Jolabokaflod

Christmas Book Flood • Reading for Pleasure

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DAY 24 — Tonight, We Read

Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

At last, we arrive.

The days of anticipation are behind us. The lists have been written, rewritten, and finally set aside. The world feels quieter now — not because there is nothing left to do, but because something has been decided.

Tonight is for reading.

Jolabokaflod was never meant to be loud. It does not demand attention or insist on spectacle. It asks only for a book, a little time, and the willingness to be still. In a season so often filled with movement and noise that simplicity feels almost radical.

I like to think of Christmas Eve reading not as a tradition to perform, but as a threshold to cross. A moment when the year loosens its grip just enough for us to step into story — not to escape the world, but to return to it more gently.

Tonight, the book you open does not need to be impressive.
It does not need to be new.
It does not need to change your life.

It only needs to keep you company.

Whether you read for five minutes or fifty pages, whether you read aloud or silently, whether the house is full or completely still — the act itself matters. It marks the evening. It gives the season a resting place.

Across Iceland, across homes around the world, people are doing something quietly similar tonight. Sitting down. Opening a book. Letting words arrive one by one. Not rushing. Not measuring. Simply reading.

That shared stillness is the heart of Jolabokaflod.

Over the past twenty-four days, we’ve wandered through cosy corners, old favourites, short stories, slow reading, childhood memories, and last-minute gifts. But all of it has been leading here — to this moment, when the only thing left to do is begin.

📚 Tonight’s Reading Choice

There is no list today.
No recommendation to follow.
No shelf to browse.

Tonight, the right book is the one already in your hands.

So wherever you are, however you celebrate, I invite you to do one small thing before the evening slips away:

Sit down.
Open your book.
Read.

Let Christmas arrive quietly.
Let the story do its work.
And let this simple act carry you — gently — into the days ahead.

From Jolabokaflod to you:

Merry Christmas… And happy reading. 🎄📖


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DAY 23 — Jolabokaflod Eve: Your Reading Survival Kit

Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

Christmas Eve carries a particular kind of energy.

It’s quieter than the days before it, but fuller than the days that follow. The rush has largely passed. The waiting is nearly over. And somewhere in between, a small pocket of calm opens — if we choose to notice it.

In Iceland, Jolabokaflod Eve is not about doing more.

It’s about settling in.

Books are exchanged. Pyjamas appear early. Chocolate is unwrapped without ceremony. The world narrows to the simple, generous idea that tonight is for reading — not achieving, not preparing, not performing.

Over the years, I’ve come to think of Christmas Eve reading not as an activity, but as a kit. A few carefully chosen elements that make the evening feel held and complete. When these are in place, the rest tends to follow naturally.

So today, on Day 23 of our Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar, I invite you to assemble your own Reading Survival Kit — not as a checklist, but as a gentle ritual.

🎄 The Jolabokaflod Eve Reading Survival Kit

One Book
Not a decision to agonise over. Choose something that feels right for tonight. Comforting, absorbing, or quietly beautiful.

Something Sweet
Chocolate, biscuits, fruit, or a favourite treat. Reading pairs well with a little indulgence.

Warm Layers
Socks, a blanket, pyjamas — anything that signals the day is done.

Soft Light
A lamp, a candle, fairy lights. Enough to read without pulling the room back into daytime.

Permission to Stop
This may be the most important item. Permission to read only a few pages — or many. Permission to sleep early. Permission to enjoy the moment without documenting it.

I remember one Christmas Eve when everything else fell away unexpectedly. The house was still. The book was good. The night passed quietly — and it remains one of the most peaceful Christmas memories I have.

That’s the gift of Jolabokaflod Eve:

It gives the season somewhere to land.

📚 Today’s Reading Picks — “Jolabokaflod Eve Books”

Perfect companions for the night before Christmas:

You can explore the full Advent Calendar titles here:
👉 Explore the Advent Calendar collection on Bookshop.org

And if you’re still choosing:
👉 Visit the Cosy Winter Fiction Shelf

Tonight doesn’t need to be special because it’s perfect.
It becomes special because it’s gentle.

Settle in.
Open your book.
And let Christmas arrive quietly, one page at a time.


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DAY 12 — Letters to Santa About Books

Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

At some point in adulthood, many of us quietly stop making wish lists.

We become practical. Sensible. Self-reliant. We buy what we need, make do with what we have, and reserve longing for things that feel more justifiable than desire. But winter — especially December — has a way of loosening that restraint.

And books, perhaps more than anything else, invite us back into wishing.

I like to imagine what an adult letter to Santa about books might look like. Not the breathless lists of childhood, but something softer. Slower. A note written by someone who knows themselves a little better now.

