Julnisse with Porridge circa 1880

Julnisse With Porridge Jenny Nystrom C 1870

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Santa Claus Worldwide distills the cheerful essence of Christmas from many sources and studies, old and new. In addition to his wide reading, author Tom A. Jerman has brought a wealth of personal experience

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Santa Claus Worldwide describes gift givers throughout the world in history from the pagan god Odin to the present day Father Christmas, Weihnachten, Père Noël, Ded Moroz, and Santa Claus. Mr. Jerman’s thorough research of this subject, takes the reader on a journey...

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Until now I’ve been especially interested in Clement C. Moore and his transcendent poem The Night Before Christmas. Tom Jerman puts Moore’s classic in perspective with a broad and highly informative look at the international history of Santa Claus. For my own...

This book is REALLY impressive

I’m not a historian (I work with a lot of historians, but I’m not one!) but this book REALLY impressive piece of work! Extensively referenced and Tom Jerman does a great, scholarly job of telling the “stories” that should be told with the support of a lot of...
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There were no depictions of the Scandinavian Jultomten or Julnisse until 1880, when Swedish artist Jenny Nystrom began painting illustrations of them as what looked like miniature versions of Santa. This painting by shows several Julnisse making the traditional Christmas Eve dinner of porridge. In Scandinavian folklore, however, the homeowner must leave a bowl of warm porridge for the Julnisse or Jultomte on Christmas Eve with a pat of butter melting on top or suffer bad luck the during coming year.