Once upon a time, there was a Christmas chicken that was not fast at all. The children didn't get presents at Christmas because the snail was too slow and the snowman always managed to steal all the presents and Santa was afraid of the troll.
The children were very sad and thought Christmas was a bad time.

The Christmas hen, together with her reindeer friends, discovered that there was a piece of jewellery that gave the snail speed. But the jewel was broken and they had to put all five pieces back together again.

The first crystal was a snowflake. They went to the troll's house, but the troll was at home. There was no way the snow leprechaun could escape fast enough and the troll caught the snow leprechaun. The troll said to the snail "you're too slow, you can't get away".

The reindeer kicked the troll to the ground and the Christmas hen meanwhile retrieved the crystal with her twisting round bark and returned with the reindeer back to Korvatunturi.

Santa Claus and Santa Claus helped to find out where the next crystal was. This crystal was blue and it was found in a very cold sea, but not to worry because their friend's Christmas horse was made of ice and he brought the crystal to them and said "here it is but give me some cookies as a thank you".

When we think of Christmas we all think of Santa Claus bringing presents, eating well and that Santa Claus has always been old, but Santa Claus has his own story.
Before Christmas, we just ate well and socialised. When Santa Claus was fifteen, his name was just Santa Claus.

He lived in a cottage in Lapland with his father. They had reindeer. One was called Ukkonen, the other Selja and others.

His mother had gone on a long journey. One evening, Santa decided to go in search of his mother. He packed his bag and set off. He took the reindeer and a big red sleigh and left.

He curled up deep inside the sleigh and the next morning Santa woke up to the sun shining.

He found himself in the yard of a red cottage. Then a herd of foxes attacked him and the reindeer took off running. The herd followed them until they came to the ice cave.

The reindeer ran into the cave and the ice wall froze in front of the mouth. They were stuck. There must be another entrance, he thought. Then they came to a dead end. Thunder found a small passage. They left the sledge and Santa jumped on Selja's back, and they continued through the tunnels.

While the big orcs were making presents, the little orcs were chatting with their prisoner Santa Claus. Santa Claus told them why he was giving presents to the children and that if they gave these terrible presents they would not only get back at him but most of all at the children who had done nothing.

Although the orcs were rough, they had a good heart. The little orcs went to tell the big orcs about their mistake. Then the orcs were in a hurry to fix the ruined toys.

Santa Claus was impressed by the orcs' handiwork and wanted them to work with him, promising to make each orc a nice outfit. Each orc wished to be dressed in blood red and bone white.

So Santa Claus and the orcs made up.
Every year after that, the big orcs would make presents in the workshop and the little orcs would wander around in the dark to see which children were good.

The orcs were allowed to live in the barn with their beloved reindeer. Santa made clothes for the orcs and gave presents to the children.

Once upon a time there was a little elf called Amalia. Amalia had just become an elf and she was very keen to be a higher-ranking elf.

Her family was full of really high ranking elves, her grandfather was the highest ranking elf of all: he was Santa's helper.

Can you increase the value already on the first Elf Christmas?

Amalia's value was the lowest possible, i.e. the Christmas decorator. While putting up decorations, Amalia met other new elves.

The first person he talked to was Julius Jouluinen. Amalia asked Julius:
- Can you increase the value already on the first Elf Christmas?
- It's impossible, only one elf has managed to increase his value during his first elf Christmas.
Amalia was annoyed, she thought about it and gritted her teeth.

In the morning, Amalia woke up to the wake-up call of old Peter the Elf. Peter woke up all the elves because Santa's best elf had disappeared. The elf had gone to look for the missing reindeer, who had already come home.

Bella was left staring at the beautifully decorated Christmas tree.
- It doesn't feel like Christmas, Bella says.
- It's not that dark here yet," reassures Mum.
Bella wonders what if Santa doesn't come.
- Come on, let's go to the attic and you'll see the two inseparable brothers, Grandpa says sadly.
They walk upstairs and crawl into the dusty attic, where there were many old paintings. Grandpa walks up to one of the paintings and says:
- That's Christmas and that's me.
- Is Christmas your brother? Bella asks.
- Of course it is, did you think the story wasn't true? Grandpa says.
Bella looks at a picture of two happy brothers. They went downstairs together.
Suddenly you hear strange noises.
- BOOM!!!
An object fell down. Bella runs to see. A sound came from the fireplace.
- Santa Claus! Bella shouts.
The whole family came to watch, and even a sick Grandma Heini in her red nightdress arrived. Santa Claus jumped out.
- Sorry for the delay. You were the last family on my tour, Santa says.
Santa Claus remains staring into the eyes of the grandfather.
- Is that you, Arttu? Santa asks unexpectedly.
- I knew I'd find you again, my brother.
Santa and Grandpa hugged.

