Krampus 2020

Fear on the Farm

It's a family tradition to have our annual Christmas-time photo taken with Krampus! This has been a part of our holiday celebrations for the past 4 years, with the last three having taken place at Mike Winland Studios.  But, 2020 hasn't been a normal year by any stretch. With a new family dynamic added to the chaos of the pandemic, I was ready to accept that there would be no Krampus this year.

Fortunately, a friend tagged me in a Facebook post announcing that Fear on the Farm  in Winfield would be offering a two-day Christmas event!  They'd be doing a haunted trail, but they'd ALSO be doing pictures with Krampus! It was short notice, but I knew that I had to make Krampus 2020 a reality!

The first day of Fear on the Farm's event took place on December 18th, which also happens to be my birthday! So, as part of my birthday festivities, my husband and I celebrated our second Christmas together (first Christmas actually living together) with a portrait with Krampus!

I was also pleased to see Tiffany's Twisted Creations was there and following with the annual tradition, I also bought a few pieces, including some ornaments for my husband and I's first tree together. 

This year was a big change, for many reasons. It's been a difficult, unpleasant year for many reasons, too. I'm just glad that I was able to keep some traditions alive, and make new traditions with my husband. Happy Haunted Holidays! 

My goodies from Tiffany's Twisted Creations

LAST YEAR'S EXPERIENCE WITH KRAMPUS!

Happy Valentine's Day 2020!

Happy Valentine's Day from Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State...and the Krampus!  Yes, our favorite winter holiday demon has also enjoyed a legacy of love with images like the one above.  I hope this Valentine's Day is spent with a partner who looks at you the same way Krampus is looking at this lovely lady!  Also, join me over on Facebook for plenty of ghost stories of ill-fated lovers and unrequited love, perfect for your spooky Valentine's Day reading! 

Krampus 2019

This past Saturday was a super busy day!  Luke was finishing up his first sleepover birthday party, then had to go to jiu-jitsu, and then had another birthday pool party later that afternoon!  Despite all that, we managed to make time for our annual family tradition: Pictures With Krampus!

This is our third year having our picture taken with Krampus at Mike Winland Studios in Charleston and every year we have a blast.  Mike is a wonderful photographer and his Krampus is the best I've seen!  Our pictures are always a great mix of creepy and hilarious and it really has become a fun, family holiday tradition to take Luke to see Krampus, who seems to remember him and is delighted to see him each year. I personally look forward to it even more than taking him to see Santa, lol.  This year, Luke showed some real bravery and even HUGGED Krampus before we left, which he talked about for days afterwards.  I'm proud of my boy, and I'm so happy that Mike and his staff have brought the opportunity to share a little spooky holiday culture with us, here in the tri-state!

Unfortunately, Krampusnacht 2019 is over...but if you missed pictures with Krampus at Mike's studio this past Saturday, you've still got a few other opportunities to meet Krampus!  Mike and Krampus will be at the Glade Springs Resort for the Fright Before Christmas haunted attraction on Friday the 13th!  Get tickets HERE.

There will also be pictures with a different Krampus available this Friday in Winfield, WV at Fear on the Farm's I'm Screaming of a Fright Christmas haunted attraction!

And lastly, Krampus will be making an appearance at the Sissonville branch public library on Thursday, December 19th from 6-8pm for photos! Check out their Facebook Event Page for more information. 

Krampus also made an appearance last Friday at Oddbird Gift Emporium in Charleston, but I had to miss it this year.  However, that was our very first Krampus experience back in 2016 and it was awesome.  Krampus and St. Nicholas arrived together and assured Luke that he had been a good boy that year, lol.  I'm really happy to see that so many locations throughout the Kanawha Valley are really embracing a little bit of history and culture, especially since I've got quite a bit of German ancestry myself. It's a nice change of pace from the usual Christmas activities and just a really fun tradition, at least in our family!

An Old Fashioned Christmas with Krampus!

On Saturday, December 8th my family and I dove head first into Christmas with a double dose of old fashioned Christmas fun.  Our first stop...pictures with Krampus.

This was our third year meeting and second year having our family photo taken with everyone's favorite Christmas demon.  Krampus is a hard-working guy; after making it through another Krampusnacht on December 5th, he took the time to meet and greet both pets and families at Mike Winland Studios in Kanawha City!  We loved our pictures from last year so much, that we absolutely knew we had to go back again this year...and once again, we were not disappointed.  Luke was a little braver this year...but not too much!  When it was our turn to have out photo taken, the photographer (Mike himself) recognized Luke from last year.  In fact, Luke's photo from last year was used on one of the ads for this year's event, so he was feeling pretty famous and important.  And then, he was feeling abject terror as Krampus stood behind him and giggled maniacally at seeing him back for another year.  We took a few fun poses, and as we waited to choose our photo, the Krampus stared at Luke, waved at him, and generally creeped him out fully.  I loved it, lol!  We are so lucky to have this opportunity to share a little culture and history with our son AND support a local artist/business owner. This Krampus was so detailed and spooky, and his actions and mannerisms were so spot on that it was really easy to forget that this wasn't an actual Germanic monster straight out of folklore, ready to beat you with a birch branch.

