“Krampus” takes over Christmas: Cultural conflict and the peace found only in Christ
The Daily Article
The Denison Forum
4.9 • 576 Ratings
🗓️ 11 December 2023
⏱️ 8 minutes
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Summary
Krampus is a “demonic anti-Santa” who hits naughty kids with a stick. He’s reportedly growing in popularity in America as “a counterweight to all the holly jolly . . . . there’s something about Krampus that feels more authentic.” However, Krampus is actually a telling sign about our eroding social foundations and our collective lack of ways to find peace and meaning. But as Advent reminds us, peace and meaning are nearer than you think.
Author: Jim Denison, PhD
Narrator: Chris Elkins
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Good day and welcome to the Daily Article Podcast. Today is Monday, December the 11th, |
| 0:07.6 | 2023. Today's article is written by Denison Forum co-founder and CEO, Dr. Jim Denison, and |
| 0:14.7 | narrated by Chris Elkins. Have you heard of Crampus? I had not until this Washington Post headline caught my eye. |
| 0:23.4 | Crampus isn't coming to town. He's already here. The subtitle adds, |
| 0:28.2 | The demonic anti-Santa, growing popular in America, will find out if you're naughty, then hit you with a stick. |
| 0:35.2 | The article explains that Campus is a European invention |
| 0:38.6 | who wears a red cloak trimmed with white fur, beneath which is the body of a hairy, horned, |
| 0:45.5 | goat-like monster with spindly sharp fingernails and a long, creepy, Jean Simmons-esque tongue. For |
| 0:52.8 | centuries, he's been the bad cop to St. Nick's good cop, |
| 0:57.1 | who finds naughty boys and girls and beats them with a stick. Why is Crampus becoming so popular |
| 1:03.5 | in America? According to the Post, quote, interest has grown as people celebrating Christmas |
| 1:09.2 | look for a counterweight to all of the |
| 1:11.6 | holly jolly. In an era of climate doom and political nihilism and high-definition war |
| 1:17.4 | beamed onto our phones, there's something about crampus that feels more authentic, end quote. |
| 1:23.4 | A folklore studies professor adds, there have been a lot of dire things happening in the world, |
| 1:29.3 | so Crampus just seems like a good figure to sort of be our boogeyman during the holiday retail season. |
| 1:36.7 | Following an uproar regarding her congressional testimony on anti-Semitism last week, |
| 1:41.3 | Penn's president resigned over the weekend, followed by the board chair. |
| 1:45.3 | For more, find a link in today's episode notes to Friday's Daily Article Special Edition |
| 1:50.9 | titled, Should Hate Speech Be Permitted. |
| 1:53.7 | However, this developing story has a deeper history. |
| 1:57.2 | Psychologist Joseph E. Davis warns that there is a crisis gripping our culture because the social |
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