Once upon a time, there was a Christmas that wasn't quite ordinary. Santa Claus, the jolly red figure, had just decided to distribute his presents around the world. In his workshop in Korvatunturi, there was hustle and bustle as elves ran back and forth with gifts.

But this time something was different. Santa Claus realised that he hadn't taken the time to prepare for Christmas. He decided to do things a little differently this year.

The first thing Santa did was close the door to his barn and sit down in front of a large window overlooking the snowy landscape. He took a deep breath and let a moment of silence fill his mind.

As he looked at the starry sky, he thought of all the years he had travelled to the ends of the earth and seen the special glow on children's faces as they opened their gifts.

The next day, Santa woke up early. Instead of getting to work immediately, he put on warm clothes and stepped out into the snowy morning. He was determined to do something special.

Santa headed for the woods behind his barn. There he came across an old tree, and sitting at the foot of it, he began to remember all the times the children had sent him letters. He smiled as he remembered those sweet hopes and dreams.

Santa Claus returned to work with a smile on his face and a heart full of love. Santa began to sing softly to himself, and soon the forest was filled with enchanting music. The birds joined his song, and the snow on the ground seemed to respond to his joyful song.

It was that time of year again when it was snowing, it was freezing, the big Christmas trees were up in the markets and the Christmas markets were on.

In Korvatunturi, on the other hand, it was gift-making time. A large clock ticked on the wall of the main building, showing four days and ten hours until Christmas. The elf Kardemumma was also present in the main building to try out his new invention, the almond finder.

An almond finder can find an almond in a 100 litre rice pudding pot. That kettle was located on the Korvatunturi and that's where every elf ate his morning porridge. On Christmas Eve, an almond was added to the porridge and if you found it, you could go on an unforgettable cruise to the Canary Islands.

Elf Kardemumma wanted to win this prize, so he made a bucket with a mechanism inside that used a laser to scan porridge. If the bucket shook, you knew you had an almond in the bucket.

Soon Santa was on board a flying sleigh, dressed in his now strangely large suit. "Well, let's go!" Santa meowed. And so a bunch of reindeer, a sack of presents and Santa took off, to applause.
"This is where Mia and sister Mai live," Santa said, putting the sack in his mouth. "Knock, knock," Santa knocked on the door with his hoofed tale. "YES!" came from behind the door.

Mia opened the door and screamed. "What is that! WOOH!" The girl ran screaming to her parents but Mai stayed there.

Santa was in a bad mood, but Mai stroked his back and hugged him. "You're Santa Claus!" Santa felt joy inside and out.

A-SARJA
1st place: Lilo Kare, 7, Kausala
2nd place: theo Tarmaa, 7, Espoo
3rd place: Sara Wallenius, 8, Helsinki

B-SARJA
1st place: Milana Salonen, 9, Espoo
2nd place: Aku Elfving, 10, Lakiala
3rd place: Estelle Hätälä, 10, Hämeenlinna

C-SARJA
1st place: Janette Karsikas, 11, Toivala
2nd place: Max Lundgren, 12, Vantaa
3rd place: Johanna Jänönen, 11, Kuopio

The winner of each category will receive a trip to Rovaniemi to meet Santa Claus and the other medalists will receive book prizes.

The atmosphere in this story is beautifully captured. Also, the strong image of elves makes the story exactly what many children have in mind when they think of the Korvatunturi:

I woke up in a warm bed to the wonderful smell of gingerbread. I looked out the window and saw elves. The elves had baked me gingerbread and made me some hot chocolate. Santa Claus came into the room and told me that he had brought me here to the Eagle's Nest. Santa Claus asked me if I wanted to go home to Mummy and Daddy already. I said I wanted to go home, but first I wanted to see the elves' toy factory.

In the toy factory, the elves worked hard and there were lots of great toys. Soon, however, Santa's stomach began to churn with hunger. It was time to eat and I went with Santa to the big dining room. We had Christmas ham, bread and rice pudding. For dessert we had delicious Christmas cakes.