We bought an 8x10 portrait, but I also walked away with this gorgeous bracelet by Tiffany's Twisted Creations!  It's a real rat jaw bone! Tiffany was in the shop and we got to chat for a few minutes about her unique jewelry, much of which is made up of natural materials collected from her farm. You can find more of her work on Facebook and Etsy (Tiffanystwistedmind on Etsy).  Everything is reasonably priced, well-made, and if you're local, you can arranged a pick up/meet up to save on shipping.  Christmas is just a few weeks away and if you've got someone a little...different...on your list, you're likely to find the perfect gift at Tiffany's Twisted Creations.

Meeting Krampus and buying rat bone jewelry was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit, but our day wasn't done yet!  We headed straight back to Hurricane to take part in the town's Victorian Christmas and annual parade. The town of Hurricane was officially 'created' in 1888, and to celebrate the occasion, this year's town holiday festivities was to take on a Victorian flair.  There was a lot of potential with that idea, but unfortunately, it just didn't really come together.  There were very few activities being offered, but what there was, well...it was pretty awesome.

We started off with a kid's card making craft at Rock Paper Sisters, a local business.  The craft was free, and Luke had a great time making a card for me and Aaron. The girls who own the shop were extremely helpful and sweet, and made sure Luke had everything he needed to make a beautiful Christmas card. While we were there, a group of carolers in Victorian dress sang some Christmas favorites for us, which was fun.  Afterwards, we headed over to the Hidden Creek Mercantile to see a dramatic reading of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

I wasn't really sure what to expect going in, but wow, was I impressed!  Two narrators read an abridged version of the famous Christmas ghost story, while cast members acted out the scenes. The costumes (by Dale Morton Studios) were excellent and the cast did a great job.  I thought this would be the sort of thing that Luke wouldn't be overly interested in, but he really, really enjoyed it.  It was a story he was familiar with (thanks to Disney!) and the actors/narrators were so engaging that you couldn't help but be drawn in.  As an added bonus, FREE copies of A Christmas Carol book were given to the audience members! 

If you've been following me on Facebook, you know that I'm a huge supporter of bringing back the tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas time, so actually seeing such an awesome portrayal, in person, of the most famous Christmas ghost story of all time was perfect. And, as always, the parade was fun, but after all the more 'paranormal' elements to our day, it kind of took a back seat position in my mind, lol. Overall, we had a really fun Saturday filled with classic Christmas traditions. I love being able to make memories with my son and being able to add a little bit of a spooky element in there makes it even better.

I hope you and yours are also having a great holiday season!  I've got more spooky Christmas season fun coming to the blog and Facebook all month long, so keep checking back!  Happy Holidays from Theresa's Haunted History!

My Spooky Ornament Collection

My love of all things spooky is evident in pretty much every aspect of my life...including my holiday decor!  Since officially becoming an adult and having my own Christmas trees to decorate, I've tried to slowly add more and more...er, non-traditional...pieces to their branches.  Here's my personal collection of paranormal-themed Christmas tree ornaments thus far.  I'm always on the lookout for new pieces, so if you have a favorite spooky ornament of your own, please share!  You can comment below or join me over at Theresa's Haunted History Facebook and let everyone know how YOU decorate for this time of year!

The Krampus ornament on the left was purchased last year at Mike Winland Studios.  We were at the studio to get our picture taken with Krampus, a tradition we hope to repeat again on Saturday!  If you're going to be in the Charleston, WV area on December 8th, come down to the studio 12 pm to 4 pm or 6 pm to 10pm to meet Krampus for yourself!  During the 6 pm to 10 pm time slot, the studio will also be hosting the Fright Before Christmas Art Show and live music. Check the link above for more info.

The Mothman and Ghost ornaments are both stained glass and metal creations that I picked up at Nitro's Festival of Fright, back in October.  Both were created by and purchased from Kelly Bryant, Studio 13. During the Christmas season, they'll find a home on my tree and for the rest of the year, they'll probably be used as decor somewhere else in my house.

This cute little bauble is another nod to West Virginia's favorite creature, the Mothman.  Aaron and I purchased this from a vendor at this past year's Mothman Festival.  Unfortunately, I didn't get her contact information, but she's there every year.  I also purchased a really cute Mothman headband from her!  If you ever get the chance to visit the Mothman Festival, definitely do so...there are so many creative and artistic souvenirs available for purchase, along with live music, internationally-known speakers, and so much more. 

My little BOO ghost on the left was a present from my mom years ago, so I have no idea where it came from.  At one point, the jack-o-lantern lit up, making the haunted house scene in its mouth more visible.  It's had a rough go, but its still one of my favorite pieces.  

In the middle is my third and final Mothman ornament.  Aaron and I bought this at another Mothman Festival, probably six or seven years ago.  It's a simple silver ball adorned with a Mothman sticker, but its held up well over the years, and makes quite an impression on our tree!  And finally, my other Krampus ornament is on the right!  I purchased mine a couple of years ago at Oddbird Gift Emporium in Charleston, during our first meeting with Krampus!  I haven't been in the store yet this holiday season, so I'm not sure if they have any in stock, but this is a fairly common ornament that you can pick up at many places.  It's available on Amazon for less than $15. 

