The Horrifying Tale of Père Fouettard

Whenever regional folklore trends online during December, the dark side of French Christmas treats the internet to a mixture of horror and amusement. In northeastern regions like Alsace and Lorraine, Saint Nicolas doesn't travel alone; he is accompanied by Le Père Fouettard (The Whipping Father). Internet users love to swap the genuinely terrifying origin story of this character, who was originally a wicked butcher who chopped up three children into a stew pot before Saint Nicolas resurrected them. As punishment, the butcher was forced to become Santa's eternal, whip-wielding sidekick who hands out coal and discipline, a concept modern onlookers find hilariously intense compared to the relatively mild "Elf on the Shelf."