Secret Krampus This Way Comes

This Advent, to thank all of our readers and contributors from the bottom of our sick little hearts, we at Sick Pilgrim wanted to have a little giveaway. We originally envisioned this as a sort of “Secret Santa,” but, being who we are, we decided to go with “Secret Krampus.” Also we couldn’t figure out how to give you things secretly. So only the gifts will be a secret. Until you open the box. And then you’ll definitely be able to guess who sent them.

Krampus is a being from folklore, a mix of goat, human, and demon; often depicted with horns, a long and pointed tongue, and with one human foot and one hoof. Probably rooted in ancient pagan beliefs, he has since become an anti-Saint Nicholas figure. On Saint Nicholas’s feast day, December 6, good children are often rewarded with treats and gifts. But on the eve of December 6, Austrians celebrate Krampusnacht, when Krampus roams. For the run Krampuslauf, young men dressed as Krampus would take to the streets, symbolically chasing away the ghosts of winter. Many of these young men were under the influence of alcohol. Shocker.

If you can understand why we at this blog would call our giveaway Secret Krampus, you get us. If you’re still confused and a little disturbed, you’re probably on the wrong blog, And way more stable than we are. Move along.

We have 3 boxes to give away – PRAY LIKE A SICK PILGRIM, WRITE LIKE A SICK PILGRIM, and THINK LIKE A SICK PILGRIM.

Terrifying options, we know. Hence the “Krampus.”

The first box will be given away to a contributor to the blog, someone who signed up to write a Dark Devotional or contributed to November’s “‘Thanks’ Keeping Us Alive.” We’ll choose a name at random via Facebook Live tonight, and the winner will get to pick the first box.

But the second and third giveaways will be public. You can enter to win the second by voting for your favorite post from 2016 on on our official Sick Pilgrim Facebook page. You can find the poll here. [This link doesn’t work on mobile devices, but it works on a computer. Promise.] We’ll choose the winner on Krampusnacht, December 5.

That leaves one sad box with nowhere to go. To to win the final box, share a post DIRECTLY FROM THE FACEBOOK PAGE OF SICK PILGRIM and ask your friends to “like” us. (You have to share from our page, though–if you copy and paste a link, we can’t see it and won’t know to put your name in the hat. From the Sick Pilgrim page, just click “share” and write a short intro begging your friends to like us because you might win something questionable). Best part for this contest- EVERY TIME YOU SHARE YOU GET AN ADDITIONAL ENTRY. So if you share something from our page like 40 times in one day, you’ll get 40 entries; also, you should probably get a hobby.

We love y’all. Let us be your Secret Krampus.