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If an oversize, furry paw yanks the scruff of your coat this holiday season, you might be on the naughty list. “This is your last chance to get yourself straightened out, or else,” warns John Mays, an IT guy by day and, this month, a Krampus. St. Nick’s foil in German folklore, Krampus whips bad children with a birch rod or, worst-case scenario, whisks them away to be tortured or eaten. “My take is not quite as severe,” Mays says. “I consider Krampus the first elf, the keeper of the naughty list. I want to be approachable to kids; it’s a fun thing.”
Mays’ cloven-hoofed monster will make appearances across the state this season, but he will spend the official Krampus Nacht (December 5) at Denver Christkindlmarket. At the free, monthlong German-style holiday bazaar, held at Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus this year, Mays and his beastly brood will sneak up behind grown-ups and snap photos with kids, who, he says, “eat it up, because they get to interact.” Despite his ghoulish getup, Mays, who lives in Johnstown, says he’s in the business of bringing joy. “Christmas can be really stressful on folks,” he says. “If we can be a fun distraction, if we can make things a little bit lighter, if we can give people a chance to relax and laugh a little bit, that’s great.”
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