Looking for trip ideas for next December? Does getting swatted by a furry monster sound appealing? Head over, e.g., to Munich Christmas Market, where hundreds of Krampuses walk the streets, or to the small Alpine village of Gastein for a more traditional and less cordoned-off event.

Moving from Krampus's origins and how it relates to St. Nicholas to regional variations of the events and the relationship between traditionalists and those who want to modernize, Ridenour also gives plenty of information about related figures and folktales. He doesn't quite keep all the threads organized and, at times, wanders a bit too far from Krampus, but as far as I know, this is the most comprehensive coverage of the creature. It's also fantastically illustrated with a large collection of photographs.