Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Gingerbread

Do you recognize this pair? Tempted as I am to make it a contest, I won't. They are St. Nicholas and Krampus, respectively. If you're hip to Krampus, give yourself a pat on the back, or thank the Austrian relative who turned you on to him. I was all excited to be able to give you the link so you could get your own set if you were so inclined, but House on the Hill no longer carries them. I had Austrian grandparents on both sides of my family, but I think I learned more about these guys as an adult.

So the deal is you know all about St. Nicholas, of course, and you're probably all set with December 6th being St. Nicholas Day. Well, in Germany and Austria, St. Nick's traveling companion is Krampus. You've probably already got a bad feeling about him, given the horns on his head. He's the one in charge of dealing with the bad children. As my great little info sheet (that came with when I bought the cutters) says, you can think of them as a good cop/bad cop pair. I try to make an even number of each out of our favorite gingerbread recipe, but sometimes I make more of Krampus just because. You know -- maybe if we honor the bad cop, he'll overlook any transgressions....

7 comments:

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

OKay... Krampus is creeping me out a little. I am reforming on the spot, just looking at his little form! He should have been here yesterday, when I managed to be a total slacker mom.

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

OMG I just Googled Krampus. Holy @#$%... that guy is bad news. Your cookie cutter is tame. I'm going to brush, floss, shower, pay bills, make a healthy breakfast, walk with vigor, say my prayers while doing laundry and tidying everything, and I am going to be a very good Krampus-free mom!

Lesley said...

I think you should give your Krampus biscuits happy smiley faces with some creative icing, or maybe an electric guitar, or an apron, or a good book. Defuse him!

KristenMary said...

I can't believe they make a Krampus cookie cutter, that is so obscure! I love it!! I can't imagine growing up (as a kid who believed in Santa) what mixed feelings I would have had about the season knowing there would be a Krampus out there waiting for me!

Great find!!

Merisi said...

Hi,
so cute you found me via Krampus! *lol*
I cannot remember seeing a Krampus cookie cutter. Maybe it is because I never looked for one since I am here in Vienna? Shame on me!
I spent my childhood in Austria, near the German border. One year, the Krampus packed me in his rucksack. I had been teasing him because I was sure he was a friend of my dad's and would never take me away. It was fun until he started walking into the dark street, and I began fearing he was the "real" one. His face mask was as fearsome as the one on my blog, and he was dressed in jacket and pants made from long-haired sheepskin.

Unknown said...

Where can you find krampus cookie cutters? I have been looking on eBay, Etsy, and Amazon to no avail, as well as Google shopping

Jennifer said...

Sara, my original source doesn't seem to have them any more. I'll keep searching too and will post if I can come up with them for you!