I thought I’d share something a little different for this winter solstice—a reading of my favorite Moomintroll short story by Tove Jansson.
I’ve written before about Jansson’s work and about my favorite of her Moomin books, Moominland Midwinter, which always feels like such an authentic and wise book about long winters.
While The Fir Tree is a Christmas story, it has the questioning-melancholy-mixed-with-joy-and-community in the vein of Charlie Brown Christmas, which I also still love as an adult. Stories that acknowledge the weight that comes with imposed traditions that mask what the celebration was for in the first place—shared hope and community in darkness. So I hope that while it is a Christmas story of sorts, it doesn’t feel alienating to those who, like me, prefer to celebrate the turn of the sun towards the light this time of year, rather than any religious tradition per se.
Just a little background: Jansson’s Moomin stories are centered around a cast of fictional creatures superficially, but there’s so much imagination and nuance—with room for anger, frustration, fear, calm, joy, bafflement and wonder at the world they find themselves in. And my favorite character, Little My, is a revelation for the part of me who is angry most of the time—Little My revels in her anger, and encourages others to express their own, and it’s…so refreshing.
Below is a primer on some of the characters, but the meaning and humor of the story still comes across, regardless of knowing the details.
Happy solstice to you all—may you find light in the darkness, while also allowing your body to rest in the quiet and dark of midwinter.
Thanks for this, I just picked up a Moomintrolls book at the local bookshop. I've been meaning to read Jansson for a while, and needed this reminder.
I have read them all, and LOVE them fiercely. 😍