Dissimilar as they seem to the jolly man in red, these colorful characters would later figure in the development of Santa himself. But familiar as the poem is, it still leaves much to the imagination, and the 19th century saw Santa appear in different-colored clothing, in sizes from miniature to massive, and in a variety of different guises. Santa has visited our garden centres for as long as we can remember, delighting children and adults with stories, activities, photo opportunities and more. The quality is unmatched with this decorative piece’s hand-painted face, inset eyes, unique fabric, and detailed accessories. A beautiful addition to any holiday decor, this Santa with reindeer statue will be a favorite for Christmases to come.

In many parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, Krampus is described as a devil wearing a cloth sack around his waist and chains around his neck, ankles, and wrists. Krampus nije baš tako loš kao što se čini, on samo opominje"[Krampus isn't as bad as he seems, he just warns]. What he's done is pretty much tame these Grimm's Fairy Tales-type characters from the late medieval days," Bowler said. Of more pagan origins is the Rute, a bundle of birch branches that Krampus carries and with which he occasionally swats children. Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure in the Central and Eastern Alpine folklore of Europe who, during the Advent season, scares children who have misbehaved.This is a theme that grew in Alpine regions where the Roman Catholic Church had significant influence. Silvesterklaus, a Swiss New Year's Eve celebration featuring a musical procession of performers in grotesque costumes. In these Nicholas plays, Saint Nicholas would reward children for scholarly efforts rather than for good behavior. The other story is not so well known now but was enormously well known in the Middle Ages," Bowler said.

The strict saint took on some aspects of earlier European deities, like the Roman Saturn or the Norse Odin, who appeared as white-bearded men and had magical powers like flight. Towards the end of the century, a popular resurgence of Krampus celebrations occurred and continues today.Assisting Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, the pair visit children on the night of 6 December, with Saint Nicholas rewarding the well-behaved children with gifts such as oranges, dried fruit, walnuts and chocolate, while the badly behaved ones only receive punishment from Krampus with birch rods.