The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Christmas shopping|Despite the economic situation, sales on the third weekend of Advent are 10 to 20 percent higher than last year, and some shops report a similar increase in customers. Pandemic restrictions led to a dip in sales in 2021 and 2021, as people bought fewer gifts and decorations due to fewer parties and social events. Read more in our story.

Medieval settlement|Archeologists found the remains of a village from the 14th century during the survey of the route of the future D35 highway in the section Janov - Opatovec in Svitavy, ČTK reports. The finding matches local records, with the cadaster of Moravský Lačnov, which today is part of Svitavy, documenting a village or manor from the 14th century.

Back on ice|Czech hockey legend Jaromír Jágr joined his team Rytíři Kladno in a Czech Extraliga game yesterday, iDnes reports. Kladno's owner returned to the ice rink and scored two out of Kladno's three goals. Still, that wasn't enough to beat Liberec, which won the game 7:3.

Safe to visit ?|The Czech Republic took the 34th spot in a ranking of the 50 Most Deadly Travel Destinations in 2022, based on the 50 most visited countries in the world. Czechia ranked low in the category Life Years Lost Due to Injury, which records "age-standardized and disability-adjusted life years lost due to injuries (including conflict, violence, and self-harm) per 100,000 people."

Real lifesaver|Using the crash detection feature, an iPhone 14 detected a traffic accident that happened in Prague 7 on Saturday, then automatically called the 112 phone number, the Prague Fire Department tweeted. This enabled police and firefighters to head to the accident site using the phone's GPS location.

Animal care|Former nurses of the municipal shelter in Hradec Králové are accusing the management of mistreating the animals, Seznam Zprávy reports. Four former nurses alleged that the head of the shelter, Andrea Horáková, and her deputy, Martin Kulhánek have been euthanizing animals when their care showed signs of being financially expensive with an uncertain prognosis.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas|Temperatures are set to remain below freezing for the whole week, which is forecast to also bring snow to large parts of Czechia. Substantial snowfall on Sunday night led to complications in Central Bohemia, with long queues forming on Prague ring roads. Read more in our story.

Chuck Norris redux|An action game that Czech developers presented at The Game Awards features high-profile Hollywood actors such as Michael Madsen, Kim Basinger, Damion Poitier, Danny Trejo, and Chuck Norris. An organized crime game set in the U.S. state of Florida in the 1990s, Crime Boss: Rockay City is the work of a team from the Brno-based Ingame Studios.

Baptism by ice|The Czech Strengthening Union (České otužilecké unie) welcomed new members yesterday in Prague's Braník, ČTK reports. Vladimír Komárek, the chairman of the union, which promotes fitness swimming, poured a large jug of Vltava water with ice cubes on the backs of those who wanted to join, who later went for a swim in the waters of the Vltava (whose temperature stood at 5.4 degrees Celsius).