Start a New Christmas Eve Tradition This Year: Jólabókaflóð (The Yule Book Flood)

Start a new Christmas Eve tradition with the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð (the Yule Book Flood).
(Source CC BY)

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a reader (and at times an obsessive reader). There are a few things that I consider thoughtful gifts that reflect how well a person knows me: Wool (blend) sock yarn, cross-stitch supplies (fabric and floss please!), and most of all, BOOKS. I've been a reader from the cradle. Nothing has enriched my life more for a longer period of time than books. I love everything about them, from the way that they feel in my hands to to the way that they smell to the stories that they contain.

Imagine my delight when this comes across my feed every year in the last few weeks before Christmas!

Image found via Facebook. Source unknown.

And imagine my disappointment when it arrives too late to make the tradition happen in our household. Every year I start out with good intentions: This year, Jólabókaflóð is going to happen in our house! And by the end of the year, I've become so distracted with other concerns (and often the stress of life) that I've forgotten to add books to the list of things to purchase for loved ones?

This year, I'm writing it down; I'm parking it here in the blog where I'll review it in the coming months; I'm marking it down in my Erin Condren Life Planner**. In 2018, Jólabókaflóð is going to happen in our  house!

In America (where I live), we don't receive the Bókatíðindi (the annual book catalog produced in Iceland and distributed to households there in preparation for the holiday, but that doesn't mean that we don't have options! I keep a running wish list of books on Amazon***. This is ongoing throughout the year and I add to it whenever I run into something that looks intriguing but is not on my shelves or I can't buy it right now.

(I'm not much of a library-user because I like to own my books!)

It's not as exciting as receiving a catalog of all the new books that were published throughout the year, but if you're looking for new books that were published in the current year, there are countless blogs reviewing what was published (by genre) in any month of the year. (That's how I find a lot of the Christmas novels I plan to review here).

But there's more joy in the holiday gift-giving traditions (including the Yule Book Flood) than just in the selection of what you want. The beauty of a tradition such as this one is in the careful selection of the very book you want someone you love to read. It's fun when your loved ones don't have lists, because it gives you the opportunity to choose just the right book for them!

I'm going to love looking for books for my favorite people this year. I'll be after books they haven't read before but that I know they're going to love. Ava might love the His Dark Materials trilogy, and Cyndi could get a lot out of The Shining. Leo is notoriously hard to shop for, but I know he'd enjoy having a new copy of The Legend of Bagger Vance. I'd love to see Dinky fall in love with Warriors.

Books need to take a prominent place in our family traditions. In an age that promotes a culture glued to screens (computers, tablets, phones, and televisions), reading has taken a back seat. Last year during a time I normally would have sunk into book after book, I watched Christmas specials on television instead. (Granted, I was watching them while cross-stitching, but that's beside the point). Dinky prefers the television or her tablet over books. 

Jólabókaflóð has the potential to change the way that my family sees books. That's important to me.

Give your loved ones books for this new Christmas Eve Tradition from Iceland!
(Source CC BY)

I plan to mention this frequently throughout the year because I don't want to forget about it. Books are a huge part of my life, as well, and you'll find that they will feature prominently here.

If you love books, too, please stay tuned: I'll be sharing my reviews of Christmas themed novels throughout the year. My goal is to read and review at least twelve of these novels throughout the year (but with the number of them that I have available, there are likely to be more!).

So tell me: Will you be doing Jólabókaflóð this year in your house? What books would go onto your wishlist for this year? I can't wait to hear from you!

* This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase linked items from Amazon via this page, I will receive a small commission.
** This is a referral link. You receive a discount and I receive a compensation if you purchase something when following this link.
*** I will never object to someone sending me books!