(Honourable mention A-series. Sanni Ojala, Espoo)

In the following story, many children and adults have bad dreams. Christmas presents are misplaced in the wake of a storm. And luckily, as dreams often do, it all ended well:

Santa Claus was there on Christmas Eve to hand out presents, but then a big storm blew up and all the presents went to the wrong houses. People opened the presents and felt bad because they didn't know that Santa's presents had accidentally flown into the wrong houses. People started writing letters of complaint to Santa Claus and sent them to Korvatunturi. When the letters arrived, Santa Claus was in a bad mood. Fortunately, Santa Claus was comforted by the Christmas tree. I was in a family where they started writing a letter of complaint. But I said Santa wouldn't like it and that I could send Santa a nice letter telling him how I could help save Christmas. I comforted Santa in the letter and told him that I could go on the news and tell all the people why the presents had gone to the wrong houses and ask people to bring the presents to me or send them to Korvatunturi. Santa Claus was delighted with my letter. Guess how I knew that? Because Santa sent me a letter telling me how nice it was that I promised to help him.

(1st prize in A-series, i.e. youngest 6-8 years old. Pinja Sarkola, Espoo)

What follows is a familiar reflection that I myself have had with friends in my own childhood. What is the real Santa Claus and what is the fake Santa Claus ? The children will find the answer:

- That wasn't a real Santa Claus! A real Santa would never bring us presents like that, and we've been really good this year anyway," said big brother.

We decided to go and see Santa Claus. We saw him riding his bike.

Suddenly Santa Claus disappeared somewhere. Me, my cousin and big brother jumped into a black hole that led to Santa's laboratory.

We discovered that Santa Claus used magic materials! There were many bottles of Santa's magic in the lab. Santa had made materials in the lab to make blue and red surprise presents. The substances can be used to make scary surprise presents or to give birth to Santa Claus.

(A-series 2nd prize. Eemil Meilo , Helsinki)

These stories from the A-series, the youngest writers, are a good indication that these children, at least, are also reading and finding topics to write about from a young age. The author of the following story already knows how to add colour through dialogue:

After a while, Santa Claus and his reindeer arrived. The truck was brown with red patterns on it. On the truck sat a jolly-looking round Santa Claus. In front of him stood seven cute reindeer. Ruth hugged her mother, climbed into the sleigh and waved goodbye.

- Hello! said Santa Claus.
- Hello!" replied Ruut excitedly.
- "Now we're starting our tour around the world," announced Santa in a quiet voice.

Santa Claus could only get the sleigh to move by force. The wind was blowing. Ruut asked Santa if he wanted some warm juice. Sure enough, Santa did. Ruth poured juice into two flowers. They drank several cups.

In Antarctica, Santa Claus knocked on the door. A young man opened it. Santa accidentally pushed the man aside and threw many presents on the floor. At the door, Santa waved goodbye and Merry Christmas.
Then they flew over Europe and threw gifts down chimneys. It was really nice. Santa's hands were all blistered. Unfortunately, not all houses had chimneys, so some presents had to be taken through the door.

(A-series 3rd prize. Ruut Kärki, Oulu)

In the 9-10 year old series, the narrative becomes more imaginative and the stories may already be set in the near future, or what do you think about the power of the virtual world. The reference to war is already in the present day and in the minds of children:

But while most people were in the virtual world, no one was in the city. Even the little wars stopped when people discovered the virtual world. So the Tuulinen family went into the woods, they cut down a very nice Christmas tree for themselves. Then the Tuulises went to get presents and food for each other. They scattered to an empty shopping mall. The father, Jari Tuulinen, went to get presents for his two children. For Sara Tuulinen, he bought - or took, because there was no cashier. So for her, the father bought a doll. For Risto Tuulinen, he bought a real toy gun. Every Christmas, Henna Tuulinen, his mother, took the food and prepared it, just like this Christmas. When she got home, she cooked a festive meal for the whole Tuulinen family. Then they opened their presents and rejoiced. In heaven, Santa Claus watched wistfully as one family celebrated a merry Christmas. And so the Tuulinen family had a very nice Christmas. In the evening it was time to go to bed. They all went to bed happy and full. And from then on, the whole Tuulinen family spent every Christmas in the same good mood, and whatever they did, they were careful not to use electronics. Because it once killed Santa.

