The small island nation of Iceland has a holiday tradition that I believe should be adopted worldwide. It can easily be done as it doesn’t rely on a particular set of religious beliefs and doesn’t fall into the trappings of bloated consumerism that hijacks the festival season. It’s a relatively new tradition, prompted by World War II restrictions, and so on Christmas Eve people exchange books and read into the long, cold dark night. Iceland’s Jólabókaflóðið, or “Christmas Book Flood,” continues to be a popular tradition, reflecting the country’s love for literature. This bookish columnist is all for any sort of celebration that formally involves books and reading, but I also think in a year marked by inflation and higher costs, books are perfect gifts that don’t require batteries and last much longer than the December holidays.
What I love about the Christmas Book Flood is that it’s a participatory ritual, too. Books are not only unwrapped and admired, but read in the company of others. While reading aloud may most often be confined to an act performed for children, especially at bedtime, I think there’s a lost art in reading aloud, and one that can be refashioned for friends and family. Storytelling shouldn’t be confined to the nursery, and when most of our time together is spent in a mediated media-saturated virtual environment, reading together is a fairly inexpensive and engaging activity to reconnect. It gives weary minds a much-needed break from screens, drawing upon our imaginations in ways that can really shine, especially around a fire, perhaps using either the light from your menorah or Christmas tree, adding to the warming ambiance. The book need not be serious, and there are few rules (as there should be with books) to what can be read to your family, even if you have a mix of ages and reading abilities. Although I have two younger kids, this fall we’ve enjoyed reading from a book my mother read to me when I was a child, a collection of every myth the author believes all kids should know. I’d long forgotten these myths of antiquity and revisit them on weekend afternoons when my kids are a bit tired and need some physical and emotional connection. We pile onto the couch and read about the gods and goddesses and wonder what lurks in the cave or how the hero will escape the one eyed-beast.
Books tend to be what I buy for my friend and family for the holidays, so I’m inspired to adopt the Icelandic book exchange to fall into our family’s winter celebration plans. Perhaps you could provide a theme, like Montana or winter or, perhaps if you’re already tired from the snow, beach reads and see what titles your loved ones select. This holiday season, let’s flood our lives with more stories, more opportunities to physically gather together, beginning with that immediately inviting hook, “Once upon a time . . .”
Maggie Doherty is a writer and book reviewer who lives in Kalispell with her family.