The Legend of Belsnickel

When we think of Santa Claus, we think of a jolly man dressed in red delivering toys and gifts to all the good boys and girls in town, we don’t think of a dirty, man in raggedy fur whipping bad kids right? Well the Pennsylvania Dutch do, and his name is Belsnickel.

In the modern generation, parents use the Elf on a Shelf as Santa’s helper to watch over the good kids, but in Southern Germany Belsnickel pays a visit to all the bad children. If you’re on Belsnickel’s bad list, he comes to your home and uses his whip to beat the naughty kids. But if you’ve been good this year, you’ll be rewarded with nuts, cakes, or other traditional German treats.

This legend has made its way into the United States when those of Dutch heritage immigrated to Pennsylvania and began to integrate the story into Christmas folklore.

Each year people dressed up as the infamous Belsnickel to keep the tradition alive, people like Dwight Schrute from “The Office.” He is of German ancestry and is attempting to keep the legend of Belsnickel alive! But his co-workers aren’t really on board with the idea of Belsnickel at the annual Christmas party…

So, the next time your kids are acting up, tell them the story of Belsnickel, and maybe they’ll think twice about being naughty!