It might say:

Dear Santa,
This year, I’d love a book that makes me feel less rushed.
Or one that reminds me who I was before life got so loud.
Something beautiful enough to keep, not just read.

Books make perfect wishes because they are allowed to be unnecessary. They don’t have to improve us, optimise us, or solve anything. They are permitted to exist purely for delight — for the pleasure of weight in the hands, paper under the fingers, words waiting patiently inside.

That’s why gift-worthy books matter. Not just because they look beautiful under the tree, but because they send a message:

You are allowed to want something gentle.

Today, on Day 12 of our Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar, I invite you to indulge in a little imaginative generosity — whether for yourself or for someone else. Write a mental letter to Santa. What kind of book would you ask for if practicality weren’t in charge?

🎅 Today’s Reading Picks — “Letters to Santa” Books

Beautiful, comforting, wish-worthy books that feel special to receive:

These are books that feel like they’ve been chosen with care — because they have been.

You can explore the full Advent Calendar titles here:
👉 Visit the “Advent Calendar” collection on Bookshop.org

And if you’re gathering ideas for thoughtful gifts:
👉 Visit the Giftable Hardbacks Shelf

  1. Journey — Dorling Kindersley: An illustrated history of the world’s greatest travels
  2. Jurassic World: The Ultimate Visual History — James Mottram: Definitive collector’s book, a must-have for fans of the action-packed dinosaur saga
  3. National Geographic Ultimate Visual History of the World — Jean-Pierre Isbouts: Here, in vivid colour and crisp narrative, is the sweeping story of the history of civilisation
  4. The Wonder of Life on Earth — Henry Gee: Astonishing and readable natural history giving an accessible introduction to the topic of life.
  5. The Illustrated World of Tolkien — David Day: Exquisite reference guide to Tolkien’s world and the artists his vision inspired.
  6. The Work of Art — Adam Moss: Guided tour of what goes on inside an artist’s head.
  7. The Natural History Book — Dorling Kindersley: Beautiful guide to Earth’s wildlife and natural history, including its rocks, minerals, animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms.
  8. Information is Beautiful — David McCandless: Visual guide to how the world really works, through stunning infographics and data visualisations
  9. Animalium — Jenny Broom: Rich, informative and truly wonderful cabinet of curiosities beautifully displayed in this imaginative book
  10. The Book of Symbols. Reflections on Archetypal Images — Taschen: Sets new standards for thoughtful exploration of symbols and their meanings
  11. The Illustrated Brief History Of Time — Stephen Hawking: Bring theories to life in a clear, captivating and visually engaging way
  12. The Secret Lives of Colour — Kassia St Clair: Excellent, innovative and idiosyncratic cultural history that will colour your thinking
  13. Atlas of the Invisible — James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti: Discover the hidden patterns in human society as you have never seen them before — through the world of data
  14. The Book of Trees: Visualising Branches of Knowledge — Manuel Lima: Stunning visual maps showing how humans organise knowledge.
  15. The Planets — Andrew Cohen and Brian Cox: Visually striking and intellectually generous.

This season, you don’t have to justify your wishes.
You don’t have to explain why a book feels necessary.

Sometimes, it’s enough to say:
I would love this.

And let the rest take care of itself.


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DAY 10 — Gifts for People Who Don’t Read… Yet

Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

Almost everyone says the same thing at some point:
“I wish I read more.”

It’s rarely a lack of intelligence or curiosity that keeps people from reading. More often, it’s memory. Or intimidation. Or the quiet belief that books require more time, effort, or stamina than modern life seems willing to give.

Many so-called “non-readers” are not anti-books at all. They are simply waiting for the right doorway.

I was reminded of this one Christmas when I gave a book to someone who insisted they “never finished novels.” I chose carefully — something short, welcoming, lightly paced, and emotionally generous. Months later, they mentioned it casually. They’d read it in two sittings. Then another. Then another. The problem had never been reading. It had been entry.

That’s the gift-giver’s quiet power:

Choosing a book that lowers the threshold.

Books for hesitant readers do a few things exceptionally well. They begin quickly. They speak clearly. They reward attention early. They don’t demand patience before offering pleasure. And most importantly, they don’t make the reader feel inadequate for not already being “a reader”.

Today, on Day 10 of our Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar, I invite you to think about the people in your life who might secretly want to read more — and to give them a book that says, gently:

You’re welcome here.

🎁 Today’s Reading Picks — “Books for Non-Readers (Yet)”

Friendly, inviting books that often spark a reading habit:

These books don’t overwhelm. They open doors.

Explore today’s curated shelf here:
👉 Visit the “Books for Non-Readers (Yet)” collection on Bookshop.org

And if you’d like even more gentle starting points:
👉 Visit the Reading-for-Pleasure Starter Shelf

This Christmas, you might not just be giving a gift.
You might be giving someone their first real reading memory.

