December 6 is St. Nicholas Day. In my hometown, we celebrated a similar tradition, but instead of St. Nicholas, we were visited by Belsnickel. Here’s a brief mention I found on Wikipedia:
Belsnickel (or Belschnickel) is a Pennsylvania Dutch mythical being who visits children at Christmas time. If they have not been good, they will find coal and/or switches in their stockings. The Belsnickel was a scary creature not well loved except by parents wanting to keep their children in line.
Belsnickel is also similar to Krampus in Austria and Germany.
I did grow up in a very German part of Pennsylvania, and my area of the state had adapted a version of this story. Our Belsnickel wasn’t exactly scary, though…we thought of him as a jolly elf of sorts. On the night of Dec. 5, we’d leave our shoes out, and Belsnickel would leave a small gift (candy or little toys) for you if you’d been good.
I received small gifts from Belsnickel well into my adulthood. 😉 (Here’s one previous mention on the blog…I had spelled it Bellsnickle, and I’ve been noticing a lot of google searches leading people here! Hope you find what you’re looking for…)
There’s some more information under the “Companions of St. Nicholas” entry in Wikipedia.
My mom had a framed copy of the Belschnickel poem that she would hang at the top of the staircase every December. The background had a haunting, scary character with a huge pickle-like nose. I can’t remember the whole poem but this is some of it:
Santa Claus comes when you’re good
with cnady and toys on his sleigh
But if you don’t do as you should,
Belschnickel will take them away!
His nose is as long as a pickle – Belschnickel!
He flies on his leathery wings,
And though you’ve been naughty, he sighs
He never likes taking your things
And tears overflow from his eyes
And trickle and trickle and trickle – Belschnickel!
So if you don’t quarrel and fight
And peevishly mumble and groan
Belschnickel will never take flight
and leave all your toys alone!
So act in a way that will tickle Belschnickel!