Who put Santa Claus hats on Cambridge University chapel statues?

On Monday, Martin Bond snapped a photo of various Santa Claus hats resting on top of statues in Cambridge University’s chapel.

Each day for the past 11 years, Bond has taken one photo of an event, person or place in Cambridge, England, as part of his project, a Cambridge Diary. From rainy days to flower fields, Bond has aimed to document “different perspectives” in the city. And on Monday, his focus was on those statues donning the Santa hats – and how those hats got there.

Climbing the chapel would’ve been quite the feat, as parts of the building reach up to 163 feet in height.

The staircase was locked away and no witnesses saw anyone put the Santa hats up, Bond said, adding that the mysterious climber faced a “brave, dangerous” trip up the chapel.

“The staircase to the statues on the chapel weren’t used so it had to be night climbers. The student or students had to have scaled up the building which is quite a feat,” Bond told USA TODAY.

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Bond theorized the student responsible could be part of a tradition in Cambridge that’s lasted since the 1800s – “night climbers.”

In 2009, climbers scaled an 80-foot external wall of King’s College Chapel and placed four Santa hats on the pinnacles.

“The night climbers and most rascal Cambridge students can get away with this kind of mischievous behavior,” Bond said. “It’s a big tradition in the city.”