How to Celebrate Christmas in Iceland

You live in southern California, where a white Christmas is pretty much a fantasy. Now you've decided that a white Christmas is exactly what you want. To be sure you obtain your wish, you're willing to travel wherever you have to. Consider spending Christmas in Iceland. If you do, however, you may wish to familiarize yourself with the way Icelanders celebrate the holiday.

Instructions

1. On December 12, put an empty shoe on your windowsill. Good children will find that their shoe is filled with gifts or candy--bad children might just find a potato.

2. Watch for a different Santa each day, beginning on December 13. According to legend, 13 brothers--known as the Yule Lads--will visit the town, one on each day leading up to Christmas day. They come bearing gifts, and they are known to occasionally get into mischief.

3. On Thorláksmessa (December 23), attend Midnight Mass.

4. Enjoy a hearty Christmas Eve meal with loved ones, then exchange gifts; Christmas Eve, not Christmas morning, is the time to open presents in Iceland.

5. Watch as the 13 Yule Lads leave town, one by one, each day for the 13 days following Christmas. When the last brother has left, Christmas is officially over (January 6).

6. On New Year's Eve, light fireworks in front of your place of residence. Consider attending a town bonfire in celebration of Christmas and the new year.

Tips & Warnings

• In Iceland, "Merry Christmas!" is "Gleileg jol gott og fars!"

• Note that all shops close beginning the night of December 23 for three days.