I think we should tell are children the truth: There really is a Santa Claus. And he really does know if you’ve been bad or good. And he has this really, really mean side nobody ever talks about.
What? :dubious:
I thought all good children knew about Santa’s sidekicks ! :eek:
But for many children, Nikolaus also elicited fear, as he was often accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, who would threaten to beat, or sometimes actually eat the children for misbehaviour. Knecht Rupert furthermore was equipped with goatlegs. In Switzerland, where he is called Schmutzli, he would threaten to put bad children in a sack and take them back to the Black Forest. In other accounts he would throw the sack into the river, drowning the naughty children within.
At least he didn’t threaten to send them to “Room 101”, or invite them to assist the Ministry of Information to help with their enquiries. :eek:
That might be a bit over the top. As it is, I think this one will make for a modestly entertaining/embarassing story once the girls reach the age of majority. On the 1-10 scale of emotional abuse that parents levy against children, I think this rates about a .25.
Stranger
Wouldn’t an orwellian scenario reverse the roles?
