These are Grittibänzen, commonly called “Bread Men,” which make an appearance at Christmas time. I think these are supposed to represent Schmutzli, the Swiss Santa’s sinister sidekick, who carries a bundle of twigs that he uses to beat bad children. (Schmutzli is another pagan holdover that represents an evil demon who stole children and was driven out by noise and light during the solstice. Not so different from the Norwegian Lussi traditions I wrote about in my post “Santa Lucia Day.”)