For centuries, winter has been a time for scary stories as people gave form to their fears of the dark. From Gryla in Iceland to the Kallikantzari in Greece, many of the stories seem to be intended as a last-ditch effort to scare naughty children straight. Take the Central European legend of the Krampus.

Here in Central Florida, events range from traditional Krampus Runs to breakfast with Krampus, to festivals, pub crawls, art shows and, at Gatorland, the Krampus Croc.

Here in Central Florida, this horned goat-demon is the subject of several events over the next few weeks and is even doing a few meet-and-greets to take photos. And if there’s one thing Central Floridians like, it’s a costumed character meet-and-greet.

This weekend there are several events in the Orlando area celebrating Krampusnacht, which typically takes place on Dec. 5, the day before the Feast Day of St. Nicholas, in parts of Germany, Austria and other Central European counties.