Good Yule Postcards!

A postcard showing the nisse or
 tomte delivering gifts.

       Jultomten, or just tomten, is the being who brings the gifts at Julafton (the evening of December 24). The gifts are called julklappar, and are probably a modern version of the Yule log. Jultomten does not climb down the chimney, he delivers the gifts in person. This task is often performed by an old man who secretly dresses up as Jultomten and knocks at the door with a sack of gifts.

A small girl rides a a Gävle goat.

       The function of the Yule goat has differed throughout the ages. In a Scandinavian custom similar to the English tradition of wassailing, held at either Christmas or Epiphany, young men in costumes would walk between houses singing songs, enacting plays and performing pranks. This tradition is known from the 17th century and still continue in certain areas. The group of Christmas characters would often include the Yule goat, a rowdy and sometimes scary creature demanding gifts.

These nisse or tomte ride a Gävle goat.

       Julebukking is a Scandinavian Christmas tradition. Between Christmas and New Year's Day, people wearing masks and costumes (Julebukkers) go door to door, where neighbors receiving them attempt to identify who is under the disguise. In one version of Julebukking, people go from door to door singing Christmas songs. After they have sung, they are usually awarded with candy. Another tradition requires that at least one person from the visited household join the band of Julebukkers and continue to the next household.

Jenny Eugenia Nyström was a painter and illustrator who is mainly known
 as the person who created the Swedish image of the jultomte on numerous
Christmas cards and magazine covers, thus linking the Swedish version of
Santa Claus to the gnomes and tomtar of Scandinavian folklore.
The postcard above is by her.

       The Christmas goat is mentioned in many older Christmas songs dated back to the late 19th and early 20th century, when the Santa Claus tradition had not been fully established throughout Sweden. Among the songs are Julbocken, Julpolska and Raska fötter springa tripp, tripp, tripp.