"Jesper" is a sort of "Verruca Salt" type of character. He's spoilt and lazy and lives the life of Riley because his father indulges him. Finally, though, his Postmaster General dad decides it's time for his son to stand on his own to feet. Well more likely skis, as he's dispatched to a remote island well above the Arctic Circle - think Svalbard but without the polar bears - and told that he has one year to deal with 6,000 letters or he is done. No more living the high life. Upon arrival in this community that makes the "OK Corral" look like the "Waltons", he is soon embroiled in some local conflict and swiftly realises that nobody here cares less about the postal service. Curiously enough, amidst all this lawlessness, there is a teacher called "Alva" who sort of takes pity on him and stops him freezing to death, and then there is the enigmatic woodcutter "Klaus" who lives in the forest amidst a collection of his own hand-made toys. Now at this point, you can guess pretty much where we are heading but I didn't think that predictability really mattered. This is more of a characterful story that combines some quite innovative explanations for some of the more fantastical Christmas fairy tales with a tale of human inter-reliance; ancient grudges that have long since become pointlessly (and perilously) self-perpetuating and there is also plenty to giggle at as the snow gets into just about everywhere - as does "Jesper". Intentionally or not, this entertainingly animated adventure also reminded me of the days when we actually wrote letters, bought a stamp and then posted them. I'm not sure I've bought a stamp in a decade, much less written a letter by hand. It's that quaintness that worked here for me; a nostalgia for things past but also for things that could still be reclaimed if only we'd stop for a while and take stock. I was a little disappointed with the conclusion, but I did enjoy the journey of self-realisation on display here that left me with that mulled wine feeling - and boy must he have had enough splinters to bring a tear to the eye.