Icelandic Christmas book flood

The Christmas book flood or Yule book flood (Icelandic: Jólabókaflóðið) is a term used in Iceland for the annual release of new books occurring in the months before Christmas. These books are then purchased as presents to be gifted on Christmas Eve. This practice makes books the most popular Christmas gift in the country.

Newly published books are listed in an annual catalogue called the Journal of Books (Icelandic: Bókatíðindi) that is distributed to all households for free. The release of the Journal is the beginning of the book flood, signifying the start of the holiday season. The tradition comes from both Iceland's centuries-long literary history and the state of the economy during WWII, when strict currency restrictions limited the amount of imported giftware. Given that restrictions on imported paper were more lenient than on other products, books became and stayed the Christmas gift of choice. While often characterized internationally as a cozy domestic tradition involving reading and drinking hot chocolate on Christmas Eve, some critics argue that this narrative is a romanticized portrayal of what remains primarily a peak retail and publishing period.

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