T’was the night before St. Nick’s Day
And all through the house
All the kitties were hiding
Just like a mouse

Why was that? You might ask
What was the cause?
There was one on the prowl
Known as the old Spunkus Klaws

He hunted bad kitties
To have them for dinn
He was ruthless it seems
At rooting out sin

Was he succesful, you ask?
Did the kitties get caught?
Seems Spunkus finding sinners
Washed out, all for naught

As the sun rose on St. Nick’s Day
With a sigh of relief, so did the cats
To celebrate goodness for this and that
While Spunkus Klaws sat down and spat

He growled and he hissed
He scratched on the pole
On the wall he pissed
For missing his goal

With a new pheromone collar
Firmly in place
Spunkus Klaws was much calmer
And ready for peace

As Christmas approaches
The household gets ready
The birds, and the cats
Jake and the roaches

For the mean old Spunkus
To become a nice Claws like Santa
To purr for love and peace
And dance the Kittycabana

Spunkus Klaws: “Aye, pathetic pile of paparazzo puke! I’ll scratch your eyes out and have you for dinn with all the other sorry, schlecht, sinful kitties!”

Spunkus Klaws looks everywhere for sorry, schlecht, sinful kitties.

Gwendolyn: “Ich schwöre, ich war brav!”

“Watcha doin’, Marble?” “Shhhh! I’m hiding from Spunkus Klaws.”

“Pole! Pole! Please unwind, and tell me where I can find… those insolent kitty Katstards!”

Loki: “Ha! Bring it on, Spunkus Klaws!”

“Oh! No! A new phermone collar. I feel myself weakening, and sucumbing to niceness…”

“AAAAaaaarrrrrrrggggg!!!”

Happy to see you back to normal, Spunk!

And then there is Krampus! Tristan, Craig, Shelby, and Sean drove to Munich Sunday morning to see the Krampus Parade and sent us photos. If you don’t know about Krampus, here’s a quick rundown:

Pagan Roots
Krampus is thought to originate in pre-Christian pagan traditions, possibly linked to winter spirits or underworld deities. When Christianity spread through the Alps, these older beliefs weren’t erased—they were absorbed and reinterpreted.

Christian Integration
By the Middle Ages, Krampus became the dark counterpart to St. Nicholas:
St. Nicholas rewards good children

Krampus punishes the bad
He’s typically depicted with horns, cloven hooves, chains, and birch rods, sometimes carrying a sack to cart off misbehaving children.

Krampusnacht
On December 5 (Krampusnacht, the night before St. Nicholas Day), young men dress as Krampus and roam the streets, rattling chains and frightening onlookers. These events—called Krampusläufe—range from traditional to rowdy public parades.

Suppression and Revival
The Church and later governments periodically tried to ban or suppress Krampus as too pagan or disorderly.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, Krampus saw a major cultural revival, spreading beyond Europe into global pop culture.

The photos below were taken by Shelby, Sean and Tristan. The videos were shot by Craig.

“¡Ay, caramba!”