Santa isn't the only one checking if you've been naughty or nice this year.
In the lead-up to Christmas, there are some amazing and unusual traditions that take place around the world, from a log that "poos" presents for well-behaved kids to a demonic goat creature that whips naughty children.
Many of the traditions have pagan roots, while others are newer but no less intriguing.
Here's a look at some of the more colourful festive season events that people will be enjoying this month.
Tió de Nadal
Throughout December, children in Spain's Catalonia region "feed" a smiling, hollow log that wears a traditional barretina woollen cap and has a blanket draped across it to keep it warm.
It's called the Tió de Nadal, or Christmas log, but is also known as the Caga Tió — the pooing log.
On Christmas Eve, after about two weeks of diligent care, the offerings of dried fruit and nuts end and things get even weirder.
On Christmas Day, children and their parents whack the log with sticks — while singing a song — so it will "poo" out presents.
The lyrics encourage the log not to release herring because they are too salty but to poo out almonds and nougat, as they taste better.
Once the log has been thrashed with sticks for long enough, parents will sneak small presents like toys and sweets under the log's blanket.
After the log's bounty has been looted, it is often burned.
"In Catalan folklore, large presents are from the Three Kings [or Wise Men] but the log person contains small presents, and defecates them out on Christmas Day," said Carole Cusack, a professor from the University of Sydney's Department of Studies in Religion.
"Catalan people feed the log to facilitate this, from the Feast of the Immaculate Conception — December 8."
Around Christmas time in Catalonia and some other parts of Spain — as well as regions of France, Italy and Portugal — another strange figure known as "El Caganer" or "The Pooper" pops up.
For hundreds of years, the porcelain figure of a squatting peasant, who also wears the traditional barretina woollen cap, has been tucked away in sombre nativity scenes, with his trousers down and bare backside exposed.
Originally, the Caganer figures were shepherds hidden among nativity scenes.
The tradition has expanded and there are now many Caganer figures of famous people and pop culture characters.
"This tradition can be securely dated to the 18th century," Professor Cusack said.
"The idea is that the faeces fertilises the earth, so the Caganer embodies civic virtues."
Krampus
Krampus is a terrifying creature from Germanic folklore and is often accompanied by torch-lit parades, drinking, revelry and an outright effort to freak children out so they don't misbehave.
As part of the tradition, which is popular across central Europe, young men dress in demonic-looking Krampus costumes.
Their outfits often feature wooden masks with goat horns, fangs, a sheep or goat skin and a belt with cow bells attached.
While good children can expect a visit and presents from St Nicholas as Christmas nears, naughty children will be sought out by Krampus.
"Krampus punishes naughty children by whipping them with sticks," Professor Cusack said.
"These whippings are intended to make bad children good. Those who cannot be whipped into niceness are put into Krampus's sack and taken back to his den."
Krampus has origins in Norse mythology, where he was the son of Hel, the goddess of the dead.
"The den to which he takes bad children is the underworld, which literally means that if you are naughty you will die," Professor Cusack said.
The Catholic Church tried to ban rituals dedicated to Krampus, due to its pagan links.
"As the influence of Christianity has receded, these traditions have been revived with great enthusiasm," Professor Cusack explained.
On Krampusnacht (Krampus Night), which is on December 5, the day before the feast of St Nicholas, things can become a little wild and scary.
"Groups of men dress as Krampus and rowdily parade through towns drinking Krampus schnapps — a traditional fruit brandy brewed extra-strong for the occasion — and scaring children," Professor Cusack said.
In Austria, records show Krampus has been part of Christmas celebrations since at least the 17th century.
Yule Goat
At the start of Advent, a giant straw version of Sweden's Yule Goat is made and put on display in the centre of the town of Gavle.
Since it was first erected in 1966, it has been deliberately burned down most years.
After a five-year stint in which the Yule Goat made it through the holiday period unscathed, it was in 2021 again destroyed by arson, rekindling a cat-and-mouse tradition between locals trying to burn it down and authorities trying to stop them.
The goat is part of an ancient pagan tradition and might be some kind of tribute to Thor, the thunder god whose chariot was pulled by two goats.
These days, the goat is a companion of Santa.
Pepperkakebyen
In Bergen — the Norwegian city known as the capital of the fjords — hundreds of children and families come together each year to build the world's largest gingerbread town.
It's modelled on the city and features many gingerbread homes, hotels, museums, local landmarks and castles.
Local children are in charge of decorating the gingerbread constructions, but the whole city joins in the making of Pepperkakebyen.
The tradition is new — it was started in 1991, as a way of bringing people together to celebrate the holidays — but it has always been popular.
About 100,000 people in the city of about 270,000 visit each year.
Other cities in Norway — including Stavanger, Hammerfest, Haugesund, Fredrikstad and Bodø — also make gingerbread towns, but none on the scale of Bergen's Pepperkakebyen.
Yule Cat and the Yule Lads
In Icelandic tradition, Christmas time brings with it the Yule Cat and some cheeky pranksters known locally as the Yule Lads.
The Yule Cat is a "huge and vicious" creature that prowls around Christmas time and is believed to eat people who haven't been given new clothes before Christmas Eve.
"The threat of being eaten by the Yule Cat was used by farmers as an incentive for their workers to finish processing the autumn wool before Christmas," the tourism board of Iceland's capital Reykjavík says.
"The ones who took part in the work would be rewarded with new clothes, but those who did not would get nothing and thus would be preyed upon by the monstrous cat."
That cat is the house pet of two trolls — Grýla and Leppalúði — who are themselves the parents of Iceland's other famous Christmas tradition, the Yule Lads.
There are 13 Yule Lads, who live in the mountains with their parents and venture to town in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Each day from Boxing Day, one of the Yule Lads leaves town to return to their mountain home, with the last one departing on January 6, the final day of the festive season.
The Yule Lads have interesting names that reveal their characteristics:
- Stekkjastaur (Sheep-cote clod) — has stiff wooden legs but loves to harasses sheep and tries to drink their milk
- Giljagaur (Gully Oaf) — hides in gullies waiting for a chance to sneak into barns to steal milk
- Stúfur (Shorty/Stubby) — pinches used crockery to eat the crusts left on them
- Þvörusleikir (Spoon-licker) — despite his name is malnourished and thin
- Pottasleikir (Pot-licker) — steals any food left in cooking pots
- Askasleikir (Bowl-licker) — hides under beds waiting for a bowl to be put down so it can be stolen and licked clean
- Hurðaskellir (Door-slammer) — loves slamming doors especially at night
- Skyrgámur (Skyr-glutton) — can't get enough skyr, a fermented milk product similar to watery yoghurt or kefir
- Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage-pilferer) — likes to wait in rafters and grab sausages as they are being smoked
- Gluggagægir (Window-peeper) — looks through windows for things to take
- Gáttaþefur (Sniffer) — uses his large nose and keen sense of smell to seek out Laufabrauð, a traditional Icelandic Christmas bread
- Ketkrókur (Meat-hook) — steals any meat he can find with his trusty meat hook
- Kertasníkir (Candle-stealer) — pinches tallow candles from children.
Years ago they were used to scare children and would steal their favourite toys or play practical jokes on people.
These days they mostly give children small gifts but, if they deem anyone too naughty, they will instead leave a rotten potato in their shoe.
