Edinburgh, U.K. — A man returning from a New Year’s party gave quite the scare to an intruder breaking into his house.

Torvald Alexander, a builder, went to the holiday costume party dressed as Thor, the Norse god of thunder, from a costume he fashioned out of foil and fabric. Discovering the intruder upon returning home, Alexander ran at the man, who leapt from the window and escaped. Alexander admits that being dressed in aluminum foil probably added to the surprise, and in the end, nothing was taken from his home.

Garden tools used to break in were left at the scene, however, along with the intruder’s shoes.

New Zealand — A homeless man has been released on bail in an obscene exposure trial on condition that he wears underwear.

Ben “Blanket Man” Hana is known locally in Wellington, New Zealand for his usual blanket and loincloth attire. His lawyers argued that his penchant for “high-risk clothing” is not a deliberate attempt of lewdness, but is simply a way of life.

Additional stipulations of his release included abstinence from alcohol and a ban from any licensed businesses with the exception of supermarkets. It is yet to be determined how he will acquire underwear if unable to shop anywhere but grocery stores.

Pennsylvania — Instead of discovering Santa entering their house, a Pennsylvania family found a man living in their attic this holiday season.

Stanley Carter, 21, was charged with several counts of burglary, theft, receiving criminal property and criminal trespassing.

Carter was discovered coming down from the attic wearing clothes belonging to members of the family after homeowner Stacy Ferrance heard noises and noticed footprints in the closet where the attic entrance was located.

Police were called Christmas Day when cash, a laptop and an iPod disappeared. The items were found in the attic along with a list labeled, “Stanley’s Christmas List,” including all stolen items.

Kassel, Germany — Beer-loving ice skaters may want to plan a trip to Kassel, Germany.

At a busy intersection, a delivery truck carrying 12 tons of beer lost the majority of its load on a sharp left-hand turn at the bottom of a hill. Nearly 800 liters of beer in 1,600 bottles broke and froze in the 25-degree weather, forming a sheet of ice and producing heady beer fumes.

The intersection was cleared in an hour, but the trucker is facing fines for not securing his load properly.

Mexico City — Recalling Tom Hanks’ character in The Terminal, a Japanese man has recently left Terminal 1 of Mexico City’s international airport after living there since September for no apparent reason. The man, Hiroshi Nohara, left with no explanation Sunday after receiving at least two visits from an unidentified woman.

His tourist visa allows him to stay in Mexico until March, and he has a ticket for his return passage.

Reach reporter Matt Jackson at news@dailyuw.com.