In Catalan Christmas tradition, the Tió de Nadal is fed and then struck to release small gifts.
The Tió de Nadal, also called the Caga Tió, is a hollow log decorated with a painted face, a red Catalan cap, and sometimes legs. Families traditionally bring it into the home around the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December. Children cover it with a blanket and symbolically feed it fruit, nuts, and other food.
On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, children beat the covered log with sticks while singing a traditional song. When the blanket is lifted, sweets, nuts, small presents, and sometimes dried fruit are found underneath. The custom is a playful household ritual rather than a visit by Santa Claus.
The Tió is associated with older winter customs involving firewood, household abundance, and the return of light. It is one of several distinctive Catalan Christmas traditions. Another is the caganer, a small figurine hidden in nativity scenes, but that figure is not the gift-producing log.