In Iceland, Christmas doesn't come with just one Santa. It comes with 13 Yule Lads, the Jólasveinar (or Jólasveinarnir). They're 13 mischievous brothers who come down from the mountains one per night, starting on December 12. Each one has a silly habit, and Icelandic kids know exactly who's who. Here are all 13 in order, with the day each one arrives and the trouble he gets into, told in a gentle way for kids ages 3 to 8.
What Christmas in Iceland is like for kids
Picture a country where December days are short and the nights are long. Outside there's snow, a chilly wind and little lights twinkling in the windows. That's the setting for the most fun countdown of the year.
The Yule Lads are the sons of the giantess Grýla and Leppalúði, and they live up in the mountains with the Yule Cat, Jólakötturinn. The first brother comes down on the night of December 11 to 12. After that, one more arrives each night until the last one shows up on December 24. By Christmas Eve, the whole gang is in town.
They leave in a line, too. Starting December 25, one heads home each day, until the last brother climbs back up the mountains on January 6. That's almost four weeks of visits, mischief and surprises.
The shoe in the window
This is the part kids look forward to most. On visiting nights, each child leaves a shoe in the window before bed. When that night's brother passes by, he checks how the day went.
Kids who behaved wake up to a small gift in the shoe. Kids who were naughty find... a potato! Yes, a potato. It's Iceland's way of saying «try a little harder tomorrow». And with 13 visitors, there's always another chance the very next night.
If your child loves little rituals like this, pair it with a Christmas letter. We have a step by step guide on how to write a letter to Santa.
Iceland's 13 Yule Lads, in order of arrival
Each Icelandic name describes that brother's favorite prank. Read them out loud as best you can: trying to pronounce them is half the fun.
- Stekkjastaur (arrives the night of December 11 to 12): the Peg Leg. He clomps around stiff and wobbly, and loves bothering the sheep.
- Giljagaur (December 13): hides in the ditches, waiting for the right moment to drink the foam off the milk. Foam mustache guaranteed.
- Stúfur (December 14): the shorty of the family. Small but clever, he scrapes the frying pans for the tasty bits stuck to the bottom.
- Þvörusleikir (December 15): the wooden spoon licker. If someone left the cake batter spoon lying around, it's gone.
- Pottaskefill (December 16): the pot scraper. When he's done, there isn't a single grain of rice left in the pot.
- Askasleikir (December 17): the bowl licker. He keeps an eye out for any forgotten bowl and licks it until it shines.
- Hurðaskellir (December 18): the door slammer. Bang! Bang! He loves slamming doors right when everyone is trying to sleep.
- Skyrgámur (December 19): the skyr gobbler. He eats the whole tub of skyr, the Icelandic yogurt, and still looks for more.
- Bjúgnakrækir (December 20): the sausage swiper. The sausages in the kitchen vanish in the blink of an eye.
- Gluggagægir (December 21): the window peeper. He presses his nose to the glass to spy on what's happening inside.
- Gáttaþefur (December 22): the big nose. With that huge sniffer, he smells bread from far away and follows the scent to the table.
- Ketkrókur (December 23): the meat hooker. He uses a hook to fish pieces of meat without anyone noticing.
- Kertasníkir (December 24): the last to arrive, and the candle grabber. On those long winter nights, he wants every little candle for himself.
