Have you heard of Christmas book flood? It’s an Icelandic tradition that is celebrated on Christmas Eve. New book titles are released before Christmas, and everyone in the bookish country on Iceland gives books as presents on December 24th. Then they all sit down with hot cocoa and read their books. If you are a booklover, then your jaw is probably dropping right now while you wonder why on earth no one told you about this tradition. And if you’re a homeschooler, then you’re most likely trying to figure out how to squeeze Christmas book flood into your week.
Christmas book flood has a few others names such as Yule book flood and Jolabokaflod. What I love about celebrating Christmas book flood is that it’s simple and enjoyable. You don’t even have to celebrate it on Christmas Eve. Any other day will do. All you need are books and cocoa! And that is your school day. Does it get any better? Maybe add some cookies if you want. Last year we celebrated Christmas book flood, and last week we had our second go at it. I only did a few things to prepare for it.
Find Books
First, I searched for books I knew my kids would love. I gave my three kids (Yes, I skipped the baby) Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree,The Stick Man, and an atlas book called Where on Earth? . Also, I got a bunch of Christmas books from the library so that we would have plenty to keep us busy. I used a combination of booklists from Treehouse Schoolhouse’s A Connected Christmas and the December book list from readaloudrevival.com.
Set Up
After the kids went to bed, I grabbed my crate of Christmas books to dump in what we like to call “the study.” It’s our second living room where we have lots of books. My plan to was to place the crate on the floor, but then I had a better idea. I placed all the books on the shelves so it looked like a bookstore. My kids really liked it! I also wrapped the books I was giving them and left them on the coffee table.
A Day Reading
After they woke up, they opened their presents and spent time reading or looking at books while I made breakfast. We still had to do ordinary chores and such, but once that was all done and the baby was napping, I made hot cocoa and I read aloud their books, plus a few from the library.
Did we spend the whole morning in a peaceful bliss? No, my kids needed to run outside for a bit and play. There were squabbles and messes, but we still had a nice time. In the afternoon, when my three-year old was napping, I made some more hot cocoa for the boys and read aloud The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (super funny book!). After that it was time to make dinner.
Our Christmas book flood isn’t like the way they celebrate it in Iceland, but we made it work for our family. Sometimes I do things with my kids and I forget how small things can be turned into special moments. Last July one my kids asked me, “Can we do that day where we drink hot cocoa and read Christmas books?” I was kind of surprised he remembered it. Last year he bumped his head during our book flood day and couldn’t stop crying. I assumed it hadn’t been a memorable day, but I was wrong.
I am pretty sure Christmas book flood day is going be one of our many Christmas traditions. It’s a perfect excuse to slow down during the busy season and read with my kids.
