Icelandic tradition comes to Palmer

PALMER — Thanks to the inspired vision of two local women there’s a new holiday tradition in town—Jolabokaflod.

That’s Icelandic for “The book flood of Christmas.”

Elizabeth Crowley, a librarian at Palmer Middle School, and her friend Heather Lee made a last-minute push to organize a Jolabokaflod event at Vagabond Blues last Thursday. On a whim they posted it to Facebook.

In just a few days they got 300 comments and 50 people confirming they’d come.

“It was a great community connector in a way that was really comfortable for people,” Lee said. “They didn’t have to stay for a long time, this is a busy time of year and it’s hard to commit to things. We wanted it to be a joyful time, not an obligation.”

Around 60 people showed up for the one-hour book flood, she said, which is a simple Icelandic tradition in which people gather to connect, meet, and share ideas and, that globally beloved food, chocolate.

In a Jolabokaflod, each person brings one book and one piece of chocolate, and exchanges it for another book and piece of chocolate. Icelanders are really into reading. Iceland has the highest-per-capita number of books published, books read, and authors of any country. About one in 10 Icelanders will author and publish a book in his or her lifetime.

As a lifelong lover of books, Lee said she couldn’t believe she hadn’t heard of the Christmas book flood tradition before. But the event seems to have caught on with locals, and she and Crowley are planning on doing it again next year.

At the Dec. 22 event, Lee and Crowley set up a table and signs at Vagabond Blues coffee shop, with a handful of books and a sign saying, “Take one book, leave one book,” and another with some chocolates and a sign saying, “Take one chocolate, leave one chocolate.” Some patrons came in and out for the exchange, while others stayed, chatted over tea and coffee, and waited eagerly to see what books other people would bring before making their selection.

“We had people come from all over the valley,” Lee said. “We had kids come, and teenagers. I think everybody left pretty happy; people were really excited about their choices.”

She said the feedback from local businesses was positive. Vagabond Blues saw more patrons in its doors than usual for the day, nearby NonEssentials gifts saw folks coming in to purchase chocolates for the exchange, and participants who wanted to share a special book with others but didn’t want to give away their copies purchased a copy at Fireside Books down the street.

The event was so popular the two women were asked if they could do it once a month.

But it’s something they want to keep special for the holidays, Lee said. She also made a few bookmarks as mementos of the event, bearing the words, “Jolabokaflod: A Jolly Christmas Book Flood, Palmer, Alaska, 2016”, and she plans to make lots more for next year’s event.