Today’s Film: Gremlins
Gremlins is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus and starring Zach Galligan, and Phoebe Cates, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of Gizmo. Billy Peltzer receives the gift of a mogwai, Gizmo, from his dad for Christmas with the warning to not feed it after midnight and never get it wet. When the inevitable happens, gremlins are released all over Kingston Fall and wreak havoc on Christmas Eve. This is a great film if you want something a little darker but still funny for your holiday watching. It is a favourite of Gen Xers and Millenials who are a slightly traumatised by that one story of why Kate Beringer no longer believes in Santa.
Today’s Tradition: Tió de Nadal, Catalan, Spain.
The Tió de Nadal (Christmas Log), also known simply as tió (‘log’), soca or tronc(a) (trunk), is a Christmas tradition practiced in Catalonia, Valencia, Majorca (known as Nadaler), Aragon, Occitania and Andorra. In Aragon it is also called Tizón de Nadal, Toza de Nadal or Tronca de Nadal.
The form of the Tió de Nadal is a hollow log about 30 cm long. Recently, the Tió has come to stand up on two or four stick legs with a broad smiling face painted on its higher end, enhanced by a red sock hat.
Beginning with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), the family must give the tió a little bit to “eat” every night and usually cover him with a blanket so that he will not be cold. The story goes that in the days preceding Christmas, children must take good care of the log, keeping it warm and feeding it, so that it will defecate presents on Christmas Day or Eve.
On Christmas Day or, in some households, on Christmas Eve, children will spank the log and order it to defecate. To make it defecate, you have to gently beat the tió with sticks, while singing various songs of Tió de Nadal.