And that can change more than we realise.


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DAY 8 — Fireplace Fiction Night

Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

There is a particular kind of reading that belongs to firelight.

Even if you don’t have a real fireplace, you know the feeling. A single lamp turned low. Shadows moving softly across the room. The sense that the day has finally loosened its grip. Fireplace fiction is not about flames — it’s about atmosphere.

I discovered this kind of reading one winter evening when the house felt unusually quiet. The lamp was warm rather than bright. Outside, the night pressed close to the windows. I opened a book almost absent-mindedly — and found myself reading more slowly than usual, lingering over sentences, letting the mood seep in before the plot did.

That is the magic of fireplace fiction:

It invites immersion rather than momentum.

These are the stories that glow rather than dazzle. The ones where place matters deeply. Where weather, interiors, and silence play supporting roles. They are books that seem to say, Stay here. There’s no need to rush.

Fireplace fiction pairs beautifully with winter because both ask the same thing of us: attention. Not frantic focus, but gentle presence. The kind that notices how the room feels. How the language sounds. How time stretches when we stop trying to fill it.

Today, on Day Eight of our Jolabokafloð Advent Calendar, I invite you to create your own Fireplace Fiction Night. Light a candle. Lower the lights. Let the outside world fall back just a little — and step into a story that knows how to glow.

🔥 Today’s Reading Picks — “Fireplace Fiction”

Atmospheric stories best enjoyed by lamplight:

These are books that reward slow reading and quiet rooms.

You can explore the full Advent Calendar titles here:
👉 Visit the “Advent Calendar” collection on Bookshop.org

And if you’d like to stay in this mood a little longer:
👉 Visit the Cosy Winter Fiction Shelf

Tonight, don’t aim to read far.
Aim to read deeply.
And let the story glow long after you close the book.


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DAY 4 — The Cup-of-Hot-Chocolate Books

Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

Some books don’t ask to be analysed.
They ask only to be held.

Held the way you hold a warm mug on a cold evening. Fingers curved around ceramic. Steam rising toward your face. A soft pause between one small sip and the next. These are the books I think of as hot-chocolate books — stories that warm you from the inside out.

I first noticed this kind of reading on a winter evening when the day had been heavy for no obvious reason. Nothing dramatic. Just one of those tired, emotionally cluttered days that December seems so good at producing. I made hot chocolate almost without thinking, opened a book at random, and somewhere between the sweetness and the softness of the words, I felt my shoulders lower.

That’s when I realised something important:

Comfort reading is not indulgence. It’s restoration.

We live in a world that constantly invites us to optimise even our leisure — to learn more, grow faster, consume smarter. But winter asks something different of us. It asks us to be gentler. It asks us to choose warmth over acceleration. And few things do that as reliably as a truly comforting book.

These are the stories where not much explodes. Where kindness appears quietly. Where the stakes are human rather than heroic. They are perfect companions for evenings when the dark arrives early and the only plan is to stay in.

So today, on Day 4 of our Jolabokaflod Advent journey, I invite you to choose a book the way you might choose a hot drink: not for its prestige, but for how it makes you feel when you take the first sip.

☕ Today’s Reading Picks: “Hot-Chocolate Comfort Reads”

Books that soothe, soften, and wrap you up in story:

These are books you can return to when the world feels a little too sharp around the edges.

You can explore the full Advent Calendar titles here:
👉 Explore the Advent Calendar collection on Bookshop.org

And if you’d like to wander a little further:
👉 Visit the Cosy Winter Fiction Shelf

Tonight, may your book be warm.
May your drink be sweet.
And may the world feel just a little kinder.


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DAY 3 — The Most Memorable Book I Ever Received

Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

There are many gifts we forget. Some we remember for a season. But a few linger for a lifetime, quietly shaping who we become. More often than not, those are the gifts that came wrapped not just in paper, but in story.

I can still remember the weight of one particular book in my hands as a child—the satisfying density of it, the faint smell of ink and dust, the way my name had been written carefully on the inside cover. I don’t remember what else I received that year. I don’t remember the toys, the clothes, the noise. But I remember that book. I remember where I sat when I opened it. I remember how it felt to realise that something inside those pages now belonged to me.

That is the quiet power of giving a book.

Unlike most gifts, a book does not announce itself all at once. It unfolds slowly. It waits. It meets the reader in private moments—in bed after the lights go out, on the sofa while the house sleeps, in the quiet spaces between the busyness of life. A book becomes more than an object. It becomes a companion. A refuge. Sometimes even a turning point.

