wordy wednesdsay...jolabokaflod {december 14, 2022}

In many ways, books are the quintessential Christmas gift. They offer infinite variety, they are easily wrapped, and can be tailored to the recipients.

In Iceland holiday book buying is very popular. It is called the jolabokaflod, or “Christmas book flood.”

Jolabokaflod started during World War II, when paper was one of the few things not rationed in Iceland. Because of this, Icelanders gave books as gifts while other commodities were in short supply, turning them into a country of bookaholics to this day. Ever since 1944, the Icelandic book trade has sent out a book bulletin to each household in the middle of November when the Reykjavik Book Fair happens. People use this catalogue to order books to give to their friends and family on Christmas Eve, the main gift-giving day in Iceland. After all the presents are open, everyone grabs a cup of hot chocolate and cozies up to spend the rest of the evening reading their books. 

English Icelandic

Christmas jólin

Book bók

Flood flóð

Merry Christmas Gleðileg jól

When my kids were young I bought Christmas books, wrapped each one, and put them in a basket. Starting December 1, one child picked a book, unwrapped it, and I read it to them. We did that every night until December 24. I didn't need to keep track of who had chosen and unwrapped the book. They handled that. And fortunately, I had four kids, there were 24 books, and the math worked out perfectly. (Kids not arguing about who got shorted was my Christmas gift 😊🎄)