The Yule Cat

In Iceland there is a legendary creature called the Jólakötturinn or Yule Cat. It's a frightening story to tell children. The legend has it that a giant hissing cat lurks in the shadows of hills, and during Yule, the Yule Cat eats anyone who doesn't get any clothes as presents to wear at Christmas. According to some sources, the origin of the Yule Cat eating people for not wearing new clothes during Christmas comes from times past when people used to get rewarded for doing all of the dirty chores. If people didn't do their chores, they wouldn't get a reward, such as new clothes. So the Yule Cat favoured eating lazy people because not having new clothes meant they didn't get rewarded for doing chores. It's sort of a threat to tell people to do some work or get eaten by the giant Yule Cat. The creepy Yule Cat stares through windows to watch people opening their presents. If people got clothes as presents, the Yule Cat left them alone and move to the next window. Perhaps it observed everyone somehow, because cats are sneaky that way. The Yule Cat enjoyed eating all of the food as well as the poor victim. It's also said that modern people in Iceland are still afraid of the Yule Cat so they buy things such as pyjamas and socks as presents to keep that evil moggy away.
Howls ^^