Iceland's book and chocolate tradition is the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve

The Jólabókaflóðið combines two of our favourite things.

Reading book with hot chocolate in mug

Everyone loves the idea of Iceland's festive book tradition Source: Getty Images / Anna Bizon

If the idea of settling in for the night with a good book and a drink – a hot chocolate if it’s cold, a glass of something chilled if it’s hot – sounds like heaven, then Iceland’s Christmas Eve Jólabókaflóðið (roughly, “flood of books”) tradition is for you.

Iceland has always been , and while the rate of book buying and publishing ,  jólabókaflóðið, or jolabokaflod, remains a popular tradition.
The of this December tradition – which see publishers release a flood of new books in the lead-up to Christmas – goes back to World War II, when restrictions on imports to Iceland limited gift-giving options, and Icelanders turned to the local book market.

In 1944 the Icelandic book trade started sending a book catalogue to every household in November. Christmas Eve, which is when presents are opened, became a night when many folk settle in to read their gifts, often with a cup of hot chocolate. Or just chocolate.
It’s a tradition that’s been picked up by book lovers abroad, too
Now, while Iceland is in the midst of winter at Christmas, and so are many of the fans in the US and the UK who’ve embraced the idea, here in Australia a hot chocolate might not be the beverage of choice in the depths of summer. That’s okay. It’s a flexible tradition. We think (it’s like a red wine and chocolate slushie!) might be just the ticket, or this .
Spiced chocolate martini
Suitably festive: spiced chocolate martini Source: Hardie Grant Books
Or maybe beer and books?
Or if you’d like to nibble rather than drink your jolabokaflod chocolate, swoop on over to our . From (chocolate-filled deep-fried Spanish fritters) to suitably festive , there are hundreds of possibilities.

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2 min read
Published 19 December 2018 8:36am
Updated 19 December 2022 10:35am
By Kylie Walker


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