Tomten

In the middle of winter and late at night, an old friend returns for his annual visit to take care of the animals and look after the inhabitants of the old farmhouse. He goes through his regular routine but becomes perplexed by an undying question for which he cannot find the answer. Generations come and generations go. "But where do they come from and to where do they go?"

This is a new translation of the original poem written in Swedish. It is similar to but should not be confused with Pippi Longstocking author Astrid Lindgren's adaptation entitled "The Tomten."

Also known as "Midvinternattens Köld är Hård" (Midwinter Night's Cold Is Hard), the original poem was written in Swedish by Viktor Rydberg and first published in the magazine "Ny Illustrerad Tidning" in 1881. While outwardly being an idyllic Christmas poem, the poem asks deep questions about the passage of time and the meaning of life.

Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002) was born in Sweden. After college, she worked in a newspaper office and a Swedish publishing house. Her most famous and beloved book, Pippi Longstocking, was originally published in Swedish in 1950 and was later translated into many other languages. It was followed by two sequels, Pippi Goes on Board and Pippi in the South Seas. Ms. Lindgren had a long, prolific career, writing more than 100 picture books, poems, short stories, plays, screenplays, and novels. In 1958, she won the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the highest international award in children’s literature.