Thirteen Santas, One Cat That Eats You, And The Loudest New Year In Europe
Iceland does not have one Father Christmas. It has thirteen, they are not especially kind, and one of them is called Door Slammer.
There is also a cat. The cat is enormous, it prowls at Christmas, and it eats anybody who has not been given new clothes.
If you are considering Iceland over Christmas and New Year, this is the part the brochures underplay, and it is genuinely the most interesting time of year to be here.
The Thirteen Yule Lads
They come down from the mountains one at a time, on each of the thirteen nights before Christmas, and they leave one at a time afterwards.
They are not benevolent. They are trolls, sons of a fairly terrifying mountain-dwelling ogress, and each has a specific and very particular habit. Their names describe exactly what they do.
Door Slammer slams doors to wake people. Skyr Gobbler eats the skyr. Sausage Swiper takes the sausages. Window Peeper looks in through windows. Spoon Licker licks spoons. Candle Stealer takes candles.
Children leave a shoe on the windowsill each night. A good child gets a small gift. A badly behaved one gets a raw potato, and this is still genuinely done.
Over centuries they have softened considerably. They used to be a threat used to frighten children into behaving, to the point that it was eventually discouraged. Now they wear red and appear at public events, though the potato survives.
The Cat, Which Is Worse
Jolakotturinn, the Yule Cat, belongs to the same household of monsters.
It is a vast cat that roams the countryside at Christmas and eats anybody who has not received new clothes before Christmas Eve.
The origin is practical and rather bleak. Wool had to be processed before winter, and the story rewarded those who finished the work with new clothing and threatened those who had not. It was, essentially, a productivity incentive with teeth.
The consequence today is that giving clothes at Christmas is completely normal here, and every Icelandic child gets at least one item of clothing so as to be safe from the cat.
The Book Flood
Jolabokaflod, literally the Christmas book flood, is the loveliest tradition here and it deserves to be exported.
The Icelandic publishing industry releases the great majority of its new titles in a concentrated burst in the autumn. A catalogue of new books is distributed to households. Books are the default Christmas gift.
And on Christmas Eve, which is when Icelanders celebrate rather than Christmas Day, the traditional evening is to open your presents, get into bed with a new book and a bar of chocolate, and read.
A whole country reading on the same night. It is the best Christmas tradition anywhere and it takes no organising.
What Actually Happens, And When
23 December, Thorlaksmessa. The last shopping evening, shops open late, town is busy and cheerful. Traditionally fermented skate is eaten, which has a powerful smell and divides opinion sharply.
24 December, Christmas Eve. The main event. Celebrations begin at six in the evening, marked by church bells on the radio. Dinner, presents, then the book. Almost everything closes.
25 and 26 December. Quiet, family-focused, very little open.
31 December, New Year's Eve. See below. It is extraordinary.
6 January, Threttandinn. The thirteenth day, the formal end of Christmas, marked with bonfires and a final round of fireworks. Elves and hidden people are said to be about.
New Year's Eve, Which Is Genuinely Unlike Anywhere Else
This is the reason to consider coming.
There is no single official fireworks display. Instead, fireworks are largely sold by the volunteer search and rescue teams as their main annual fundraiser, and the public buys enormous quantities of them.
Which means at midnight, the entire city goes up at once. Not a display you watch from a designated viewpoint, but fireworks from every street, garden and hillside in every direction simultaneously, for a sustained and genuinely astonishing period.
The money funds the volunteers who rescue people, including tourists, from the mountains and roads all year. Buying fireworks is a civic act here.
Before midnight, neighbourhood bonfires are lit across the city, which is where people gather beforehand.
Practical points. It is loud, and the smoke afterwards can be thick enough to reduce visibility considerably. Small children and dogs find it difficult. Dress warmly, because you will be outside a long time. And a private garden or hot tub with a view is genuinely the best seat in the house, which is not something we say lightly.
The Practicalities Of A Christmas Trip
Almost everything closes on 24, 25 and 26 December, and again on 1 January. Shops, most restaurants, many attractions.
This is when self-catering stops being a saving and becomes a necessity. Do a proper shop on 22 or 23 December and plan the closed days. A villa with a kitchen is the difference between a comfortable Christmas and a stressful one.
Book Vinbudin runs early, because the state alcohol shops close for the holidays and the queues beforehand are substantial.
Daylight is very short. Expect a few hours of usable light in late December, with a long, slow, beautiful sunrise and sunset that essentially merge.
Aurora season is at its peak, with long dark nights. City fireworks and light pollution interfere around New Year specifically, so plan an aurora night earlier in the trip.
Weather can close roads. Keep plans flexible and check conditions each morning.
Why It Suits A Villa
Christmas in a hotel is a slightly odd experience anywhere. In Iceland, where the shops shut and the country turns inward for three days, it is stranger still.
A house with a kitchen, a table to eat at, a hot tub and a view over the city is much closer to how the holiday is actually spent here.
On New Year's Eve, being able to stand outside your own door with the whole city erupting around you, rather than in a crowd, is the version people remember.
Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas In Iceland
Who are the Icelandic Yule Lads?
Thirteen mischievous figures from folklore, sons of a mountain ogress, who arrive one per night across the thirteen nights before Christmas and depart the same way. Each has a specific trick reflected in their name, such as Door Slammer, Skyr Gobbler and Spoon Licker. Children leave a shoe on the windowsill for a small gift, or a raw potato if they have misbehaved.
What is the Yule Cat?
Jolakotturinn is an enormous cat from Icelandic folklore said to prowl at Christmas and eat anyone who has not received new clothes before Christmas Eve. The story originally rewarded those who finished processing the autumn wool. It is why giving clothing at Christmas remains completely normal here.
Is New Year's Eve in Iceland worth travelling for?
Genuinely, yes. There is no single official display. Fireworks are largely sold by volunteer search and rescue teams as their main fundraiser and set off by the public, so the entire city erupts at midnight from every street and garden at once. It is loud, smoky and unlike anywhere else in Europe.
Is anything open in Iceland over Christmas?
Very little on 24, 25 and 26 December, and again on 1 January. Shops, most restaurants and many attractions close. This is the one time of year when self-catering is less about saving money and more about being able to eat at all, so shop properly on 22 or 23 December.
What is Jolabokaflod?
The Christmas book flood. Icelandic publishers release most new titles in a concentrated autumn burst, a catalogue goes to households, and books are the default Christmas gift. On Christmas Eve the traditional evening is to open presents then read a new book in bed with chocolate.
Can you see the Northern Lights in Iceland at Christmas?
Yes, since late December sits in the middle of aurora season with very long dark nights. The exception is around New Year itself, when city fireworks and smoke interfere significantly. Plan your aurora nights earlier in the trip rather than on 31 December.
Come For The Strangest Version
Iceland at Christmas is thirteen troll Santas, a cat that eats the badly dressed, a nation reading in bed on Christmas Eve, and a New Year that the volunteer rescue service sets off itself.
Bring warm clothes, do the shop early, and stand outside at midnight.
Iceland SJF Villa is in Kopavogur, with a full kitchen for the days everything is shut, a hot tub with a view over the city, and a genuinely extraordinary seat for New Year's Eve.
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