To those of you who polished their boots last night, put them outside their door, and then were all excited this morning: Happy Nikolaus day!

Håkon Mosby arriving back in Bergen in November 2013. How is this for an Advent calendar picture?

To everybody else: It’s clearly time to politely remind the Germans in your life that they should keep this coolest of traditions alive. You best do this by running to the shop, grabbing some chocolates, putting them in their shoes with a small card and maybe a tiny branch and waiting for them to find it. Oh, and nuts or oranges work well, too. Happy Nikolaus day!