Reading Together: 3 Ways To Celebrate Jólabókaflóð (On Any Budget)!

Image: Morgane Le Breton on Unsplash

What's more magical than unwrapping a gifted book under the glow of holiday lights? Reading books together. 

Did you know that books are the most popular Christmas gift in Iceland? This is due to the fantastic Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð (‘Yule book flood,’ pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot). 

Each year, Icelanders gift each other books on Christmas Eve, before spending a warm and cozy evening exploring these new stories together — often while eating chocolate or drinking comforting mugs of delicious hot cocoa! It's a beautiful celebration of companionship, the love of storytelling, and the restorative power of reading. 🖤

While Jólabókaflóð is traditionally celebrated on Christmas Eve, this cozy experience can be enjoyed at any point over the holidays (or even after). From work commitments (the biggest thank you to everyone working in retail and service, you're all stars!!) to the difficulty of trying to get everyone in the same room at the same time, reading together is a wonderful way to connect over distances via video call and spend precious time together. 

However you intend to share space and stories with loved ones over the holiday (or beyond), here are three of our favorite ways to celebrate Jólabókaflóð...

What's Behind Book Number Three? Blind Date (With A Book)

Most booksellers offer mystery book packages, usually grouped by genre with a clue written or drawn on the wrapping. You can also support small shops online (in time for Christmas Eve, if you're quick!) via Etsy sellers or book subscription services. The latter is our preferred method, as you usually answer a few questions to help the seller choose the perfect book (for you or your lucky recipient!) and you can also let them know what to avoid, including specific titles, which is so handy when it comes to avid readers! Plus, the books are more likely to be beautifully packaged and come with wee treats to enjoy while reading, such as tea and bookmarks.

Thrift Away

Not only is thrifting a great way to support your local charity shops, it's also a fun way to search for something unique. As a book collector on the lookout for specific titles and editions, I always have a list to hand for friends and family. You can build on this by asking for reader profiles (genres, authors, tropes etc.) or by using amusing criteria to narrow down the search (such as colors, themes, and even the title's word count) to help you find that special gift. It's also a great opportunity to spend an afternoon with loved ones; I've made some of the most cherished (and hilarious) memories hunting for book treasure using silly criteria. And you never know, you could find a first-edition copy of The Hobbit...

Book Buying Ban? No problem...

If you don't want to spend any money at all, why not arrange a book swap over the holidays? It clears the shelves (making room for more books in the New Year...) and satisfies that book-buying itch without breaking any rules — win-win! Structure the swap by asking participants to provide suggestions as to what genres to bring, or discover something completely new by wrapping the books. Make sure to keep an eye out for local book swap fairs, too!

And if you're struggling to find the perfect bookish gift for Jólabókaflóð that's as unique as they are, click HERE to explore our Book Night(mare) Before Hex-mas Collection — a cozy experience designed for spooky book lovers and reading together. (Though please note: this limited set is almost sold out!) 🖤

Jólabókaflóð: The Book Night(mare) Before Hex-mas

Winter is the season of slowing. Of silence. In the United Kingdom, snow blankets the ground as animals sleep and nature sheds last year’s skin.

And yet, even as the world reminds us that this is a time to pause — to reflect, recharge, remake — this is the busiest period of the year. 

Caught in the seasonal surge, we push ourselves to the limit to meet expectations and craft the perfect holiday. By unintentionally allowing the holiday to steal what little time we have to rest and regroup, we’re left even more exhausted (with depleted energy and cash reserves…) as we enter the New Year — a time when we should be rejuvenated and ready for the next chapter.

Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, the holiday period has such potential to be a spiritual experience: spending time with loved ones, getting outside and finding magic in the world again, and protecting your peace.

The simple truth is: you can’t do any of this without slowing down. Which makes the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð (‘Yule book flood,’ pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot) so special: it involves the giving and receiving of books on 24th December, before spending the evening reading together in a group (usually with mugs of delicious hot chocolate). 

Jólabókaflóð originated during World War II (1939–45). As paper was one of the few materials that wasn't rationed during this period, books became a valued gift in Iceland. The tradition was officially born in 1944 with the release of the first book bulletin, a catalog of new publications released in the months before the holiday, which continues to circulate today.

From the moment we learned about this tradition, it's been a seasonal staple at House of Leaves. Pairing perfectly with our beloved Victorian tradition of sharing spine-tingling ghost stories under the glow of holiday lights, Jólabókaflóð is a beautiful communal practice — a celebration of companionship, (horror) books, and the joy and restorative power of reading.

In the spirit of both traditions, we wanted to share this seasonal holiday with our wonderful Undead Community, so we’ve curated a very special festive Writual set, lovingly designed with readers in mind.

The set includes:

📖 keepsake bookmark exclusively designed by Jessica Rose
📓 sleek bespoke book sleeve
🫖 luxury vegan-friendly hot chocolate
🖤 and more!

Limited to just 15 sets, our reader-centric Book Night(mare) Before Hex-mas Collection is the perfect gift to create a Jólabókaflóð experience for a horror-loving friend… but if you want to keep it for yourself, we won’t judge!

This collection is intended to be a present — whether that's a promise to yourself to be more present, to give the joy of reading to loved ones, or a mixture of the two as you come together over the holiday to share space and stories.

It’s our intention to take this mindful practice of ritual reading into the New Year, and we hope you will too. No matter how stressful things get leading up to and over the holiday, remember to pause, protect your time, and be present.

We hope you’re taking care of yourselves and each other out there. Stay spooky. 🖤

The HoL Editorial Team