Creepmas is what happens when Halloween refuses to leave and Christmas lets it stay. The word is a blend of "creepy" and "Christmas," and it describes a darker way of celebrating the season: skeletons in Santa hats, black Christmas trees, horror movies in December and, most of all, the strange creatures of old European winter folklore.
It sounds like a modern internet invention, and the name is. The idea is not. Long before Christmas became all twinkle lights and candy canes, midwinter was the darkest, coldest and most uncertain time of the year, and the stories people told reflected that. Here are four of the folklore figures behind the Creepmas mood, and the sweatshirts we made in their honor.
Krampus: The Shadow of St. Nicholas
In the Alpine regions of Austria, southern Germany and their neighbors, St. Nicholas does not travel alone. His companion is Krampus, a horned, shaggy, long-tongued creature who deals with the children who misbehaved while St. Nicholas rewards the good ones. Traditionally Krampus appears on the evening of December 5, known as Krampusnacht, and in many towns people still dress in elaborate carved masks and fur costumes for Krampus runs through the streets.
Krampus is the patron saint of Creepmas: the reminder that every story about rewards also needs someone to deliver the consequences.
Krampus Sweatshirt
From $41.99. Krampus drawn like a plate from an old Alpine book of legends.
Looking for a Krampus gift? See our Krampus Gifts guide, with sweatshirts, ornaments and decor for Krampusnacht on December 5.
The Yule Cat: Iceland's Fashion Police
Icelandic folklore has a whole cast of Christmas characters, including the troll Grýla and her mischievous sons, the Yule Lads. Alongside them lives Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat: an enormous cat said to roam the countryside at Christmas and eat anyone who has not received a new piece of clothing before the holiday.
The tale is thought to have encouraged people to finish their autumn work, since those who helped process the wool were rewarded with new clothes. Today it makes the Yule Cat the perfect excuse to give someone a sweatshirt.
Yule Cat Sweatshirt
From $41.99. The giant cat of Icelandic winters, looming over a snowy village.
Goth Christmas Yule Cat Sweatshirt
From $42.99. A second take on the Yule Cat, for cat lovers with a dark sense of humor.
The Mari Lwyd: A Horse Skull at the Door
Few Christmas customs are as eerie as the Welsh Mari Lwyd. A horse's skull is mounted on a pole, draped in a white sheet and decorated with ribbons, and its operator hides beneath the sheet. Between Christmas and Twelfth Night, a group carries the Mari from house to house and challenges the people inside to a battle of improvised rhyming verses, known as pwnco. If the household runs out of replies, the Mari and her party must be let in for food and drink.
It is a celebration of hospitality, music and wit, and it also looks like something out of a horror film. That is Creepmas in a nutshell.
Mari Lwyd Creepmas Sweatshirt
From $40.99. The Mari Lwyd in vintage engraving style, for anyone who loves Welsh folklore or simply loves the unsettling.
The Yule Goat: From Thor's Chariot to the Gävle Goat
Across Scandinavia, the Yule goat (julbock in Swedish) is one of the oldest Christmas symbols. Some connect it to the goats that pulled the chariot of the Norse god Thor, and in older traditions a goat figure, or someone dressed as one, went from house to house during the holidays. Today it survives mostly as a straw ornament, along with one very famous giant: the Gävle Goat in Sweden, a huge straw goat built in the town every year since 1966 and, quite often, set on fire before Christmas arrives.
Yule Goat Folklore Sweatshirt
From $44.99. The Scandinavian Yule goat, drawn as a dark winter folk symbol.
How to Celebrate Creepmas
- Decorate with black, deep green and gold instead of red and white. Moths, ravens, moons and dried roses all work as ornaments.
- Read a ghost story on Christmas Eve, a Victorian tradition that is overdue for a comeback.
- Host a Krampusnacht dinner on December 5.
- Watch a winter horror movie in place of yet another holiday rom-com.
- Wear a Creepmas sweatshirt to the family gathering and see who notices the details.
Browse all our Creepmas sweatshirts, including cracked ornaments, extinguished candles and an all-seeing Christmas tree, or read our Gothic Christmas Gift Ideas.
Christmas delivery: every piece is made to order and printed in the USA, and most US orders arrive in 7 to 8 business days. For delivery before Christmas, we recommend ordering by December 10. Shipping is free on every US order.