Children beware of Santa's scary helper

Participants dressed as the Krampus creature walk the streets in search of delinquent children during a Krampus run in Salzburg. Photo / Getty

Have you been naughty this year? Watch out for Santa's scary counterpart Krampus.

In Germanic folklore, Saint Nicholas (aka Santa) would reward good children with presents, while naughty children would get a visit from Krampus - the demonic yin to his yang.

Krampus on the hunt for bad kids in Tyrol. Photo / Getty

Punishment from Krampus is quite severe; it ranges from being thrown into an icy river, to being eaten alive, or even dragged to hell.

Krampus still pays a visit to many Austrian, Slovenian and German locations.

Each year, Krampus will come out at night to run around thrashing his chains, often drunk on schnapps, to find and gather the bad kids.

Participants dressed as the Krampus creatures prepare before Krampus gathering in Schladming, Austria. Photo / Getty

This is Halloween on steroids.

Krampus carries a basket to carry the naughty children away. Photo / Getty