The Pooping Log (Tió de Nadal)

In Catalonia, families bring a hollow wooden log with a painted smiley face and a red hat into their homes. Children must "feed" it orange peels and bread every night and cover it with a blanket so it doesn't catch a cold. On Christmas, they beat the log with sticks while singing a song demanding that it poop out sweets. Foreigners online frequently describe this tradition as looking "hilariously unhinged" to an outsider.