December has a way of wrapping the world in a little extra magic. As the cold sets in and the days grow shorter, there’s something captivating about how the holiday season transforms everything and brings a sense of wonder to countries all around the globe. Here, homes are filled with gifts beneath decorated Christmas trees, twinkling lights are everywhere, stockings are hung by the fireplace, families get dressed up to attend Christmas pageants and kids try to stay up late to catch a glimpse of Santa.But travel a little further, and you’ll find other celebrations unfolding, as every culture has their own special traditions, some more well-known than others. From children in Italy eagerly awaiting La Befana, the kind-hearted witch who fills stockings with sweets, to families in Venezuela who roller skate to church each Christmas Eve for “Misa de Gallo” (Midnight Mass) to people in Sweden making giant straw Christmas goats (Julbock) and ornaments to hang on their trees or to give as gifts. However, one international holiday tradition that’s been capturing the hearts of Americans is the Icelandic custom known as Jolabokaflod. With its perfect mix of coziness and literary charm, this delightful tradition is adding a fresh kind of holiday enchantment and becoming the ideal way to “turn the page” on the festive season. Keep reading to discover why book lovers across the U.S. are embracing Jolabokaflod and how it’s creating a whole new chapter of holiday celebrations in America.Related: These 35 Christmas 'Would You Rather' Questions Are Perfect for the Whole Family
If you’re a story connoisseur and have never heard of the word "Jolabokaflod," it’s going to be your new obsession. It’s the name of an Icelandic New Year’s Eve tradition and is pronounced yo-la-bok-a-floth, which breaks down into three parts: “jola,” “bok,” and “flod.” The name may be hard to say, but it translates to “Christmas book flood.”
What Is Jolabokaflod, Iceland’s ‘Christmas Book Flood’?
Every year, Iceland is flooded—not with high tides of water—but with books! This tradition perfectly sums up the word and paints the whimsical image of books pouring onto the streets and into the homes of people on Christmas Eve, filling the holidays with stories instead of with gifts like clothes or electronics. And Icelanders don’t just give others one or two books, they exchange a bounty of them! That’s not even the best part—After the books are unwrapped, the whole family then gathers together and reads the night away, while snuggled up with blankets, drinks and snacks.The tradition of Jolabokaflod dates back to World War II, when Iceland found itself with limited imports, after it had gained its independence from Denmark. However, one thing was still in abundance—paper! With books being easy to print, they became the go-to Christmas gift to give loved ones.Fast forward to today, and Icelanders continue to embrace this tradition in part thanks to a special catalog called Bokatioindi, AKA the “Book Bulletin,” which is essentially a holiday wish list that has been sent to households across the country each year since 1944 that showcases the latest and most popular literature that people can buy. For book lovers, this sweet Christmas Eve tradition is a dream come true, with pages replacing snowflakes as the centerpiece of the season.Related: Holiday History: Why Do We Put Up and Decorate Trees? Here's the Christmas Tree's Origin
How To Adopt This Christmas Eve Tradition
If you’ve fallen in love with this Iceland tradition and want to make it part of your holiday plans, we’ve rounded up a few ways for you to get started.
If you want to include people outside of your immediate family, make sure you either send out a text weeks ahead of time or an invitation letting them know about your new tradition and include the time and details. That way, they can add it to their schedule and you can know how many people to expect at your house on Christmas Eve.Round Up Books
You can buy new books, reserve them from the library, thrift them, or you can even give away books you own and no longer want.
You can host a Secret Santa book exchange, gift the same book to everyone as if you were in a book club, have each guest bring a book for others to randomly choose from, assign one person to gift a different book to every family member each year, or go all out and have each participant give a new book to everyone involved, ensuring that everyone leaves with a collection of exciting new reads.Get Wrapping
Part of this tradition involves wrapping each book and placing them under the Christmas tree. You can find fancy ways to wrap books on Instagram, like @SeraphicNovels did, which will result in it looking like a piece of art when it’s placed among other gifts, or you can place it in a gift bag or go the classic wrapping route.
While chocolates, hot cocoa and Jolabland (an Icelandic drink made of fizzy orange soda and brown ale/beer) are typical snacks enjoyed during this holiday, you can choose to include those or serve up something else like milk and cookies for your guests to enjoy while they read.Open Your Gifts and Get Reading
After everyone opens up their book, guests don’t just go home. Instead, it’s common for everyone to spend time in the evening reading together that night. Because of this, it’s good to have everyone over earlier in the evening or to host a sleepover so your guests can then wake up and celebrate Christmas morning with you.
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