Christmas traditions can vary a lot from place to place. For example, in Europe their Christmas traditions can be a lot more hostile. One example is the Icelandic legend of the yule cat, Jólakötturinn (yola-ka-turin), a cat that eats people who do not receive new clothes on Christmas Eve. It is said to stalk the snowy countryside on snowy nights looking into people’s windows to see if they got new clothes.

The yule cat probably dates back to the medieval period. The earliest written references are from the 19th century. The legend of the yule cat was used to encourage productivity with the wool production of Iceland and making winter clothing. Its appearance might have been influenced by the Norwegian forest cat.

The yule cat is the pet of the yule lads and their mother Gryla, a family of trolls. The yule lads are the closest equivalent Iceland has to Santa Claus since they give out small presents. The yule lads also play pranks and have many strange names such as Window Peeper (Gluggagægir) and Spoon Licker (þvörusleikir). Originally the yule lads were only used to scare children into being obedient. This was so effective that in 1764 the Icelandic government tried to ban the practice entirely.