As we gather today—on the 24th, the true zenith of the Swedish celebration—it is easy to look at the jolly, rotund figure in the red velvet suit and see an eternal truth. But the Santa Claus dominating shopping malls and television screens is a relatively modern invention, a commercial filter placed over a far older, darker, and more mystical Scandinavian reality.
The modern image of Santa isn’t just a fable; it is arguably the most successful marketing campaign in history. And at the heart of it lies a cultural appropriation of the Nordic Jultomte.
The Paintbrush of Haddon Sundblom
While legends of Saint Nicholas (the gift-giver) and Father Christmas (the spirit of festivity) existed for centuries, their appearances were inconsistent—ranging from tall and gaunt to elf-like and dressed in green, blue, or brown furs.
Enter The Coca-Cola Company. In 1931, seeking to boost winter sales of their cold beverage, they commissioned illustrator Haddon Sundblom to create advertising images. Sundblom, significantly, was of Swedish descent. He drew upon his own heritage but sanitized it for American consumption. He took the Tomte—historically a small, gray-bearded, temperamental farm spirit—and blew him up to human size. He replaced the rough woolens with the bright red and white of the Coca-Cola brand, gave him a grandfatherly smile, and stripped him of his mystical edge.
Coca-Cola didn’t invent the red suit, but they standardized it. They took a mythological creature of the forest and turned him into a billboard.
Yule Tide: The Wheel Turns
To understand what was lost, we must look at the word itself: Yule. Derived from the Old Norse Jól, it refers not to a single day, but to a season—a “tide” or time. It is connected to the turning of the wheel of the year, the Winter Solstice.
Before the “Ho Ho Ho,” the Yule season was a time of unease and magic. It was the time of Odin’s “Wild Hunt” across the sky. In Sweden, the gift-bringer was originally not a man at all, but the Julbock (Yule Goat). This figure, with roots in Thor’s goats, would carry the Yule log or deliver presents. Over time, the goat became a companion to the Jultomte, and eventually, the goat was demoted to a straw ornament, while the Tomte was morphed into the Santa we see today.
Coal and Krampus: The Necessary Shadow
The commercial Santa is purely benevolent, but the old world understood balance. You cannot have light without dark. In the Germanic and Alpine traditions, St. Nicholas had a shadow counterpart: Krampus. (Britannica)
While Nicholas rewarded the good, Krampus, a horned, anthropomorphic figure, punished the wicked. He carried birch branches for swatting and a sack not for toys, but for carting off naughty children. This duality persisted in the tradition of giving coal. Coal was not merely a prank; it was a cold, utilitarian reminder of the hearth that had gone cold—a sign that you were unworthy of the warmth of the season. It was a grounding reality check in a season of excess.
The Swedish Resistance: The Julmust Phenomenon
Despite Coca-Cola’s global dominance in shaping the image of Christmas, there is one stronghold they cannot conquer: Sweden.
Every December, a peculiar phenomenon occurs in the Swedish beverage market. Sales of Coca-Cola plummet by roughly 50%. They are displaced by Julmust, a dark, malt-heavy, hop-flavored soft drink invented in 1910 by Harry Roberts and his father as a non-alcoholic alternative to beer.
It is a source of immense national pride and corporate frustration for Coca-Cola. For decades, the giant has tried to crack the code, running aggressive campaigns or even attempting to launch their own “Bjäre” brand of julmust to compete. They fail every time. The Swedish palate remains loyal to the original taste of Yule—a flavor that is earthy, sweet, and distinct, much like the folklore itself.
A Toast to the Old Ways
So, as we open gifts today, let us appreciate the red-suited man for the joy he brings to the children. But let us also remember the gray-bearded Tomte in the barn, the straw goat standing guard, and the deep, ancient roots of the Yule Tide that no marketing budget can fully erase.
God Jul, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!