A Kodak Moment

As many of you know tomorrow is the last official day of Christmas in Europe, which means there's still time for one more entry about the Caganer.

As many of you also know I'm particularly obsessed with this odd Catalonian custom. Particularly since I discovered it while working at a local ad agency. You see, it was time for another year end sales event for one of the major car brands. I'm always about doing something different so I went in search of unusual winter solstice customs thinking that would make for some cool TV spots.

Wikipedia did not disappoint.

I learned of the ancient Norwegian custom of painting a doorway with butter somehow beckoning the return of the sun. The Austrians have given birth to Krampus, the evil demon Anti-Santa. In typical Teutonic form, people don Krampus costumes, drink beer then roam the streets to beat people with a stick or a rusty bicycle chain. No doubt, their preferred victims were Jews.

But of course being scatologically and sophomorically-inclined, nothing compares with El Caganer. Made even more delightful when you consider I was being paid a King's ransom( day rate) to fully investigate this phenomena.

Recently a friend called this 19-foot high Caganer to my attention. It was spotted at a mall in Barcelona and now holds a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

There is much to ponder about this amazing photograph. The enormous scrotal sac. The hairless butt. The perfectly-coiled, 6-foot frozen-yogurt like turd.

But look at the man on the second floor who appears to be snapping a picture of his own. What, pray tell, could be more fascinating than a two story high statue of a naked man taking a dumping in a shopping mall?

That will keep me at night.