Forget your harmless lump of coal, the Austrians really know how to keep little miscreants in line

A good friend of mine, Ferdinand Steyer, compiled this video of how they celebrate Christmas in his native Austria. Yes, St. Nicholas parades into town bringing gifts for the children who’ve behaved themselves during the year, but he’s accompanied by the Devil and his minions to punish naughty boys and girls. “If you can survive that terror as a 7-year-old”, Ferdinand assures me, “you can survive anything.” I believe him.

I can’t get the YouTube to work on this post, for some reason, but do check on the link — it’s well worth it.