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Swedish Santa
& Tomtes
In Sweden, little elves called Tomtes travel with the Swedish Santa at Christmas time so they can help him distribute presents. They are quite mischievous, though, so the Swedish Santa has to keep his eye on them. Here he is taking them along on a sled and they seem to be quite happy for the ride. The tomtes are going to place the straw julbock under the tree. In Sweden, people believed the Yule goat to be an invisible spirit that would appear before Christmas to make sure that the holiday preparations were done correctly. The goat eventually took on the role of a gift giver and is sometimes seen in place of or alongside Santa, who is called Jultomten.
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