Did you know that Christmas Eve in Iceland is called the Jólabókaflóð or Book Flood?
You see, folktales have deep roots in Icelandic traditional storytelling & so books have always played an important role in Icelandic culture. In other words, the people of Iceland love books and love to read! Apparently, some Icelanders joke storytelling is a national pastime.
WHAT IS JOLABOKAFLOD?
Jólabókaflóð is the tradition of gifting books on Christmas Eve and then spending the remainder of the evening reading the gifted books along with drinking hot chocolate and eating sweet treats! Now that is a tradition I can get behind! - who's with me?!
The tradition began during World War II when the nation was new & almost everything except paper was rationed. It has continued to this day. Iceland also publishes more books per capita than any other country.*
So, it comes as no surprise they have embraced this wonderful tradition. And what a lovely tradition it is, simple yet beautiful. There is nothing better than receiving books - pair it with sweets & hot chocolate & it makes a wonderful way to spend an evening.
START YOUR OWN TRADITION
Busy on Christmas Eve? Schedule your own Jólabókaflóð during the holidays or in the beginning of January. Why not start a new tradition in the New Year - wouldn't this be a great activity to plan for January when the post-Holiday Blues set in? Gather a few close friends, exchange books (you know the website is filled with wonderful books including a collection of Folk Tales), serve up some hot chocolate along with a batch of these Oatmeal Fudge bars & enjoy a wonderful evening (or afternoon) of book reading & friendship.
And if spending an evening reading books isn't enticement enough to start a new tradition, how about a recipe for Oatmeal Fudge Bars you can make & share during the evening? This wonderful, sweet treat comes from my mom, who has been making it for as long as I can remember! It is a family favorite - among both our immediate and extended family. I love this recipe so much; my mom often makes it for my birthday each year & at Christmas as well. This recipe makes a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 jelly roll pan so I like to cut it into thirds & freeze two of the three portions to enjoy later. I have been known to hide the frozen portions so I don't have to share it - please don't judge me, it's just that they are that good, you will want to keep them all for yourself!
*Some information taken from goodnet.org
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