If you aren't sure what Jólabókaflóð is, you are in for a treat. It is the greatest holiday tradition you never knew about, and will want to work into your holiday from now on~if you're a book lover, that is. And I'm guessing, since you're here, you are! Jólabókaflóð is the Icelandic tradition of giving books as gifts on the eve of the holiday, then spending the day/evening reading them while enjoying a hot beverage of your choice, often jólabland (orange soda and malt/beer). Myself, I go for hot cocoa, but you do you.
Jólabókaflóð (pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot) originated circa world war II when many things were rationed, but paper wasn't one of them. Couple that with Icelanders deeply ingrained love for books, and it swiftly became a tradition embraced and beloved by the entire country.
In mid-November, a catalogue of new book releases is created, everyone puts in their orders, and then the books are given as gifts on the eve of the holiday and everyone nestles in to read for the evening. That just might be my definition of the perfect holiday tradition. My family is adopting it, and I hope yours will too. If you want to take it a step further and support Icelandic authors, check out some of the links below. And if you have a resource of great Icelandic authors, please let me know in the comments!
Beautiful blog
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