I had no idea that Christmas/Yule had so many scary traditions; this one is courtesy of Raspberry World (click photo to go there for larger image and story.)  Go here for more, even scarier images. 

Susie tells us:  Klausen are an old heathen tradition. They
were originally meant to scare off bad demons. Today, they accompany
Santa Claus when he visits homes  . . .

She also sends us to these sites, to show us this is not a dead tradition: Klausenverein, Die Berghofer Rumpelklausen, and Der Krampus (all in German.)

Sweet dreams.