Exactly why does a giant straw goat have any place in a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ?
Not much. But the straw Julbock (Yule goat) an old, old Scandinavian tradition, the origins of which and reasons for which are unclear. It has become associated with Christmas over the centuries. The Julbock does not have to be big; it's just that the city of Gävle has made a huge one for some years now. And as often as not, it gets burned down.