A straw goat bigger than a bull moose stands in John Oman’s backyard, decorated in lights and red ribbons.
It may seem a bit much for Christmas yard decorations, but Oman thinks it’s better than one of those massive inflatables. And it harks back to Scandinavian traditions.
His inspiration is the 40-foot straw goat erected each year in Gävle, Sweden, at the beginning of Advent, a tradition of Christian worship leading up to Christmas.