Merry Christmas Y'all!

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'Tis the season to be jolly. We'll be broadcasting Christmas music, and George Jones all day long starting at 12:00 PM (EST). I hope the day is full of peace fo you, and everyone.

On that note, we came across some very interesting traditions from around the world that we thought would give you a chuckle, and sometimes a cause for pause. Give it a read, and a very Merry Christmas!

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--Ten Interesting Holiday Traditions---

I) In Catalonia Spain On Christmas Eve, Caga Tio is celebrated which means defecating your uncle, that my friends is the literal translation. Before Christmas a log is hollowed out, and filled up with candy, fruits, and nuts. Around christmas the log is put in the fire. The entire family beats the log with sticks and sing a traditional song that translates to 'if you don't crap well, i'll beat you with a stick' until the log excretes all its treats. It's hard to comprehend why this tradition hasn't caught on elsewhere. Lol..

They also decorate their nativity scenes with small, pooping, ceramic caganers (figurines). Usually well-known characters, often drawn from that year's news, the figurines always have their pants around their ankles. What on God’s green earth y’all..lol..

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2) And continuing with the same theme of hitting things with a stick, there is Krampus Day. Yes, Austrians and people from various parts of Europe roam the streets drunk, and looking for someone to hit with a stick. Apparently Krampus is an anti santa, and is represented by the stick. This is apparently done to discourage kids from misbehaving..

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3) Christmas trees are decorated annually all around the world, but in the Ukraine, the decor is a little bit different. Seeing trees covered in ornate cobwebs and sparkling spiders is extremely common and features an interesting symbolism. The story goes that a poor widow and her children had grown a Christmas tree from a pine cone, but once it was big enough to be decorated for the holidays they realized they had no means to decorate this tree. In the night before Christmas, spiders heard the children crying over the lack of funds for the tree and went to work and decorated it themselves The family was elated to awake and see the beautiful webs that had be spun, shimmering in the sun to make their tree as lovely as anyone else’s.

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4) In Norway, they have a pretty solid idea of what witches and evil spirits do and do not like. And whoa ,do those spirits love brooms. They also love Christmas, so on Christmas Eve, people hide their brooms so witches and the like won’t hang around. For good measure, a male family member may pop his head out the front door and fire off a few blasts from a shotgun to show those spirits who’s boss.

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5) In Italy, Spain and parts of Central America, people wear red underwear on New Year’s Eve. Normal enough: Red has long been considered an auspicious color, and swaddling your bum in it seems like a decent way to start the New Year off on a good, er, foot. But whenever there’s underwear involved, you can count on people to get weird about it. Every year, in the small Spanish town of la Font de la Figuera, people take the opportunity to the fullest and run around in their crimson skivvies. And yes, it’s usually freezing cold.

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6) In sunny Laguna Niguel, California, surfing is sprinkled with a little holiday spirit in December for the Surfing Santa competition. Athletes enter this Christmastime contest wearing white beards and jolly hats. Proceeds from the event support Surfers Healing, a surf camp for children with autism.

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7) For Delaware's Swedish population, Christmas is associated with a visit from Tomte, the devilish imp who leaves gifts for good children.

According to the legend, tomten were mischievous and vengeful creatures who guarded farmsteads, but today they are regarded as benevolent Santa Claus or St. Nicholas-like figures.

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8) Unless you live in Atlanta, you likely have never seen the pink pig train that comes to Macy's Lenox Square every holiday season. The pink pig tradition began in 1953 at Rich's downtown store, and has become a holiday mainstay for Georgia residents who recognize it as a unique staple of the holiday season. In a normal year, children can take photos with Priscilla the Pig, climb aboard, and, of course, purchase pink pig merchandise.

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9) A beer keg tree is constructed in Rochester, New York, annually. In the past, the tree was made out of 430 kegs and covered in 2,000 feet of lights.That first tree was made from 300 empty half-barrel kegs, lovingly trimmed with 600 feet of LED green rope lights and capped with an improvised rotating Genesee Beer sign. It stood 23 feet tall, reaching the second-story balcony of the brewery’s signature pub, gift shop and museum. The tradition has been going strong since 2014

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Whatever your holiday tradition might be, enjoy it or pick a new one. You make the rules for your life. Be well, stay safe, and may peace fill your hearts, and homes.

Merry Christmas!

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