‘Tis the season for reading… 

The Victorian Era introduced the spine-tingling tradition of sharing ghost stories under the glow of holiday lights — a custom that we adore at House of Leaves! Along with another seasonal staple we love to celebrate: the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð (‘Yule book flood,’ pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot). 

Each year, Icelanders gift each other books on 24th December, before spending a warm and cozy evening exploring these new stories together — often while drinking comforting mugs of delicious hot cocoa! (Learn about the history of the tradition in our Hex Libris blog.)

Inspired by this perfect pairing of traditions — sharing ghost stories and book gifts — we’ve assembled a very special (and very limited) Writual set, lovingly designed for horror readers: The Book Night(mare) Before Hex-mas Collection.

Each hand-picked item, including gourmet goodies, has been carefully curated to create a mindful Jólabókaflóð experience this holiday season (minus the book, though we do offer those, too!)

The set includes:

📖 eye-popping keepsake bookmark
📓 bespoke sleek book sleeve
🫖 luxury vegan-friendly hot chocolate
🖤 and more!

The Book Night(mare) Before Hex-mas Collection is intended to be a present: whether that's a promise to yourself to be more present (to take time to read mindfully), to gift 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.

This seasonal drop is limited to 15 sets, so the big question is will you be keeping your set solely for yourself or gifting it? Why not tour the collection below while you decide...

*Please check shipping information for 2024 Holiday postal dates

THEMED COLLECTION (KEEPSAKE) BOOKMARK

Designed by the amazing Jessica Rose, ourJólabókaflóð-inspired bookmark adds a touch of horror-filled whimsy (and a pop of color) to the collection.

With space on the back for personalization, this special bookmark is intended to be a handwritten keepsake. What will you write? A note, if gifting to a horror-loving friend; a quote from the book you read on the night before Hex-mas; or a memory from your Jólabókaflóð celebrations? 

Made from 100% recycled material, the matte-finish bookmarks are double-sided with rounded corners and measure 5 x 2 inches on 300 gsm RecyStar® Nature stock.

(Look out for our blog on how to wrap the perfect (bookish) present, including sections for extra treats such as bookmarks and single-serve beverages!)

HEX LIBRIS BOOK SLEEVE

The Hex Libris book sleeve is your portable haunted library. Featuring our hand-lettered logo* in wintry black on the softest gray felt, we’re in love with the simplicity of the gothic font and monochromatic palette…

With a sturdy velcro-fastening cover flap and front slip pocket for your stationery needs, it’s the perfect addition to your book nook or bag. Protect paperbacks, planners, and notebooks (Print Is Undead!), as well as your digital devices and library — and look damn stylish doing it!

Measuring 26 cm x 20 cm, the book sleeve is made from 100% recycled material and fits most paperbacks (including our books)!

*Designed by Dana Polakovicova and digitized by Euan Monaghan. 

HEX LIBRIS BOOKPLATE

Our Hex-mas set wouldn’t be complete without our Hex Libris bookplate in classic black-and-white, our subtle-yet-sinister signature style...

Featuring our hand-lettered logo with gothic embellishment, the bookplate has a matte-finish for personalization.

Will you use yours to decorate your accursed library or as part of the perfect bookish gift for that special horror fan in your life? 

HOTEL CHOCOLAT CLASSIC 70% DRINKING CHOCOLATE SACHETS

Celebrating Jólabókaflóð in true style, the collection comes with two luxury hot chocolate sachets from Hotel Chocolat. 

Their 70% drinking chocolate is classic for a reason. Real grated dark chocolate and nothing else, its intense, smooth, and complex notes conjure the perfect balance of creaminess and dark hot chocolate: not too sweet, not too bitter. The single-serve sachets are designed to deliver the perfect drink, every time.

Vegan and vegetarian-friendly* and made from 100% ethical cacao, pair a steaming mug of this hot cocoa with a chilling supernatural tale for the coziest (and creepiest) winter evening…

*See product information for ingredients:
“Ingredients: cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), sugar, emulsifier (SOYA lecithin), flavorings.
Dark chocolate contains minimum 70% cocoa solids.
“For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in BOLD. May contain tree nuts, peanuts, milk, gluten, wheat, egg, sesame.
“SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS* WHEN MADE WITH PLANT MILK. Alcohol free. No artificial flavors.
“WE BELIEVE OUR DARK CHOCOLATE IS SUITABLE FOR VEGANS, HOWEVER AS IT IS MADE IN THE SAME ENVIRONMENT AS OUR MILK CHOCOLATE WE CANNOT GUARANTEE IT IS FREE FROM MILK.”

PLUS…

THE BOOK NIGHT(MARE) BEFORE HEX-MAS PLAYLIST

No reading ritual would be complete without the perfect ambience! We’ve created a book night playlist… and we’re inviting you to contribute by adding your own atmospheric picks — just let us know what you want us to include!

WRITUAL COLLECTION CARD

Each collection will come with a keepsake card that includes Jessica Rose’s exclusive artwork, your invitation to our collaborative collection playlist, and our tried-and-tested recipe for the ultimate hot chocolate.

We hope your Jólabókaflóð celebration is one of companionship, the restorative power of reading, and the simple joy of slowing to enjoy a steaming mug of hot cocoa with a chilling supernatural tale…

Happy Holidays — stay spooky!

The HoL Editorial Team

2024 HOLIDAY SHIPPING INFORMATION

To keep shipping costs as low as possible, we’re using the following UK and international postage services from Royal Mail. Please note that while we cannot guarantee delivery before 24 December 2024, we’ve included Royal Mail’s latest postage date for each shipping service and region below. If purchasing a Writual set, we recommend purchasing well before the latest postage date for your region. The shop will be closed for the holiday period from Wednesday 18 December 2024 to 5 January 2025.
Please note the below dates are from Royal Mail and are subject to change.

United Kingdom: Tracked 24
Latest postage date: 18 December

Rest of the world: International Standard
Latest postage date: 3 December

Rest of the world: International Tracked
Latest postage date: 7 December

Rest of the world: International Economy
Latest postage date: 6 November

If you have any questions about the Writual sets, postage, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to be in touch: info@holpublishing.com.