Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

  It's time for Christmas gnomes :  What is the story behind Christmas gnomes? They originated out of Scandinavian folklore and were “house gnomes” who lived in or under the house. They would protect the children and animals from evil or misfortune.   A nisse ( Norwegian) ,  tomte (Swedish) , tomtenisse, or tonttu (Finnish:  is a mythological creature from Nordic folklore today typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season.  On today's card he is surrounded by Christmas gifts in the form of a Christmas stamp  (Australia 2017) 

  14 December Christmas Countdown #25envelopes - tonttu Of all the places where I’ve lived , no other country does Christmas better than Finland ... today’s envelope features tonttu which is a mythological creature from Nordic folklore associated now with the winter solstice and the Christmas season. They are generally described as being short, having a long white beard, and wearing a conical or knit cap in red or some other bright colour. My tonttu is free motion stitched with coloured pencil and collaged with other fabric . Best wishes to all my Finnish friends and host families - hyvää joulua PS. Some readers  may know of these little folk as tomte ( Swedish) or nisse (Danish) 

A little Finnish surprise for you today.....  T is for tonttu  A tonttu ( or tomte in Swedish)  is a mythological creature from  Scandinavian folklore  today typically associated with the  winter solstice  and the  Christmas  season. It is generally described as being no taller than three feet, having a long white beard, and wearing a conical or knit cap in red or some other bright colour. They often have an appearance somewhat similar to that of a  garden gnome . [1 ] from Wikipedia.  In the past, i n Finnish households  there were guardian spirits known as elves (tonttu) Each type of building had its own sort of elf.- household elves, sauna elves, stable elves, storehouse elves, barn elves and mill elves. When treated with respect, they brought good fortune, but if they took offence, there was no predicting the consequences. All commonly were active after nightfall,but individual tonttu were often notorious for thei...

Christmas Countdown ... 16...  In American folklore, a Christmas elf is a diminutive creature that lives with Santa Claus in the North Pole and acts as his helper. Christmas elves are usually depicted as green or red clad with pointy ears and pointy hats. Santa's elves are often said to make the toys in Santa's workshop and take care of his reindeer, among other tasks. They were first introduced by Louisa May Alcott in 1856. The association of Christmas presents with elves has precedents in the first half of the 19th century with the Tomte in Scandinavia.