In this episode of The Autistic Culture Podcast, Matt and Angela explore the shadowy counterpart to Santa Claus, diving into Krampus’s roots in folklore, his autistic-coded traits, and why embracing the darker side of the holidays can be affirming for many autistic people. From ghost stories and horror-comedy films to Saturnalia and The Muppet Christmas Carol, they find the beauty and balance in both the light and dark of the season.

🎧 What You’ll Learn:

• Why Krampus can be seen as an autistic icon, sharing a dislike for loud noises, disrupted routines, surprises, and sudden changes.
• How the dark side of Christmas traditions provides balance and depth to the season.
• The story and themes of Krampus (2015), Michael Dougherty’s horror-comedy holiday film.
• Other autistic-coded holiday icons, including the Grinch and Charlie Brown.
• Holiday films that aren’t “technically” Christmas movies—like Die Hard, Home Alone, Gremlins, and Violent Night.
• The origins of Christmas in Saturnalia and the tradition of ghost stories.
• Why The Muppet Christmas Carol is the best Dickens adaptation (and why Dickens himself doesn’t get a pass).

Resources:

Krampus (2015 Film)

Krampus – Folklore

Trick ’r Treat

Related Shows:

Christmas is Autistic

Holiday Expectations and Neurodivergence

Fairy Tales are Autistic

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