diff --git a/lib/index.js b/lib/index.js
index 48b5f9c..1364cd8 100644
--- a/lib/index.js
+++ b/lib/index.js
@@ -32,17 +32,15 @@
         return hour;
     }
 
-    // loc is a function that maps the default English names to localized
-    // names. In most cases it will just look up strings in a map but it's
-    // a function for added flexibility.
+    // locale is an object with the same structure as DefaultLocale
     function strftime(fmt, d, locale) {
-        // d and loc are optional, check if d is really loc
+        // d and locale are optional so check if d is really the locale
         if (d && !(d instanceof Date)) {
             locale = d;
-            d = new Date();
+            d = undefined;
         }
-        locale = locale || DefaultLocale;
         d = d || new Date();
+        locale = locale || DefaultLocale;
 
         // Most of the specifiers supported by C's strftime
         return fmt.replace(/%(.)/g, function(_, c) {