When I entered the kitchen, I gave Anya a kiss and hug. “Good morning, dear!”
“Good morning to you as well. Breakfast is ready,” my wife replied as she pointed to the table.
“Thank you. Today is January 13th, so I’ll have to be quick.”
“Can you explain again, why the elves decided to celebrate St. Knut’s Day at the North Pole this year?” Ms. Claus asked, shaking her head. “As I understand it, there are only two countries that observe today as the official end to Christmas.”
“True,” I said and took a swig of hot chocolate. “As you know, the elves are from Korvatuntori Mountain in Lapland,” I explained and shifted back in my chair. “This area covers the northern edges of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and extends into Russia. St. Knut’s Day is a big holiday in Sweden and Finland.
“Remember,” I continued, “the day is also associated with the Epiphany, often called The Three King’s Day after the Magi, the three Wise Men. It lasts from January 6th to the 13th, the official end of the Christmas Season. The elves want to keep the celebration alive. They tried to resurrect it last season but ran out of time. This year, they succeeded.”
“I guess having a day to encourage people to clean up and put away all the Christmas decorations can’t be all bad,” my wife thought out loud.
“It is, but the day ends with a beautiful feast. Give the elves a chance to have fun and celebrate their traditions, they make it happen.”
I finished my breakfast and when I was done cleaning up, I invited Anya to join me.
We grabbed our coats and headed towards the Rec Hall, where the Christmas Village tree had stood, tall and brightly decorated days ago. “Looks like they have already taken down the outdoor decorations,” Anya commented while we walked through the courtyard.
“I think they like to get that done first. Apparently, it is not as much fun as the rest of their activities.”
Approaching the hall, we could hear the elves singing Christmas songs. When Jingle Bells ended, they immediately began Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. “If I didn’t know better, I would think it was Christmas Day!” my wife exclaimed.
The elves hardly noticed the two of us entering the hall. Most of the decorations were down, and the ones remaining were carefully removed by several elves while everyone continued singing Christmas songs.
“Excuse me Santa,” I heard an elf say. I turned to see Lyra trying to get around me.
“Uh, Santa, I need to get over to those tables,” she said and pointed to several of them along the wall.
“What’s the rush?” I asked.
“Those are all the leftover cookies and desserts from Christmas,” she yelled hustling her way across the room, “and I want to get some before they are all gone!”
“I guess the elves are especially fond of the feasting aspect of the holiday,” I commented.
Before my wife could respond, Bernard announced, “The Christmas cookies and desserts are going fast. So now is the time to bring out all the Gingerbread Houses. You can place them on the tables in the back of the room. I’ll let you know when to begin the next step.”
“What’s going on?” Ms. Claus demanded.
“They are about to . . .”
“Is everyone ready?” Bernard asked to a loud roar from the elves. “Okay, then- Three . . . Two . . . One . . . GO!”
The elves raced to the tables. Smashing every gingerbread house in sight, they pounced on the broken pieces and began eating whatever looked delicious.
“Well, I guess that is one way to get rid of all the gingerbread houses.” My wife laughed and scooted towards the mess on the tables. “Want a piece, Santa?”
“Sure,” I yelled, “and grab some of those cookies before they’re all gone.”
I watched her fight through the crowd and grab what she could. Returning quickly, my wife and I started nibbling on the sweet treats when Bernard again made an announcement. “Now it is time to gather around for the ‘Plundering of the Christmas Tree!’”
“THE WHAT?” Anya and I shouted.
Though the two of us were ignored, we watched the elves circle the grand tree that had stood in the hall since late November. Everyone began jumping and skipping in a circle around the tree to the tune of the songs they sang.
While dancing around the tree, they picked at the chocolates, dried fruits, popcorn, Christmas crackers, cookies, and candies used to decorate the tree and ate them.
“Please tell me the elves are not going to eat the tree after they’ve eaten all the decorations!” Ms. Claus demanded.
“NO!” I gave my wife’s hand a little squeeze. “When all the decorations are off, the tree will be thrown outside, chopped up, and used as firewood.”
“I suppose that will then end the celebration.”
“Not really.”
“What more could they do?”
“Well, given that they are more a part of Finland, there is an old Finnish custom they would like to follow, called Nuuttipukki (Newt-ti- puk-ki), a common Finnish character who is dressed as a goat and visits houses for leftover food and drink. In the past, townspeople would dress in furry jackets, horns, and a leather mask to appear as goat-like as possible. Then they would travel from house-to-house demanding food and drink from the head of the home.”
“And if they don’t get anything?”
“Those who rejected the demands of the goat were subjected to chaos and evil deeds.”
“Sounds like Halloween.”
“I agree. Today it’s usually the children that dress as the Nuuttipukki and go from home to home, searching for candy and other treats. The goats are less scary now that boys and girls take part in this holiday.”
“Then we better get back to our home and get ready.”
“Don’t worry, I asked them to skip our home this year. Instead let’s wait for the elves to put away all decorations so that we can join with them in the big feast the kitchen elves have prepared.”
“I like that. Now I don’t have to worry about any goat creatures surprising us at our home.” Anya giggled and began chewing on a piece of gingerbread. “But promise me, Santa. This will be the end of Christmas for the year.”
“Of course.” After a short pause, I added, “At least until the 2025 Christmas season begins.”
Notes From Santa
I hope you enjoyed today’s story. Stories are posted on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, except December. Santa’s next story will be posted on Saturday February 1, 2025. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until the next time . . .
To read other stories about North Pole Celebrations or Traditions, please check out:
The Christmas Goat – July 13, 2020
A Ghostly North Pole – October 26, 2020
The Christmas Star – December 21, 2020
The Elves Egg Hunt – April 5, 2021
Elfkin Festival – November 1, 2021
Wearing The Green – March 15, 2022
Fooling Santa – April 1, 2023
Mother’s Day – May 6, 2023
Find Cincy Santa (@CincySanta) on:
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Illustrations from Ancient Origins
Thanks again for another Great story ! We Love All of your stories – Thank you for sharing!! I learn something new each time I read one!! Be safe, stay warm, and have Fun until Christmas season begins again!!