Published December 19, 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?
Bill Clinton, Kim Kardashian, and all the other famous people who have eaten at beloved hot dog cart Bæjarins Bestu were dismayed today to find out that all the hot dogs in Iceland were abruptly stolen last night by the most gluttonous of the Yule Lads, Bjúgnakrækir—’Sausage-Swiper’ in English. The police have been called, as well as the UN, to bring the lad to justice.
He did, though, leave a little gift, and it ain’t no potato! No, peeking out from your shoes is the ‘Gravity’ EP by Grapevine favourite JFDR. It’s a limited edition matcha chocolate bar made by by Omnom Chocolate, with a download code for an exclusive EP by the singer. “The chocolate EP is a dream come true for me. I’ve thought about it for such a long time—finding an outlet for music that has another dimension to it than CDs and vinyl,” Jófríður said, of the project. “Both chocolate and tea are things that feel ceremonial, contain history and culture and lift your spirits, affect your mood and being—similar to music.”
The girl clearly knows her chocolate, so get ready for a matcha explosion. Seriously, it is so good that the bars have become a sought-after item in Reykjavík, with JFDR fans and chocolate nerds alike using them as a new currency comparable to Bitcoin.
Wanna win? Tag your most well-behaved friend here… and check our page tomorrow for the next gift.
A note: The winner for yesterday’s Coocoos Nest contest was Laura Maley, who was tagged by her best friend Debi Hallas. The two have been thick as thieves for over 20 years, through thick and thin, and will be traveling to Iceland together later this year for the trip of a lifetime. Let’s give it up for friendship! But don’t worry—you can book your own meal at Coocoos Nest here. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s winner. It could be you!
