Midwinter night cold is hard. Stars glimmer and gleam. All sleeps in quiet yard, Deep in a midnight dream. Snow shines white on fence and spruce. Moon beams bright on snow-capped roofs. Hush fills a forest near a frozen lake. Only Santa is awake.

The story of Tomten is a long-established Swedish folktale. His legend pre-dates the modern-day Santa Claus.

Way up in the northern parts of Scandinavia, during the dark, long winter nights, the reading of Viktor Rydberg's "Tomten" has become an annual tradition. It was first published in the magazine "Ny Illustrerad Tidning" in 1881.

Scandinavian children have long heard the tales of Tomten wandering through the farm and into the house--how he comes for his regular visit, looking after the animals and watching over the inhabitants, occasionally stopping to ponder the deeper...

Way up in the Northernland, during the dark, long winter nights, the reading of Viktor Rydberg's Tomten has become an annual Scandinavian tradition. It was first published in Ny Illustrerad Tidning in 1881.

Scandinavian children have long heard the tales of Tomten wandering through the farm and into the house--how he comes for his regular visit, looking after the animals and watching over the inhabitants, occasionally stopping to ponder the deeper questions of life.

Every year, children young and old wait with hope and anticipation for that mysterious being...