Published December 17, 2018
In Iceland, Christmas is a little wacky. Instead of one Santa, we have thirteen. And rather than being a jolly old white-bearded fellow who lets children sit on his on his lap in a shopping mall and showers them with presents, our Jólasveinar—or “Yule Lads,” in English—are a tribe of mischievous little weirdos.
Starting on December 12th, the Yule Lads come down from the mountains one by one, each day until Christmas. If you’ve behaved well, they’ll put a gift in your shoe; if not, you get a potato. In honour of this harrowing game of cat and mouse, we present: the Thirteen Days Of Grapemas, where every day, a Yule Lads will deliver one of you—our beloved readers—a special Icelandic gift.
So what’s a girl gotta do to get some cool stuff in her shoe? Just tag the friends or loved ones you think are most deserving on this Facebook status, along with a damn good reason that they should win. Remember: If you don’t enter in this life, you sure won’t win. #JÓLÓ
What’s In The Shoe Today?
Today, Reykvíkingar around the city panicked, suddenly sure their studio apartments and favourite galleries were haunted.
But, never fear, it was just the work of the Yule Lad Hurðaskellir—’Door-Slammer’ in English—known for his proclivity for waking people up, like a jerk.
In-between door-slams, though, he gave us a voucher for the Krauma Geothermal Spa. It’s a luxurious geothermal spa with a stark and stylish look, featuring various hot pots, a sauna and a steam room. Located in Borgarfjörður near Reykjavík, the spa is powered by Deildartunguhver—Europe’s most powerful geothermal spring, just a stone’s throw away. Read more about it here. So, dear reader, tag your most well-behaved friend here—even if they’re not based in Iceland, the voucher is valid for all of next year.
A note: The winner of yesterday’s Best Of Reykjavík & Best Of Iceland contest was Anthony Morecroft, who was nominated by his wife Karen. What a fantastic partner, right? According to Karen, Anthony is a big fan of Iceland—and we presume, The Grapevine—who will treasure the magazines as if they were his own children. But don’t worry—you can be just as cool as Anthony and pick up your own subscription to Best of Reykjavík & Best Of Iceland here. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s winner. It could be you!
