Forget Hipster Santa—This Christmas, Portlanders Can Get Their Photo Taken with Krampus

Portland’s been a little angrier this year, so the time feels right to celebrate Christmas by taking photos with Europe's favorite seasonal goat-demon.

IMAGE: Michael Gary.
By Kiana Pontrelli

This holiday season, Hipster Santa is out, and Krampus is in.

After all, you can walk into any coffee shop in Portland and get a selfie with a dude in a man bun, overgrown beard and overpriced thrift-store sweater. Portland's been a little angrier this year, so the time feels right to celebrate Christmas by taking photos with Europe's favorite seasonal goat-demon.

Photographer Michael Gary has been doing Krampus photo sessions around town annually for four years now. While Santa brings out a line of screaming children to Lloyd Center, the Krampus crowd is a bit more eclectic.

"[It's] something to go and celebrate that isn't commercialized or super religious based," Gary says.

And if you're wondering if a visit with Krampus will traumatize your child, as an ex-mall Santa photographer himself, Gary says babies tend to do better with the demon than jolly ol' Saint Nick.

So bring your kids, your lizard and even your wolf if you have one—yes, that really happened once—and make your holiday card the envy of the entire family.

Krampus will be appearing in Portland at three different locations across five nights, beginning Dec. 7. Photos cost $10. Go here for more details.

Need some inspiration? Check out this awesome photo gallery of highlights from Krampus photo sessions past below.

All photos by Michael Gary.

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