Is this a Swedish custom we should know about? What ever happened to St. Nicholas?
American cultural imperialism and the crowding out of traditional ways -- maybe it's happening at an even a deeper level than we had assumed?
We'll know for sure if the French replace that tower thing they have with a statue of Goofy.
On the other hand, the Swedes mercilessly colonized us with their ABBA tunes, which we were helpless against, for the better part of a decade, so clearly it works in both directions.