It may only be March, but it’s never too early to start planning for Christmas events.

Plans are in the works for a new German Christmas festival in Jim Thorpe’s Kemmerer Park based upon the traditions of folklore characters.

“A few years ago, a couple of residents and business owners dressed up as Krampus, a German character who punishes the naughty, and walked around the streets and interacted with people,” said Marianne Rustad of Conjured LLC. “We just put it out on Facebook and people really seemed to enjoy it.”

This year, a “Black Forest Krampusnacht Festival” is proposed for Dec. 4, with a rain date of Dec. 5. Big Creek Vineyard is joining Rustad in organizing the event, which will be run by the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce.

In German tradition, Krampusnacht is a night when adults might dress up as Krampus to frighten children at their homes, though the event will likely take on a more lighthearted tone in Jim Thorpe. The Pennsylvania Dutch, Rustad said, may know a version of Krampus known as Belsnickle.

“We are looking to tap into an Old World German, Grimm Fairy Tale vibe that is sort of a cross between Christmas and Halloween,” Rustad told council Thursday night. “Our hope is to have a German market with a beer garden, food court and entertainment.”

Similar events in Germany often feature a Krampus run, where people dressed as the character run through the streets.

“We would be looking to have a Krampus foot parade of German Christmas characters,” Rustad said.

The event will also serve as a fundraiser for Toys for Tots.

More details will be available closer to the event.

While it may seem early to start planning events later in 2021, Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joe Schatz said it gives his department an advantage and is working better than in previous years.

“We’ve started having these event planning meetings with the different organizations and it’s fantastic,” Schatz said. “We already have the details worked out, we know how many officers we need and we can move forward.”

Two other 2021 events, a “Running with the Angels” event on May 8 and the “Keystone Backyard Ultra” on May 22-23 are on council’s agenda for Thursday’s meeting.