When we speak about Jolabokaflod—the Icelandic tradition of gifting books on Christmas Eve—we often talk about culture, community, and reading habits. But at its heart, the tradition is deeply personal. It’s about saying to someone, quietly and with care:

“I chose this story for you.”

Today, I invite you to pause and think about the most memorable book you ever received. Who gave it to you? Where were you? What did it awaken in you? Often, when we trace our reading lives back far enough, we find that everything began with a single, thoughtful gift.

That’s why, on Day 3 of our Advent journey, today’s focus is on books that make unforgettable presents—the kind that live on long after the wrapping paper is gone.

🎁 Today’s Reading Picks: “Most Memorable Book Gifts”

Timeless, emotionally resonant titles that make extraordinary presents:

These are the books people return to decades later and still remember who gave them.

You can explore the full Advent Calendar curated shelf here:
👉 Explore the Advent Calendar collection on Bookshop.org

And for even more timeless choices:
👉 Visit the Jolabokaflod Classics Shelf

If you’re giving a book this Christmas, you’re not just giving a story.

You’re giving a future memory.

Choose it with care.


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DAY 2 — The Hygge Reading Nook Challenge

Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

There’s a particular kind of happiness that arrives not in grand gestures, but in the quiet rearranging of a corner of your home. A lamp moved a little closer. A blanket folded just so. A mug placed within easy reach. And suddenly, what was once simply a chair becomes something far more powerful: an invitation to read.

For me, the discovery of hygge years ago didn’t come from a book or an article—it came from a moment. A dreary December afternoon, the kind where the sky hangs low and everything feels slightly unfinished. I lit a small lamp, wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, and sat down “just for a minute”. That minute became an hour. That hour became the start of a ritual that has stayed with me every winter since.

Because here’s the truth we often forget:
Adults don’t just need more time to read. They need more reasons to begin.
And nothing encourages beginning quite like a cosy, welcoming nook.

The beauty of a reading nook is that it doesn’t need to be elaborate. You don’t need a fireplace or a bay window or a perfectly curated stack of Pinterest-worthy décor. All you need are three things:

  1. A comfortable seat
  2. A forgiving light source
  3. A sense of shelter

The shelter is the secret ingredient. It might be the way a blanket drapes over your knees. Or how the chair angles away from the busyness of the room. Or even the presence of a cat who is absolutely convinced this nook was created for them.

Today, for Day Two of our Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar, I invite you to join the Hygge Reading Nook Challenge:

Create—or reclaim—one small corner of your home that whispers, “Stay a while.”

And once you’ve done that, you’ll need the right book: something warm, atmospheric, and comforting enough to justify staying put for just one chapter more.

☕ Today’s Reading Picks: “Hygge Nook Essentials”

Books that pair beautifully with soft light, blankets, and unhurried evenings:

You can explore the full Advent Calendar titles here:
👉 Explore the Advent Calendar collection on Bookshop.org

And if you want even more comforting choices:
👉 Visit the Cosy Winter Fiction Shelf

Whether your nook is humble or heavenly, minimal or magical, let it become your daily December refuge.

May it bring you warmth, rest, and many beautiful pages.


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Embracing Jolabokaflod

Merry Christmas, everyone. Also, Happy Jolabokaflod.

Here is a 20-minute video I’ve recorded about how to integrate the Icelandic “Christmas book flood” tradition into the way you celebrate the festive season with your friends and family


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The day after Jólabókaflóðið

Jólabókaflóðið (The Christmas Book Flood) is of course a beloved Icelandic tradition that takes place on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, Icelanders exchange books as gifts, and it’s a cherished part of their holiday celebrations. Here’s how the tradition typically unfolds:

Reading together in front of a fire
  • Book giving: On the night of 24 December, it’s customary for Icelanders to exchange books as gifts with their loved ones. The books are typically wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree.
  • Reading together: After the exchange of books, it’s common for families to spend the evening reading. Many people enjoy a peaceful night reading their newly received books, often accompanied by hot cocoa or a festive drink and some chocolates.
  • Quiet celebration: Christmas Eve in Iceland is a quiet and contemplative time. Many businesses close early, and the streets become deserted as families gather to celebrate in the warmth of their homes.

While Jólabókaflóðið is the main book-related tradition associated with Christmas in Iceland, Christmas Day itself typically involves more traditional celebrations, including attending church services, enjoying a special holiday meal, and spending time with family and friends. It’s a time for reflection, relaxation, and festive gatherings, much like in many other countries.

Jolabokaflod CIC exists to promote Jólabókaflóðið everywhere else around the world, to ensure everyone has the chance to participate in this wonderful Icelandic tradition. Here are the Yule Lads, enjoying Jólabókaflóðið by opening their presents and reading the books they receive on Christmas Eve.