Jólabókaflóð

 

 Jólabókaflóð: Meet Your Favorite New Holiday Tradition

In Iceland, the best Christmas gift is a book — and it has been that way for decades.
Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world, with five titles published for every 1,000 Icelanders. But what's really unusual is the timing: Historically, a majority of books in Iceland are sold from late September to early November. It's a national tradition, and it has a name: Jolabokaflod, or the "Christmas Book Flood."

Jólabókaflóð originated during World War II when foreign imports were restricted, but paper was cheap. Iceland’s population was not large enough to support a year-round publishing industry, so book publishers flooded the market with new titles in the final weeks of the year. While giving books is not unique to Iceland, the tradition of exchanging books on Christmas Eve and then spending the evening reading is becoming a cultural phenomenon. 

In recent years the meme has spread on social media, and bookworms around the world are grabbing on to the idea. (If you’re wondering how to pronounce jólabókaflóð, the phonetic pronunciation is yo-la-bok-a-flot.

In the spirit of Jólabókaflóð and Icelanders' amazing relationship with literature, consider book giving and supporting your local bookstores.

While you cozy up with a book and enjoy some of these warm low calorie beverages.

Minty Low-Calorie Hot Cocoa

Cook's Notes: Commercial hot cocoa mixes are hiding a secret: sugar. The average hot chocolate from the grocery store has more than 25 grams of sugar. This minty alternative has none—and the mint could be beneficial for weight loss. 

Makes one serving.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk with added protein
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 drop mint extract
• 1/2 packet natural sweetener

Directions:

• Heat milk and water until near boiling. Stir in cocoa, mint and natural sweetener.

Spiced Hot Apple Cider

Directions: For a slimmer sip, simmer 1-quart apple cider with orange zest, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks in a large pot for five minutes. It’s only 100 calories per cup!

Low Calorie Mulled Wine

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of Skinnygirl Red Wine
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon cloves
• 3 star anise
• 1 whole nutmeg cracked into two pieces
• 1 orange peel
• Agave nectar to taste

Directions:

• Pour wine into pan and cook over low heat, make a sachet with the spices, put sachet in pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Add agave nectar to taste. Pour wine through strainer. Serve in a heatproof glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange peel.

Pay It Forward-Just in Case You Missed

And it warms my heart to read about how over 900 cars paid for each other's meals right in Brainerd Minnesota at a local DQ drive-thru recently. An opportune time when local businesses are struggling and we need to show community support. 

The link below is a CNN Anderson Cooper interview with DQ manager.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/09/us/pay-it-forward-dairy-queen-trnd/index.html