Dwight Schrute memorably dressed up as Belsnickel for The Office season 9 Christmas episode. The gift-bringer has quite the history in traditional German folklore; not only is the story behind this alternative to Santa Claus is an interesting one, but it is also fitting of Dwight's character.
In The Office episode titled "Dwight Christmas," the party-planning committee failed at setting up a holiday get-together for the employees of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch. This gave Dwight (Rainn Wilson) the opportunity to share some of his family traditions, so he came to the office dressed as Belsnickel, a fur-clad gift-giver from long-told folklore. Dwight described Belsnickel as a "dirty, worse Santa" but preferred the figure due to his focus on instilling fear.
Dwight carried a large sack and went through the workplace trying to categorize if his coworkers were "Impish or Admirable," the legend's version of "Naughty or Nice." If an employee was deemed Impish, Dwight hit them with a large switch. Jim (John Krasinski) got a kick out of Dwight's portrayal as Belsnickel. The excitement even led Jim to ditch his trip to Philadelphia so he could stick around and see what else Dwight had up his sleeve for the Christmas celebration. While some viewers likely assumed that the show invented the dirty, disheveled version of Saint Nick, the figure actually stems from real folklore.
The figure in folklore originated in the Southwestern region of Germany. When large groups of Germans emigrated to Pennsylvania, many Dutch communities held on to the legend of Belsnickel. Some believed that Belsnickel was a companion or servant to Saint Nicholas who traveled alone. Like Dwight's interpretation, Belsnickel wore fur along with dirty, ragged clothes. A few stories described Belsnickel as wearing a mask equipped with a long tongue.
Unlike the goodwill brought by Santa Claus, Belsnickel stirred up fear in children. The legends state that the gift-bringer carried a long switch and would beat those who misbehaved. The good children, on the other hand, were given cakes, candies, and nuts. Belsnickel was said to visit homes a few weeks before Christmas to check-up on the behavior of children. Some stories even went as far as saying that Belsnickel would tap on the windows with his switch and force children into singing songs. If they obliged, Belsnickel would throw them treats, but if they acted too fast, the children would be beaten.
It's understandable why Dwight would cling on to a legend as dark as Belsnickel. That said, there was also an indication that Dwight came from German ancestry so it's possible that he grew up in Pennsylvania hearing stories about Belsnickel, not Santa Claus. Dwight intended to incorporate another character, "Black Peter," in the Christmas party to act as Belsnickel's assistant, but put a stop on that due to the racist and offensive connotations. While the legend of Belsnickel has declined in popularity in recent centuries, The Office has since reintroduced the folkloric figure into popular culture.
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