( Honorable mention B-series. Eeli Mustonen, Hausjärvi)

In the next story, we meet a sad Santa Claus and ask how we can help him. Perhaps there is a more general lesson here, you can always ask someone how they are and how they are doing:

I was saying goodbye to a friend I had just been with at the opening of Christmas Street. I was walking through the city centre on my way home and noticed a familiar figure sitting on a bench, but it was Santa Claus! For some reason, Santa looked sad. I slowly walked up to him and asked:- "Are you OK? You look sad. Santa Claus looked at me in wonder, as if it was the first time he had been asked how he was doing. "I just feel like I'm always doing everything for other people and I don't have time to think about myself. I want to find my thing like everyone else, not just sit around wrapping and handing out presents. I want to try something new, something exciting. Santa breathed.
-Come on Santa, Christmas is a whole week away. So it's time to try something new! You need hobbies, and this weekend you'll still have time to give the kids presents!

(1st prize in B series. Linda Kessel, Kristiinankaupunki)

The standard question for Santa Claus over the decades has, of course, been to ask about kindness. Are there any good children here? Some children may have been frightened by the question and others were quick to reassure themselves of their own goodness. Here's a funny take on the subject:

One Christmas, however, something very strange happened. When my family and I arrived at a small cottage just before Christmas Eve, we noticed that there were elves on the roof of the house. There were also elves on the roof of the house and behind one of the bushes. When we got out of the car, the elves started singing a song of congratulations. What on earth was I being congratulated for? One of the bigger elves stepped forward and told me that I had been the kindest child in Finland! Can you imagine that I am so nice to get this kind of attention!

And that's when the fun started and the elf dolls started jumping! A local newspaper reporter arrived with cameras and notes to interview "Finland's Fairest Child". I was photographed, turned and twisted. My grandmother said it was long past time, my parents rolled their eyes in amazement and my little brother mumbled vaguely about some old pranks, which of course no one listened to.

(B-series 2nd prize. Martha Honkavuo, Kauniainen)

Fairies are very much part of the children's stories with Santa Claus and the elves. The recognition of right and wrong is also at the heart of many stories and, of course, the desire to be on the side of right and good. Here's one:

Once upon a time there was a girl. She was called the poor fairy. She always wore the same clothes. She had a father and fifteen brothers and sisters. She was the youngest child in the family. All the other siblings had families of their own. She was thirteen years old and had no friends. One morning she woke up and could not find her father. She found a letter that read "My dear daughter. I found a letter from your mother and it said. "I AM IN DANGER, PLEASE HELP! "I'm going to save her". A tear came to her eye. She went to each of her siblings' houses and found letters. The girl wondered, where could her mother have gone? She thought. To the BACKWORK, why? Because we are poor. Mum went to get money, but why did I get to go? I'm going to find out!

(3rd prize in B series. Maryama Hussein Hersi, Helsiinki)

Christmas is a time for good deeds, that has traditionally been the idea of Christmas. Where can I help my neighbour ? Many people are facing financial difficulties again this Christmas and many families need help. This story is one of many. Insightful writing!

I had already flipped through the toy book cover to cover, not knowing what I wanted for Christmas this year. Finally, I got a stroke of genius when I overheard my parents discussing money worries. Plus, my dad would be working on the eve. "I don't have time to do everything alone!" my mother had raved. I decided to wish Santa for Christmas dinner this year.

I sent a letter to Santa Claus in Rovaniemi. It took a little over a week before I received a reply to my letter. To my disappointment, the small note read only: Your wish has been received.

It was already the eve of Easter before it started to happen. I was sleeping contentedly in my bed when there was a knock on my window. I jolted awake in shock and when I looked out of the window I was even more shocked. Outside my window stood Santa Claus!

I let Santa in through our front door. Santa said to me "It's very cold outside, young man". I replied "Well, that's to be expected. So... you're here?" I asked, confused. "Yes, I guess those Christmas dinners don't cook themselves", Santa gushed.
"So you can cook?"
"Well, the last time I cooked was 30 years ago in a baking competition, so let's assume I still have some skills," Pukki said.
I was starting to get worried, but Santa Claus just said excitedly. "Well, let's get to work!"

(C-series 1st prize Lenni Terämä, Helsinki)

As a final pick, a great Christmas poem, it captures well the essential elements of Christmas. The use of the poetic form in storytelling has declined these days and so has the reading of poems. One would hope that schools would do more to encourage children and young people to read. All reading is worthwhile.

What's taking Santa so long.
On TV, a declaration of Christmas peace is made.
Has it lost one of its reindeer,
Or did rice porridge go into her graying hair.

