The Dunkarong, a German legend dating back to the 1700s, is the offspring of a vampire and the Lochness Monster. Centuries-old writings warn that he punishes entire towns for not respecting the spirit or traditions of Christmas. The legend holds that The Dunkarong was once pals with St. Nicholas until he ended up on Santa's Naughty List for stealing sugarplums from a cart merchant on Gumdrop Lane in the North Pole. 

   According to the folktale, seeing no other choice, Santa banished The Dunkarong from the North Pole. Ever since that day, The Dunkarong has desperately wanted to get back into Santa Claus's good graces and move to the Nice List to return to his home in the North Pole. That is why he upholds the spirit of Christmas to an even higher standard than Santa. The Dunkarong leaves coal in naughty children's stockings - not Santa Claus, as many tall Christmas tales will have you believe. If The Dunkarong believes that a town isn't upholding the spirit of Christmas – he will cast a bad luck curse upon every citizen in the city until the next Christmas holiday. He will also kidnap one unsuspecting, unlucky person at sundown on Christmas Eve. Nobody knows where he takes them, and they are never seen nor heard from again. 

   Some towns will celebrate The Dunkarong with parades and parties in his honor to ensure that they will not be considered an anti-Christmas community. During the celebrations, the townsfolk will dress up as he is described in the legend and run through the streets, singing Christmas carols as loudly as possible. 

Whether The Dunkarong is real or a myth, it is always best to err on the side of caution and keep Christmas's true spirit in your heart during the holiday season. Furthermore, since he punishes the entire town, whether everyone helped to drain the spirit of Christmas or not, it's best to encourage your neighbors to keep the chestnuts roasting and sleigh bells jingling.