*Want MORE Spooky Christmas Ornaments? Check out my Top Tuesday: Best Christmas Ornaments post!*

Luke Meets Krampus...AGAIN

On December 9th, my family and I traveled to Mike Winland Studios in Kanawha City. Our mission was to once again face off against everyone's favorite holiday monster, Krampus!

Mike Winland, creator of the West Virginia horror and sci-fi convention, Shocka-Con, is a local artist and photographer with a flair for the spooky and unusual. We were thrilled that he was offering this opportunity to sit for a professional photo shoot with such an awesome Krampus! The prices were extremely reasonable for the prints, and Mr. Krampus himself was quite entertaining. We may have to pay for some therapy for Luke later on, but it was all worth it for this shot!

In case you're not familiar with Krampus, he's the not-so-lovable companion to St. Nicholas. On the night of December 5th, while St. Nicholas is busy throughout eastern Europe leaving presents for good little boys and girls, Krampus is out roaming the countryside for the naughty ones. If you're just a little naughty, he might just leave a birch switch for your parents to beat you with. If you're REALLY naughty, you might end up being spirited away in Krampus' sack of horrors!

Luke was a very good boy this year, but there was no convincing him that Krampus wasn't out to take him away, lol. And I don't blame him for being scared----we met a different Krampus last year at Oddbird Gift Emporium in Charleston. That Krampus was a well-spoken, non-threatening sort of interpretation, while the Mike Winland Krampus was the stuff nightmares are made of!

I really hope Mike Winland Studios offers this unique chance again next year. Yeah, its fun to be scared, but more importantly, the sharing of the Krampus legend preserves and introduces the culture, history, and folklore that many around here might not otherwise get to experience. So keep an eye out for next year to see if Krampus shall return...and until then, watch for other great events. The studio is not only a REALLY unique place to get photos done year round, but also houses an art gallery full of wonderful pieces for sale.

Click HERE if you'd like to see our experience with Krampus in 2016!

Krampus is Coming!

With every Yin, there comes a Yang. You can't appreciate the light if it doesn't come followed by the dark. And, you can't have St. Nicholas without....THE KRAMPUS!

Children throughout eastern Europe eagerly await December 6th, which is known as St. Nicholas' Day, to see if the kindly old St. Nick has filled their shoes with goodies and candies. But for the naughty kids, well....they're lucky if they're still AROUND on the morning of December 6th because the night before is KRAMPUSNACHT.

In Norse mythology, Krampus is the son of Hel, a goddess who resides over the location of Hel, where a portion of the dead go after death. Krampus' appearance also borrows heavily from other Pagan entities from various locales, resulting in a horrifying embodiment of all that is...Christmas? He comes during the night of December 5th----Krampusnacht----and to the mildly naughty children, he might whip them with his switch or even leave the kid's parents a switch so they can do the whipping. The super naughty kids, however, might get thrown into Krampus' sack of horrors and carried off into the night.

Over the past five years or so, Krampus has increasingly become more popular throughout the United States, and this year, Luke and I finally got to meet him and St. Nick!

Oddbird, A Gift Emporium, located in Charleston, WV had a special Krampus/St. Nick meet-and-greet on Saturday evening. When I saw it come up in my Facebook news feed, I knew we absolutely, positively had to go. We got there a few minutes early, so we took some time to look around the shop. I was super impressed! This was my first time at visiting Oddbird, and I was blown away by the unique selection of gifts, art, clothing, and household goods they offered. Everything was extremely reasonably priced, and all the staff were extremely sweet and helpful....including St. Nick and Krampus!

Since we were there a few minutes early, we just happened to be near the back of the store when St. Nick came out. Luke was thrilled, especially since this was his first meeting with Santa this season. St. Nick immediately came over to him and told him HE was the first KID he'd seen that year! Luke thought that was awesome and talked about it all evening, lol. He had a nice lil' chat with St. Nick and then out came Krampus to join us.

Luke was a little unsure of Krampus, but Krampus was very good to him, lol. He shook his hand and told Luke that he wasn't on his naughty list, so he had nothing to worry about. We did a little more shopping, finding lots of cool gifts for family and friends (and a Krampus ornament us!), and then met the Christmas-y duo out front for a photo.

I was very pleased with the whole experience, and am so glad we got to come out Saturday evening to support an awesome local business, partake in a few refreshments, and meet a very polite and well spoken demon. It was a great kick-off to the holiday season for us! A very special Thank You goes to the Oddbird Gift Emporium for hosting the event. Please check them out on Facebook and on their website, and if you're local to the Charleston, WV area, go check them out in person! They really do have some awesome stuff and you're guaranteed to find something for just about everyone on your list...including yourself!  Also, if you'd like to learn more about Krampus and Krampusnacht, NatGeo has a very informative article to check out HERE.

*Behave yourselves out there....because Krampus is coming Monday night!*