Improve Your Gift Giving With This Icelandic Tradition.

Jolabokaflod roughly translates to “Christmas Book Flood”.

Do you struggle with gift-giving during the holiday season? Don’t want to overspend, while also trying to show people how much you care about them? And at the same time not wanting to give them clutter around the house that has no meaning.

I want the gifts I choose to give to be meaningful. Which can make it tough to think of ideas specific to individuals and tough on my credit card statement.

Then I started thinking about books. What books mean to me, the ways they have impacted my life, what I have been able to learn, and how they could impact others. Life-changing values for what 20 bucks and a day or two for amazon to deliver, no brainer. Over the past few years, I have been gifting books with the hope for them to impact people I care about.

“The teacher appears when the student is ready.” kind of vibe but with a book around the holidays & New Year. It’s just going to sit there on your coffee table or bookshelf staring at you, hoping for sooner than later.

Last year I gave out a lot of Atomic Habits by James Clear.

This year I chose one of my favorite books of all time. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness.

Next year think it may be the Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.

All three of these books have been some of the most impactful books in my own life.

Photo by Anik Mandal on Unsplash

I recently discovered this Icelandic Tradition called Jolabokaflod, which roughly translates to “Christmas Book Flood”. Starting back in 1944 there was an economic crash in the majority of European countries due to World War II. Limited by the economic downturn, Iceland was in a unique situation due to being neutral in the war. They had above average spending possible paired with a strict limit on goods. Paper was one thing that was not rationed or limited in 1944 which paired with a rich history of literature, is where gifting books became popular.

The tradition still rings true today around Christmas where Icelanders exchange books on Christmas Eve and then spend the rest of the night reading their newly received books.

Excited to personally dive into books with more depth this year. Specifically, biographies after being inspired by the most recent Danny Miranda Podcast episodes with Ben Wilson (#288) and David Senra (#290).

2023 Let’s get this bread.

Best Day of The Year, Until Tomorrow…

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