jolabokaflod

[ yoh-luh-boh-kuh-flawd]
noun: an Icelandic tradition in which books are given as Christmas presents and opened on December 24, after which the evening is spent reading the books: from a practice begun in 1944, when paper goods were among the most available items in postwar Iceland.

JOLA BOKA FLOD. aka Christmas Book Flood.

I’m not sure how I’ve gone so many years without this in my life, but no longer! This year we joined the Icelandic tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve.

This tradition began during World War II once Iceland had gained its independence from Denmark in 1944. Paper was one of the few commodities not rationed during the war. This increase in giving books as presents reinforced Iceland’s culture as a nation of bookaholics – a study conducted by Bifröst University in 2013 found that half the country’s population read at least eight books a year. (this seems like a very small amount and makes me very sad for how little people in other countries must be reading!!)

Every year since 1944, the Icelandic book trade has published a catalogue that is sent to every household in the country in mid-November during the Reykjavik Book Fair. People use the catalogue to order books to give friends and family for Christmas.

During the festive season, gifts are opened on 24 December and, by tradition, everyone reads the books they have been given straight away, often while drinking hot chocolate or alcohol-free Christmas ale called jólabland. (Source.)So if you want to try something cozy and new, I invite you to have a Jolabokaflod. Ours was a huge success, and I can’t wait to carry on the tradition next year.

p.s. I share a blog post about once a year, but I send out newsletters about twice a month. The newsletter is where the real party is. It’s where I shared all the titles for our Christmas book exchange. You can see past issues and subscribe HERE.