It’s finally that exciting time of year again. one more sleep til Christmas. for many people all across the world Christmas Eve is a very important night. each country having their own specific traditions! Here are some traditions that we like to do in our family on Christmas Eve.

Jolabokaflod

Jolabokaflod is an Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition and is something that we started in our family last year. This tradition mainly consists of receiving a book and some chocolate and then going to bed early just to read the books and eat the treats. As an avid reader this is my idea of heaven!!! The tradition originally started in World War II when the imports from other countries were restricted but paper was cheap. The low population of Iceland meant that the publishing of books in Iceland could not happen all year round so they decided together that all books should be published in the final weeks of the year and this is where the tradition begun.

This year I was lucky enough to get the first book in the Book Of Dust series. As I have really enjoyed the His Dark Materials series I am really looking forward to reading it tonight! I also got some matchmakers which I’m sure will be devoured quickly.

New Pyjamas

Another tradition that we like to do in our house is to get new pyjamas on Christmas Eve. this works so well with the Jolabokaflod tradition as it means I can snuggle into some new warm PJ’s and read my book! This is a tradition that has run in the family for the majority of my life and the true origin is unknown to me. But whats not to love in this tradition!!!

This year I got some beautiful pyjamas with snowflakes and an adorable little eye mask to match!!

Carrots. Whisky. Mince Pies. Flour?

I’m sure most people are familiar with leaving some treats out for Santa and his reindeer but as a child we used to place a small dish of flour on the fireplace. The point? for Santa’s reindeer to put their hooves in, leaving a massive footprint!! As a young child this really kept the magic alive. I’d wake up and the flour would have a foot print in, the whisky glass left with only a few drops left, carrots nibbled down to the carrot top, and the foil from the mince pies left empty on the plate. I’m sure you’ll agree when I say these small details added just a little extra magic to the day…