s sister Linda (Alison Tolman) and her family, a rude and crude bunch who display irreverence for the holiday and disrespect for themselves and others. Linda’s husband, Howard (David Koechner), is portrayed as a stereotypical redneck who loves guns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Linda’s family also includes a cranky aunt (Conchata Ferrell) and several obnoxious cousins. The ill-natured cousins taunt Max for still believing in Santa, and when they find and read the letter he wrote to Santa they further humiliate him, which results in one disillusioned little boy who turns his back on Christmas. Max unknowingly casts a sort of spell on himself when he rips his letter up into tiny little pieces and scatters them to the winds. Consequently, a terrible storm arrives and the power for the entire town is lost. The remainder of the movie occurs fittingly in the darkness of a raging blizzard setting the stage for the arrival of the so-called demon Krampus who is ready to unleash his wrath on the family, forcing them to either unite or fall apart. The film is not entirely serious; it is somewhat of a hybrid horror/comedy—sort of along the lines of Gremlins— which is what saves it, in my opinion. I have to admit I went into the movie already biased by the trailers I had seen that portrayed Krampus as a purely evil creature. The usual misrepresentation by the Big Screen regarding characters of pagan origin is beyond annoying. Nevertheless, I put that aside and watched the movie. I wanted to see how Krampus looked. I was also interested in any backstory—I wanted to see how they were going to present Krampus as a legendary figure. That the movie failed to achieve full horror or full comedic results did not bother me. I was, however, disappointed that most of the scenes with Krampus and the monsters occurred close-up or in suggestive ways, as opposed to giving the audience a good look at them so we could marvel at the creative handiwork. Sigh. Still, Krampus does have some good moments. A series of strange events begin to occur, but no one seems to know what is going on. No one, that is, except for the German grandma, Omi, who in the beginning keeps to herself what she knows. Later, she recounts her childhood memories of Krampus in a hauntingly beautiful scene that explains just how Krampus found the American family. Omi calls Krampus the “Shadow of Saint Nicolas” and shares how growing up in poverty made her dislike the holidays to the point that she summoned Krampus as a result. He, in turn, drug her parents into hell but spared her, leaving behind a brass bell as a reminder of the consequences for losing one’s Christmas spirit. Of course, hell is a Christian concept and has nothing to do with the actual pagan creature. I guess if Krampus is likened to the devil though, then hell has to figure in the rewritten mythology somewhere. I have lost all hope for Hollywood ever getting anything pagan correctly depicted. Meanwhile, Krampus lurks about outside of the family home and upstairs in the attic a number of surprises await. Some presents that had been delivered earlier (by Krampus) start shaking, getting the family’s attention who predictably go upstairs to investigate. There, they find der Klown-in-the-box who decides to eat one of Max’s cousins. If that’s not scary enough, they are taunted and attacked by Lumpy, Dumpy, and Clumpy, three evil gingerbread men. No, I’m not making this up. But wait, there’s more. After fighting off the gingerbread demons, the family is attacked by three of Krampus’ evil elf minions who end up kidnapping Dorothy, Howard, and the baby. The rest of the family make a run for it in the blizzard which proves to be a bad move as they are eaten by a snow monster. There are a few side plots of various family members being terrorized by the devilish Krampus crew but ultimately, the only one left alive is Max, who has to confront the Christmas demon alone. Krampus gives Max a bell like the one his grandmother was given, only this one was wrapped in a piece of Max’s torn letter. Max apologizes to Krampus for losing his Christmas spirit and pleads for the return of his family, and though Krampus considers the request as he dangles Max over the pits of Hell, he drops him anyway. Instead of landing in fire and brimstone, Max wakes up in his bed on Christmas morning as if it all was nothing but a dream. He gets out of bed and joins his family who are downstairs opening presents. Then, he opens a present that contains the Krampus bell and everyone suddenly remembers what had happened. They all sit dumbfounded while the camera pulls back and shows Krampus watching them from inside a snow globe on a shelf in his creepy lair. There’s no deep meaning behind the obvious in the movie: karma’s a bitch when Krampus is watching.  As an artist, I would have loved to have seen more of the Krampus character. I particularly loved the (far too short) scene where the group of Krampuses waere walking in the snow. I also totally loved the little Krampus bell and would love to purchase one just because, if only the manufacturer wetanz.com would get them back in stock. Folks selling them on Ebay are selling them at nauseatingly inflated prices. For example, the actual cost from the manufacturer is $11.99 whereas Ebay sellers are pricing them at $79.00. All in all, Krampus is not a bad movie, but it’s not especially good either. It falls short in a number of areas and does not give enough visual effect to satisfy the artist or pagan in me. It left me hungry for more than a huge, refillable $7.50 bag of buttered popcorn could compensate for. Still, Krampus lovers should check it out for themselves. I’ve made that easy for you by providing the QR code that goes to the directly to the movie on Amazon.com where you can watch it for just a couple of bucks. * This article appears in Gumbo Ya Ya's Holiday Edition Krampus-Santa issue. * Check out this article for some cool Krampus videos. Krampus-Santa Gumbo Ya Ya 2015 Holiday Edition
