Santa didn’t stop being real – we stopped believing in magic.

The truth about Santa isn’t an end to wonder; it’s where the real magic begins.

Growing up, Christmas in our household was always a magical time. My family is half Swedish and Portuguese so we celebrated on the 24th (we called it our Swedish Christmas) and the 25th of December. 

And let me tell you, Swedes take Christmas very seriously. 

My grandparents did something REALLY cool, that was to invite all their friends that had nowhere to celebrate Swedish Christmas (24th) should they be in Portugal alone, away from their families. 

This called so many different kinds of lovely people into our lives.  

On the 24th we start with a late lunch around 14h, beginning with Swedish cold dishes that are made at home from scratch and some items bought from other Swedish expats that were residing in Portugal. 

There used to be a Scandinavian Christmas bazaar every year organised by the Swedish embassy which had all the goodies you could imagine. 

It was one of the many Christmas traditions we had leading up to the celebratory day – going to the bazaar together. 

I could write an entire blog post of how wonderful this bazaar was – don’t worry I won’t, BUT IT WAS MAGICAL I TELL YOU.

Back to the festivities, an important part to accentuate is the alcohol consumption. Swedish Schnapps is no joke, even for seasoned drinkers. The Swedish tradition is to sing folk songs and take a couple of shots of this powerful potion.

What comes next is nothing short of wonderful–unless you’ve had too many shots. 

One of the songs we sing is Hej Tomtegubbar. The song translate to this: 

It’s very fun to sing this one in Swedish. 

To me it’s much more than a drinking song, so much so that I am looking forward to this part of Christmas even though I am not drinking any alcohol this year. 

Because so many that join us for our Swedish Christmas aren’t Swedish, there is a lot of mumbling along and an excessive accentuation of the word ‘HEJ’. It’s great fun, a lot of laughs and just great energy all around. 

What’s beautiful about this song is the inclusivity of the Santa man, it encompasses how close Santa is in Swedish tradition. 

Santa in Swedish is Tomte. 

Tomte, derived from the Swedish word “tomt,” or plot of land, literally means “homestead man.” 

Typically depicted as small and elderly, the Tomte is roughly half the size of a man, with rags for clothes and a heavy white beard. 

This miniature sprite has long been a symbol for the winter solstice and the celebration of yuletide, though his connotations have evolved over the years.

Originally, the “homestead man” was believed to be the ancestral spirit of the first farmer to have worked a given plot of land. 

Dwelling around the farm but careful to always remain out of sight, the Tomte is known to be a dutiful, hard worker. 

He cares for the animals, children and property at the homestead, asking very little in return but respect and the occasional bowl of porridge. 

At the inkling of disrespect – which can come in the form of foul language or a sudden change in an age-old tradition – he will not hesitate to stir up trouble. 

Tomtes are known to be mischievous and fiery-tempered, acting out through something as benign as mixing up the animals in the barn to much more extreme shows of chaos and violence.

So from this I grew up with two meanings of Santa Claus, one westernised version and the other this beautiful Christmas fairy-like character from the Scandinavian traditions.

For those who have seen those little Christmas gnomes at Ikea, that is what a Tomte looks like.

Santa was never one man, Santa is a spirit, or rather THE spirit of Christmas. 

Santa represents the moral compass guiding our actions, while Christmas celebrates the direction we aspire for that compass to point toward—goodness, generosity, and love.

There is much magic in goodness, generosity, and love. 

Back to our Swedish Christmas… 

After the cold food comes the hot, with a beautiful selection of honey and mustard coated ham, to traditional homemade Swedish meatballs, and little sausages. 

I cannot leave out the delicious Janssons frestelse, which translates to Janssons Temptation. It’s a potato dish that is just UGHHHHHHH incredible. 

After much food, Christmas crackers, and people falling off their chairs from laughing at the terrible jokes from said crackers. Although I think the falling might have more to do with the alcohol than the jokes. 

We move onto the gift giving portion of the day. This remains my favourite part to date. 

The man of the house puts on an apron imprinted with Mrs.Claus and begins to hand out the gifts everyone has bought for each other. 

In our family, the joy of Christmas gift-giving is more than just tradition, it’s a heartfelt competition to see who can best capture the essence of the person they’re gifting to. 

It creates these magical moments of pure happiness and connection that make the season unforgettable.

We then proceed to have the biggest food coma, and just sit around the fire and talk. 

Beautiful conversations stir up at this moment. 

Moments of connection, love, a joy for life and the positives of the trials and tribulations of the year that has passed. 

Magic exists beyond Christmas and Santa Claus, it exists within us. For it is we that give meaning to this time of the year. 

We choose love, generosity and goodness. 

Whether you do or you don’t celebrate Christmas, know that you have the power to choose this magic all year round. 

I wish you the strength to choose love, generosity and goodness, not just for holidays but for everyday you wake up in the morning. 

Much Love.