5 Christmas Traditions That Are Actually Terrifying

The Yule Cat — The Cat That Eats People Without New Clothes

In Icelandic folklore, a giant cat called Jólakötturinn roams the countryside on Christmas Eve. Its rule is simple: if you didn’t receive new clothes before Christmas, it eats you. The tradition dates back to the 19th century and was originally used to motivate farm workers to finish processing wool before the holiday. The Yule Cat is described as a massive, black cat with glowing eyes, and it doesn’t just target people—it eats their food first, then them. In 2018, a town in Iceland erected a giant Yule Cat statue made from 20,000 milk cartons. A wholesome display commemorating a monster that eats the poorly dressed.