I am a bit sick of good old Saint Nick. He is so boring. So I’m very happy that I get to live in a place that has their very own, very special traditions for Christmas.

shit log

Let me introduce you to my friend, Caga Tio. Cagar=To shit. Tio=Uncle. Therefore, Caga Tio translates to Uncle Shit. He is a little pet log that lives here in the region of Catalunya and makes an appearance at houses across the land for the Christmas holiday. When I say a pet log, I truly mean that. He is a log - dressed up with his googly eyes, a Santa cap and he even has legs.

Caga tio arrives in your dining room 15 days before Christmas. He is a hungry little guy and needs to be fed at least once a day. He prefers to eat oranges, crackers and wine. In some families Caga tio even grows as the days progress.

A few days before Christmas, Caga Tio is moved from the dining room to the living room and covered with a blanket. You gotta keep your log warm to insure proper digestion!

you can’t make this shit up

Then on Christmas Eve all of the children are sent to say three Our Fathers while the folks stuff presents under Caga Tio’s blankets. When the children return to the living room they are given sticks. They then preceed to beat the hell out of Caga Tio while singing a song that goes something like “”Caga tio, No caguis arengades, Que son massa salades, Caga turrons que son mes bons.” Transated roughly: “Uncle Shit, Uncle of Christmas, shit me some presents or I will hit you harder.” When the children take the blanket off of Caga Tio - he magically has poo’d out nougats and chocolate for the kids! Yummy!