Belznickle, also known as Belsnickle, Belschnickel, Pelznickle, Belznickel, and Pelz-Nichol, is not a figure of my own invention. Of Germanic origin, he was considered by the Pennsylvania Dutch to be either an evil sidekick of Saint Nicholas or Father Christmas. Belznickle was a Yuletide figure in many communities in the Mid-Atlantic States Ðincluding Maryland, the homeland of ArnjuiceÕs Bainbridge Family.