The Tomten and the Fox 2019

On Christmas Eve, the hungry fox Mickel Dennis Storhøi roams a snow-covered forest in search of a meal, nose to the cold wind and paws crunching the frost. He darts after two mice, but the swift little creatures slip away, leaving him empty-handed and more determined to find something to fill his belly. The wintry quiet deepens around him as he stumbles upon a farm, drawn by the warm glow spilling from a living room window where Christmas candy gleams invitingly. He gazes longingly at the sweets, the glow painting the snow with a soft, hopeful light, yet the door to the cozy room remains out of reach, a tantalizing barrier between hunger and comfort.

Beyond the glow, the open door of the chicken coop catches his eye, and for a heartbeat he imagines a quick catch to quiet the ache. But at that moment, the Nisse (Norwegian-Danish) / Tomte (Swedish), the farm’s guardian elf, appears and drags Mickel outside. The Nisse is firm but not cruel, explaining that he is there to take care of the chickens and that stealing is not allowed. Yet the elf also senses the fox’s hunger and, in a quiet, practical gesture, offers a compromise: share the plate of Christmas porridge that a girl has left on the doorstep with Mickel, and make this a winter-night ritual. The fox accepts the offer with a wary but grateful nod, and he eats the porridge, feeling the warmth spread through him as the cold forest air settles around his shoulders.

As Mickel makes his way back toward the forest, he encounters the two mice again. They’re frightened by the sight of the large fox, eyes wide and tense, but Mickel’s mood lightens as he shows a small, unexpected kindness. He picks up a pine cone that had rolled away and gently places it before the mice, a simple token of goodwill that carries a soft, hopeful smile in his expression. With that quiet act of generosity, he continues on his path, the night’s chill tempered by the fragile, growing sense of connection to the world around him. The story unfolds with a gentle rhythm: hunger, restraint, shared warmth, and a brief, human-like mercy from a creature who could easily have acted on instinct. The film lingers on small gestures and serene winter imagery, painting a mood of quiet wonder and seasonal tenderness.