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Jólabókaflód: a Christmas Tradition for Book-Loving Families

Once upon a time, the people of Iceland developed a wonderful holiday tradition. And then, thanks to the power of the Internet, the rest of the world learned of this delightful holiday activity and adopted it wholeheartedly. If you haven’t already joined the fun of Jólabókaflód, you’re about to discover a jolly holiday treat!

child holding a wrapped Jolabokaflod gift

What Is Jólabókaflód?

Great question! The translation of Jólabókaflód is “Christmas book flood” and refers to the flood of new books published in Iceland each year in advance of the Christmas season. The word is tricky to pronounce in English, but if you say yo-la-boke-uh-flowed, you’ll be close.

Today, the word Jólabókaflód is associated with a charming Icelandic tradition in which family members exchange books on Christmas Eve and then snuggle into their favorite cozy reading spot along with their new books and some chocolate. The tradition is said to date back to World War II when paper wasn’t rationed in Iceland and books were popular gifts. It remains a sweet and simple tradition. Books and chocolate–what’s not to love?

mother and two little girls opening wrapped gifts for Jolabokaflod

8 Ways to Create Your Own Jólabókaflód Traditions

Some of the best traditions are born when you personalize them to suit your family. Here are some Jólabókaflód variations to help jump-start your plans. Feel free to fine tune the ideas below in whatever ways will delight your family the most!

  1. Draw Names

    Exchanging names and keeping them secret adds a heightened sense of mystery to the occasion. Write the name of each family member on a slip of paper and ask each person to draw a name. But don’t tell anyone whose name you drew! On the night of the Jólabókaflód exchange, each giver can reveal their identity to the recipient.

  2. Add Other Elements

    In addition to books, why not add another element of fun? Perhaps each family member receives a new bookmark along with their book. Some families exchange coffee mugs; others exchange ornaments. What extra treat would your family love most?

  3. girl holding a Santa cup filled with hot chocolate
  4. Change the Date

    Jólabókaflód doesn’t have to occur on Christmas Eve. You could plan it for a few days before or after Christmas, or kick off the Christmas season with a Thanksgiving Jólabókaflód (an event that some of us fondly call Thanksgivabokaflod, which seems fitting since you “give a book”).

  5. Make Things Sweet

    Here’s another area where it’s fun to improvise. In Iceland, the book exchange tradition involves a cup of hot chocolate or some type of warm holiday beverage, but the flood of Jólabókaflód memes on social media have generally suggested eating chocolate on Christmas Eve while reading your new book. Perhaps you could distribute chocolate bars along with the books, or opt for foil-wrapped chocolates in Christmas colors, or skip the chocolate in favor of candy canes.

  6. two little girls smiling and drinking hot chocolate
  7. Have a Book Swap

    Instead of drawing names and choosing a book specifically for your recipient, try this variation: Each person chooses a book that they have particularly enjoyed and all the books go in a stack. Each family member then chooses a book that looks interesting to them.

  8. Consider Themed Books

    Make Jólabókaflód even more interesting by choosing a theme for the books. Maybe everyone can exchange Christmas-themed books, or books related to history, or nature-themed books. Graphic novels? Poetry books? You could even choose picture books as your theme and give each person (even adults!) a picture book.

  9. dad and child reading a picture book together for Jolabokaflod
  10. Hold a Virtual Jólabókaflód

    You don’t necessarily have to get together in person to celebrate the fun of Jólabókaflód! Send a small package containing a book and some chocolate to surprise a loved one with some holiday fun. Or plan a virtual Jólabókaflód via video chat and exchange books at the same time.

  11. Choosing Books for Jólabókaflód

    Shopping for books is always a treat, but it can be challenging to choose the perfect book for each family member. Each person could make a short list of desired titles, or you can try to surprise them with a book you hope they’ll love. If you need ideas for the little ones on your Jólabókaflód list, be sure to check out our reviews and lists of picture books and chapter books.

  12. girl reading a book and drinking hot chocolate

    Do you have a Jólabókaflód tradition at your house? Tell us how you celebrate!

    Photos by: Rachel Neumann

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Erin D.

says:

Books are great gifts!

Robin

says: Customer Service

So true, Erin!

Courtney

says:

We have a similar tradition. There’s a special bag that “magically” appears under the kiddos’ tree each night of December leading up to Christmas with a winter or Christmas themed book for us to read together before bed. We reuse favorites from previous years, borrow some from the library, and add a new book or two as surprises along the way. They love it!

Robin

says: Customer Service

What a lovely tradition, Courtney! I’m sure you have made many wonderful memories for your children!

Bethany Huskey

says:

I love this idea! Hopefully I can remember what it’s called!

Robin

says: Customer Service

I just remember “book flood,” Bethany. If you google “book flood,” information, including the Icelandic word, comes up.