$13.00
Little did any of us know at the time this issue of Gumbo Ya Ya was in the works that there would be a brand new movie and a growing trend of Krampus celebration and piqued curiosity about this ancient pagan spirit. As Carl Jung said, "Syncronicity is an ever-present reality for those who have eyes to see it."
And, who knew there are as many versions of Santa Claus and his sidekicks as there are cultures that celebrate Yuletide? From the Netherlands’ white horse called Schimmel to the donkey of France and the Angels of Czechoslovakia, the companions of St. Nicholas run the gamut from beast to celestial being to human thug, from benevolent helper to scary monster. Whatever their form and demeanor, St. Nick’s companions travel alongside him to help him get the job of gift-giving done. And as for Krampus? He is often referred to as the Christmas devil because he travels with St. Nicholas in chains and bells punishing children who have misbehaved. According to lore, the naughty children are taken away to his lair, some say to Hell itself, and crammed in cages or chained. If you are interested in the legends of both St. Nicholas and Krampus, how the two got together and what they are all about from a pagan as well as Christian perspective, then you have got to read this issue of Gumbo Ya Ya. But that's not all we have in store for you. Check out these articles: But that's not all we have in store for you. Check out these articles:
And more recipes, legends and other interesting things to make your holiday season more festive. GUMBO YA YA KRAMPUS-SANTA Digital Download
$7.00
Little did any of us know at the time this issue of Gumbo Ya Ya was in the works that there would be a brand new movie and a growing trend of Krampus celebration and piqued curiosity about this ancient pagan spirit. As Carl Jung said, "Syncronicity is an ever-present reality for those who have eyes to see it."
And, who knew there are as many versions of Santa Claus and his sidekicks as there are cultures that celebrate Yuletide? From the Netherlands’ white horse called Schimmel to the donkey of France and the Angels of Czechoslovakia, the companions of St. Nicholas run the gamut from beast to celestial being to human thug, from benevolent helper to scary monster. Whatever their form and demeanor, St. Nick’s companions travel alongside him to help him get the job of gift-giving done. And as for Krampus? He is often referred to as the Christmas devil because he travels with St. Nicholas in chains and bells punishing children who have misbehaved. According to lore, the naughty children are taken away to his lair, some say to Hell itself, and crammed in cages or chained. If you are interested in the legends of both St. Nicholas and Krampus, how the two got together and what they are all about from a pagan as well as Christian perspective, then you have got to read this issue of Gumbo Ya Ya. But that's not all we have in store for you. Check out these articles: But that's not all we have in store for you. Check out these articles:
And more recipes, legends and other interesting things to make your holiday season more festive. This issue is also available in paperback. Krampus Fixed Glass Encased 7 Day Candle
$24.95
Krampus is commonly referred to as the "darker" sidekick of Santa Claus because he essentially represents the polar opposite of St. Nicholas. In German folklore, Krampus is represented as a sort of Christmas devil complete with horns and cloven hooves. As one of the Companions of St. Nicholas, Krampus wanders the streets in chains and bells punishing children who have misbehaved. Krampus Night or Krampusnacht occurs on December 5th (the eve of the feast of St Nicholas) when he is offered fruit schnapps. While Santa dispenses gifts for the good children, Krampus is the bearer of coal and bundles of gold painted birch twigs called Ruten bundles. Krampus is alleged to periodically swat children who have misbehaved with one of the longer twigs. Sometimes, he carries a whip for the same purpose. Krampus presents Ruten bundles to families who leave them out as a reminder throughout the year for children to behave. Krampus is believed to have Pagan origins; though, his exact lineage is unclear. Some suggest he is the son of Hel in Norse mythology while others suggest he is similar to the satyrs and fauns of Greek mythology. Whatever his origins, he is a feared but beloved creature who adds a little chaos to the holiday mix.
