Santa's helpers

Esplicito

Hosts Lare, Amanda, and Sara explore the darker, more terrifying "helpers" and enforcers of Saint Nicholas from European folklore. The episode details figures such as Belsnickel (the switch-wielding German 'Nicholas in furs'), Père Fouettard (the French 'Father Whipper' with a gruesome backstory), and the notorious Krampus (the half-goat, half-demon from Alpine regions). The discussion also covers the chilling German crone Frau Perchta, who punishes the lazy by slitting their bellies, and the Icelandic family of monsters: Grýla, her Thirteen Yule Lads, and the monstrous Yule Cat who eats children who aren't wearing new clothes.