The Yule Lads come to Grófin to pick up free shoe gifts
In Iceland there are 13 Santa Clauses (The Yule Lads), each with it's own name who live in the mountains with their parents who are trolls. It's a custom that the children place their shoe in the window of their bedroom 13 nights before Christmas Eve and every night one of the Yule Lads arrives to town and puts a little present in the shoe.
We know that the Lads care about nature, obviously since they live in the mountains with their old folks Grýla and Leppalúði, who are giant trolls... It all makes sense, right? The City Library would like to help the Yule Lads, with the help of the library's visitors, to give the children environmentally friendly gifts in the shoes.
Shoe gift station in Grófin
At the City Library in Grófinn (down town) we have put up a station where people can bring things that their children do not use any longer, such as small puzzles, pez dispensers, max box cars, stuffed animals or just any toy that is clean and unbroken. An ideal cozy time together for parents and children, listen to Christmas carolls and go through the stuff together and decide what to keep and what to give to the Yule Lads, to give to other children.
The Lads...cough, couch, are then welcome to sneak by the station and take what ever they think would be useful for their child...well all children, of course.
This will be win win for everybody and the nature; the children who donate their stuff will learn about the circular economy and environmental protection, The Yule Lads get donated things to pass on and less trash ends up in nature. Voilá!
Books in the shoe for little readers
We also remind the boys that they can borrow books from the library to put in the shoe for children who sleep soundly. They just have to remember to include a note where they ask the children to return the books for them...which is very important because the Lads do not have computers and an email address and therefore we cannot send them a reminder email about the return date.
A few more eco-friendly shoe gift suggestions for the thirteen brothers:
- A gingerbread house to assemble and decorate.
- A flashlight to take with you on an adventurous evening walk, e.g. In Öskjuhlíð.
- Cocoa to have a hot drink with you on the the evening walk.
- Scissors and old (children's) magazines for arts and crafts.
- Gift certificate for a cup of cocoa at a cafe.
- A library card (which are free for children).