As I am typing this blog entry I am sitting in my kitchen in the early dusk of a December day. There is a tumble of dogs in front of the woodburner and the occasional click of the metal expanding with the heat. It is starting to feel like the end of the year and everything that comes with it.
Inevitably my mind wanders to giftage. Our family has reduced presents over the years, preferring less of quality, to more of tat. Throw into that mix trying to be sustainable, re-cyclable and ethical and it can be an uphill struggle to hit the spot on what to give. This is where my go-to gift is always a book. A real, paper, bound, printed, physical object.
The Icelandic tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve is becoming well known. Apparently it dates back to the Second World War when paper wasn’t rationed so books were widely available. A book transports you, soothes you, makes you cry, brings out the chef in you or helps you over a tricky patch in your life.
This year my family are receiving stories in French alongside the 2025 Pony Club Annual . These are not special editions but simple carriers of joy for a short time, or, maybe for younger children they will be read and read and read again. ( sorry parents !) You never know when a book may become an object of nostalgia. My daughter has my copies of The Family from One End Street, and I remember getting the Booker Prize winner in hardback for many years from my father.
So, whatever your reading matter is , make reading matter this holiday season. Take time for you and your children to get lost in a story, a poem or a recipe. Become a fan of the Jólabókaflóð !