Christmas Eve books for families

GRASS Cliftonville are delighted to be receiving a donation of 100 Christmas book parcels from The Reading Agency’s partnership with Costa Coffee this Christmas to give to Children and families to celebrate the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod.

Each FREE book parcel will contain 1 x adult book, 1 x children’s book 1 x luxury instant coffee bags 1 x ready to drink coffee can and 1 x bag of gold chocolate coins, plus an activity sheet for children.

One book parcel per household that qualifies you will be emailed if you are successful.

What is Jolabokaflod? Where does it come from?

On Christmas Eve each year Icelandic families receive brand-new books and cosy up with a mug of hot cocoa and spend the evening reading.

This tradition is known as Jolabokaflod, which translates roughly to “Christmas book flood” in English.

Jolabokaflod started during World War II, when paper was one of the few things not rationed in Iceland. Because of this, Icelanders gave books as gifts while other commodities were in short supply, turning them into a country of bookaholics to this day, according to jolabokaflod.org. In fact, a 2013 study conducted at Bifröst University found that 50 percent of Icelanders read more than eight books a year and 93 percent read at least one.

To register for your FREE book parcel fill in the form below we will be in touch by email if your application is successful.