When Edgar Loesch was growing up, his Christmas was filled with family, friends and St. Nicholas. But his German parents also had one, terrifying addition: a hairy monster named Krampus who they said would carry him off if he didn't behave.

With goat horns, gnashing teeth and a long tongue to taste one's sins, Krampus is nothing short of horrifying.

To drive home the threat, Loesch's parents would sneak outside the window and rattle chains.

"You go to bed, and then suddenly at some point you hear like somebody shuffling outside a bedroom door, scratching on the door," remembers Loesch.

Despite this early terror, Loesch, like many, has come to embrace Krampus. He's the owner of Fressen Artisan Bakery in Portland, Ore., and on Saturday it was filled with families eating pfeffernüsse

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