Book Blessings

The annual tradition of jólabókaflóð has been much celebrated in the western press. As the story goes, Icelanders give the gift of books and spend Christmas Eve sipping hot chocolate curled up with a literary adventure. An idyllic vision of a simple holiday celebration untainted by the overly commercialized season comes to mind.

In reality, the word jólabókaflóð literally translates to “Christmas book flood” and refers to book publishers flooding the market with their product in December. Here’s the scoop:

Every year around Christmastime, publishing houses across Iceland unleash a deluge of new books on the marketplace and inundate bookstores with stacks of fresh titles for the holiday season. During this lively time of year, book vendors and literary museums alike host reading after reading, release party after release party, giving hundreds of Icelandic authors—both emerging and well-known—a chance to showcase their latest work. (source)

Whether romanticized or marketing ploy, this tradition dates back nearly a century with authentic origins. Because imported gifts in Iceland were scarce but paper plentiful after the second World War, books became the perfect Christmas present. The custom caught on and continues to this day. (source)

In a time when the magic of the holidays often gets overshadowed by stores peddling Santas, pre-lit trees, and icicle lights well before Halloween, observing a humble custom to honor the season brings a breath of fresh air. The enchanting pages of a book can transport the reader to a special world full of fantasy, romance, history, or any number of other locales.

Many of those stories refresh the exhausted, stressed out, or otherwise skeptical with reminders of what really matters at Christmastime. Take, for example, A Christmas Carol telling Scrooge’s redemptive journey from “Bah humbug" to "God bless us, everyone.” It’s enough to make the Grinch’s heart grow three sizes in one day.

There’s power in stories. Power to remember childhood joys. Power to encourage the world-weary. And power to renew the spirit. Consider giving and receiving the blessing of a book this holiday season. Happy jólabókaflóð!