Krampus is depicted on a red glass encased, seven day candle fixed with aromatic herbs and oils. Creole Moon's fixed glass encased candles will burn for approximately seven days or 120 hours. They can be reused once they have burned down as vases for holding flowers, turned into a container spell to keep on your altar or refilled with wax to burn again. They are simply too beautiful to throw away and the creative conjurer will find many possibilities for using the decorative glass container once the original wax has burned down.
*Be sure to check out my article Setting Lights on my blog for instructions and ideas for using any of my candles. St. Nicholas and Krampus Seven Day Glass Encased Candles
$44.95
Celebrate Yule with both St. Nicholas and Krampus with these beautiful handcrafted candles. Krampus, best known as the sidekick of St. Nicholas, is depicted on a red glass encased, seven day candle while St. Nicholas is on a white glass-encased candle, both fixed with aromatic herbs and oils that will burn for approximately 120 hours. Krampus is commonly referred to as the "darker" sidekick of Santa Claus because he essentially represents the polar opposite of St. Nicholas. In German folklore, Krampus is represented as a sort of Christmas devil complete with horns and cloven hooves. He wanders the streets in chains and bells punishing children who have misbehaved. Krampus Night or Krampusnacht occurs on December 5th (the eve of the feast of St Nicholas) when he is offered fruit schnapps. While Santa dispenses gifts for the good children, Krampus is the bearer of coal and bundles of gold-painted birch twigs called Ruten bundles. Krampus is alleged to periodically swat children who have misbehaved with one of the longer twigs. Krampus presents Ruten bundles to families who leave them out as a reminder throughout the year for children to behave. Krampus is believed to have Pagan origins; though, his exact lineage is unclear. Some suggest he is the son of Hel in Norse mythology while others suggest he is similar to the satyrs and fauns of Greek mythology. Whatever his origins, he is a feared but beloved creature who adds a little chaos to the holiday mix.
St. Nicholas is the patron saint to children, students, sailors, fishermen, ships, sailing, mariners, merchants, bankers, scholars, travelers, bakers, pawnbrokers, prisoners, captives, brides, chemists, the hungry, the falsely accused, repentant thieves, archers, and pharmacists. Burn a St. Nicholas Fixed Altar Candle to petition St. Nicholas for justice, charity and love. In New Orleans, it is said that one must burn a candle when petitioning any saint in order to "wake them up" so they can hear your petition. This beautiful candle bears a Petition St. Nicholas on the back. Voodoo Mama's Conjure Candles will burn for approximately seven days or 120 hours. They can be reused once they have burned down as vases for holding flowers, turned into a container spell to keep on your altar or refilled with wax to burn again. They are simply too beautiful to throw away and the creative conjurer will find many possibilities for using the decorative glass container once the original wax has burned down. The exception to this is when the candle is burned for nefarious purposes. The remains should be thrown in a trash can away from your home or left at a crossroads with an offering to the spirits that reside there.
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