Finland’s Christmas gift-bringer is called Joulupukki.
The Finnish name literally means “Yule Goat,” linking the modern character to older Nordic midwinter customs. Today, Joulupukki is generally portrayed as a friendly, bearded man in red clothing who visits homes and gives presents to children. The character is especially associated with Finnish Christmas Eve celebrations.
Joulupukki is often connected with Korvatunturi, a fell in Finnish Lapland that folklore describes as his home. Rovaniemi, also in Finnish Lapland, is heavily promoted as a tourist home of Santa Claus, but the traditional Finnish name remains Joulupukki.
A common mix-up is treating Joulupukki as simply the Finnish spelling of Santa Claus. The name’s goat reference preserves a much older layer of Scandinavian Yule folklore, even though the modern figure resembles Santa in appearance and gift-giving role.