In Austria, the approach of the Christmas season is heralded each year by a pair of advance agents who make the rounds of hearths and homes on the eve of Dec. 6 to determine which children are deserving of presents. One of the pair is St. Nicholas, a white-bearded figure full of saintly good will. As portrayed by many a thinly disguised parent or kindly uncle, St. Nicholas is always ready to believe the best of any Austrian moppet who claims to have been good enough to rate a present.
Tagging along close to the saint, however, is another investigator...
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