In Iceland there’s a wonderful tradition called Jolabokaflod. This roughly translates to “Christmas book flood” and refers to the practice of exchanging books for Christmas, to be read on Christmas Eve — preferably with a mug of hot chocolate. This tradition has made books the most popular gift given for Christmas in the country. And I might just be a tad jealous of this practice! If you don’t celebrate Christmas, but love this idea, you can easily set up your own book exchange devoid of the holiday. All of these ideas can be adapted to fit any wintertime celebrations. Or if you do celebrate Christmas and want more ideas for how to incorporate literary traditions into your existing celebrations, you are in the right place! Whatever you’re celebrating this holiday season, I hope it’s filled with friends, family, and some really good books.
Book-Themed Gift Exchanges
An easy book tradition to start is to exchange them as gifts! There’s a few ways to do this, so pick your favorite and get the plan in place. All of these traditions can be done as a one on one, or in a large group (like a book club, perhaps?).
Book-Themed Holiday Activities
If you aren’t interested in actually exchanging books, or you want to do something in addition to the book exchange, there’s a lot of fun book-themed games and activities you can host to liven up any holiday party. There are about a hundred more bookish traditions you can participate in or start this holiday season, but hopefully these can get you started. Heck, these don’t even have to be for the holidays, you can host a bookish themed party anytime of the year. For even more options, check out these posts!
Make a Book Advent Calendar! Bookish Holiday Crafts and Activities for Kids 30 Easy To Advanced DIY Crafts With Old Books You Can Do Tell Us What Kind of Reader You Are And Get a Bookish Board Game Recommendation
