Okay. Bear with me on this one. It’s going to bring out the ten-year-old in you.

Many Christmas traditions are sweet and heart-warming. And then there’s this one…

Spain has a very unusual tradition: Tió de Nadal, the Christmas log. It makes you wonder if “Mr. Hankey” from South Park is related.

Tió de Nadal is actually a hollow log, with stick legs, a smile, and a red hat. From December 8^th until December 24^th, during the evening, children will feed the log small treats with water and drape a blanket around him to keep warm.

Then, on Christmas Eve, suddenly poor Tió de Nadal gets some rough treatment. In the evening, the children take up sticks and beat the log while singing traditional songs, which includes the following:

“Poop log, Poop nougats, Hazelnuts and mato cheese, If you don’t poop well, I’ll hit you with a stick, Poop log!”

Yes. That cute little log is referred to as The Poop Log. Such holiday cheer, right? Ha!

After Tió de Nadal is properly thrashed and has been serenaded, the log then magically… um.. releases gifts and candy. Then his job is done, and the log is thrown into the fire for warmth.

To be honest, I don’t know how to connect that with our financial planning, but I thought it was a hilarious story! Hopefully, you did, too.

At Money & Clarity, we know that really, the best story is yours. You have dreams for your future, no matter what your life stage may be now. We’d like to help you achieve your financial goals so you and your family can enjoy many more holidays together, whether it’s in Spain or elsewhere.

Why not discover how we can help you? Call us today at 513-563-PLAN (7526) or book online for a quick 15-minute conversation and we’ll figure out if we’re the right advisor for you. Together, we’ll develop a plan that puts you on target for the kind of life you want and deserve. We’ll even throw a log on the fire in memory of good ol’ Tió.

Regards,
Nikki Earley, CFP®