I'm sure that Santa will finally show up,
The running game is not of guaranteed quality.
The reindeer stayed with the Moor in the fells for safety.
A yellow Fiat Punto bends into grandma's yard.

The redhead jumps from her eagle's seat.
Plucking a cold snow dome from his sleeve.
A talented face to cover it.
The old man should watch out.
Soon you'll be doing somersaults in the snow.

(C-series 2nd prize Kasper Rintama, Lammi)

In rural areas, Santa Claus was better known for bringing presents to the farmhouse porch on Christmas Eve, but he remained invisible. Younger children, at least according to stories, have somewhat frightening memories of their first encounters with Santa Claus. Santa's appearance, with his long beard and strange-looking clothes, was frightening and the youngest children hid behind chairs or under a table. But usually Santa's calm chatter would bring out the scared ones and the children would even go up to Santa's knee to sing a familiar Christmas carol. For more on these visible and invisible visits by Santa Claus, see the story collection entitled "Santa Claus, old acquaintance, wooden hat, furry friend".

For children, and why not for parents too, the gifts they receive and give at Christmas are an essential part of the Finnish Christmas experience. There is an interest in packages of all sizes, big and small, hard and soft. Decades ago, the joy might have come from an apple or gingerbread. During the war in the 1940s and long afterwards, homemade gifts topped the gift lists. The reason is clear - money was tight and people made their own gifts rather than buying them. Mittens, hats and woollen socks filled many a parcel. Homemade play equipment, sledges and kitchen utensils, especially for mothers, were also popular. "New skis and sledges were a favourite, and one would have been keen to try them out as soon as the stars twinkled in the sky." This was the view of one respondent to the traditional collection, and she was by no means the only one who wanted to try out the gifts straight away. But, at least in the 1950s and even in the decades that followed, many families had strict holiday rules. You could only go out to show and try presents to your friends on Boxing Day!

Christmas gift trends also change over time, with intangible gifts being particularly popular. These can be donations to help children in developing countries go to school or to buy a pet for a village in Africa, for example. Among young adults, a popular gift or remembrance may be the provision of a service; cleaning, washing windows or even taking an elderly person out of their home or taking them on shopping trips. The only limit to what you can give as a Christmas gift is your imagination.

Inherent in Christmas and Santa Claus is the famous question: 'Are there any good children here?' " Before Christmas itself, this question has been answered by Santa's faithful helpers, the elves. They are scattered in corners and yards and behind windows. In a split second, the results of their observations are transferred to the books of the Korvatunturi. "Ever since I was a child, I've been taught that if you're nice, Santa Claus will bring you presents. To keep me good, there are a bunch of Santa Clauses, or elves, who peek around corners and sometimes come out of the bushes or from behind a tree". This is how a man recalls his memories of elves. Another person describes the elves like this: " I don't remember how much elves peeked in windows when I was under school age. But I soon realised that elves were a fairy tale, because there were lots and lots of them in Christmas decorations. " More elf memories under the next heading " Are there any nice children here? Elves play an important role. "

Fun stories involve children wondering whether Santa Claus exists and what a real Santa Claus is like. Children's belief in Santa Claus is, of course, a given, and adults believe in Santa Claus too. This belief continues, albeit perhaps slightly modified, into old age. The first suspicions about Santa Claus usually arise in the conversations between primary school children, when a big sister or big brother has hinted at their strong knowledge of Santa Claus. "At some point I began to wonder how the same Santa Claus could be here and there and still look different. My mother explained that the real Santa Claus from Korvatunturi couldn't get to every place, so he had a lot of helpers. "Of course, we observe what Santa Claus looks like and try to find any strange things. Sometimes Santa's voice may sound like that of an uncle or older brother, and sometimes it happens in the countryside that the father has just left to feed the horse and Santa Claus has visited in the father's absence. It's a pity that this happened!

It's worth writing down your own memories of Santa Claus and then sharing them decades later. You can also interview your own parents, grandparents and other relatives about their Christmas memories. Here are some questions that the Finnish Literature Society and the Santa Claus Foundation have prepared together to help you think about your own memories of Santa Claus.

When did you first hear about or meet Santa Claus?

What do you remember about meeting Santa Claus?

What did they tell you about Santa Claus or Christmas elves when you were a child?

How was Santa dressed when you first saw him?

What do you think makes a good Santa Claus?

What has been your most memorable memory of Santa Claus?

Ollijuhani Auvinen
Santa Claus Foundation
[email protected]