Kirbe Brown

says:

What a sweet tradition! We practice something similar in our home, but so nice to know the simple joy of reading and some delicious chocolate has been shared and continues to find its way in households across the continents. Now- to work on that pronunciation.;-)

Allison F

says:

This is such a fun idea!

Kristen

says:

We missed this during the Christmas season, but maybe we’ll do it during winter to break up the dreariness of the season!

Emily York

says:

This is such a meaningful and fun tradition!

Katie Lewis

says:

I absolutely love this idea and it is something we are incorporating into our bookish family Christmas this year!

Jenny

says:

We do a book Advent. I have about 50+ Christmas books so a different assortment of books go out each year. Getting them from the thrift stores in January is a great way to collect them.

Amber

says:

This is such a fun idea! We’ve done book advent calendars (actually buying a book for each day and wrapping it), which was lots of fun. This would be a good tradition to start.

Bobbie

says:

What a lovely tradition! I might have to start this next year with my little one.

Kate

says:

Love this tradition!

Kate

says:

Love this idea!

Diana Meredith

says:

We started doing this a few years ago. Such a fun tradition!

Sarah S

says:

I love these ideas!

Marie

says:

Love this idea!

Adi

says:

I had to send this to my mom and sister because not only is this a great idea, it’s very familiar—usually on Christmas Day we like to spend some time reading and enjoying leftover treats from Christmas Eve.

Janelle

says:

I love the idea of exchanging books that you have enjoyed (#5). We may need to try that!

Cindy W

says:

We did this for the first time this year, and my kids all LOVED it! We will certainly continue this tradition.

Haynest Academy

says:

Love these ideas for a new family tradition. As we transition out of the “commercial, Santa Christmas” and into “the birthday of Jesus” Christmas spirit, I have been thinking of new traditions to adopt. Thanks for the blog post!

Robin

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome! I hope you have lots of fun with jólabókaflód!

Kori Villegas

says:

I LOVE this idea!!

Great idea!

says:

I love this idea as a Christmas tradition! We have a 2 year old and another baby on the way. The past few Christmas seasons we’ve done a mix of some family traditions and slowly incorporating our own. I think this would be great to include with kids and maybe the grandparents too!

Robin

says: Customer Service

You are so right to be thinking about the traditions you want to incorporate now, because what you start in the next few years will stick with you for a lifetime!

My husband and I lived in a small apartment when we first married, and since we couldn’t hang lights up outside we hung them all around the windows inside. And now, 27 years later, it doesn’t feel like Christmas unless we have lots of lights inside the house! I even have chili pepper lights for my kitchen!

Patsy Hoheisel

says:

We go to our local library and we all choose a book for each family member. Our library also has a free wrapping station for the community so after checking out our books we then wrap our books there. The books all go under the tree and the next evening we get carry out (usually a pizza) and we take turns unwrapping the special chosen books from one another. I also set a special table up in the family room to make it extra special.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Awww, what an amazing tradition, Patsy! Thanks for sharing it!

Mary

says:

We celebrate each year! We pick a day leading up to Christmas where we read a bunch of Christmas picture books together and enjoy chocolate! The kids love it and look forward to it each year! ❤️

Robin

says: Customer Service

Sounds like such a great tradition you have started, Mary!

Katrina

says:

I can’t imagine anything better on Christmas Eve than everyone reading and drinking hot chocolate…

Robin

says: Customer Service

Katrina,
Yes! It seems like such a sweet way to spend the holiday!

Monica Patterson

says:

I would love to have a Christmas boom tradition, but half of my family don’t enjoy reading! I love it and two of my kids do, too, so maybe we’ll just have a mini book-flood!

Patty

says:

Maybe your other family members would like a book they could listen to. Not all of my family members love to read, but we can all enjoy listening to a good story.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Great suggestion, Patty!

I would also suggest considering what kind of books other family members would like. My husband isn’t a reader, but a how-to book on rebuilding Toyota 4-Runners would be much appreciated!

Lauren

says:

Thank you! These are great ideas! I can’t wait to do this with my kids.

Robin

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome, Lauren. Such great memories together!

Samantha H

says:

Love these ideas! Thank you

Robin

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome, Samantha!

Sara Little

says:

Such a fun idea! I love learning about traditions in other countries and cultures!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Sara,
Thank you! Learning about holiday traditions in other cultures is a great way to learn about other places!

Abi

says:

Yes! Ever since I have heard about Jolabokoflod I have been wanting to implement it as a tradition in our home. Unfortunately, I am really the only reader in my house right now. My husband can, but he doesn’t like to do it, and my kids are all still learning. So, here is my twist until they are stronger readers: I will either (A) give the kids wordless picture books or (B) just have a special read-aloud time with cocoa and cookies.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Abi,
Those are great idea! You could also choose a books for your kids that include lots of photographs about topics they are interested in. My children were happy to look at the pictures in a book about reptiles, Lego, dogs, or whatever topic had their attention that week.