Countdown to Christmas…with the Yule Lads!

Stubby the Troll…Photo: Office Iceland website

For all of you who celebrate Christmas, doesn’t this time of year seem to rush by with a swoosh?

If you’re like me, with less than two weeks to go til the big day, you’ve still got a full to-do list of holiday baking, cards, and figuring out gifts. This year, I’m even more behind hand than usual: our Internet satellite dish went kerflooey last Monday.

We are finally back online today, but I lost a whole week of holiday prep. Now, I don’t do a whole lot of shopping, and we keep things pretty simple here at the Little Farm. 

Still, I had a few things to buy online,  since we have Voice over Internet phone, I couldn’t call in my order either!

But over the years, dealing with plenty of power outages and infrastructure meltdowns over the holiday season, I’ve learned to be pretty relaxed about what I can and can’t do by December 25. 

At the moment, being back in the Internet business, I’m feeling quite celebratory—and instead of stressing over having only 13 more days to go, I’m going to have fun counting down to Christmas with the Yule Lads!

Photo: Official Iceland website

The Yule Lads are an Icelandic holiday tradition, with just the kind of fun and whimsy to ease your stress. According to legend, starting with December 12, a bunch of mischievous trolls—13 of them—creep down from the mountains to do pranks, create messes, and steal food! 

Now the trolls do have a positive side. Each night through Christmas Eve, a troll will leave candy and treats in children’s shoes—but only if you’re good. If you’re not, you’ll get a rotten potato instead—which I think is way nastier than the lump of coal Santa leaves for naughty ones. 

Tonight, December 12, watch out for “Sheep-Cote Clod”—his goal is to sneak into your shed and harass your sheep. I’m sure you’ve barely gotten your flock settled down and milked, before the next Lad arrives the following night…

December 13, along comes “Gully Gawk,” who slurps the foam off the milk in your bucket. By now, the sheep are probably thoroughly rattled…but you’re in luck. Stubby, the next Lad in line, will be heading into the house to make mischief.

December 13 also marks the feast day of St. Lucia, another Scandinavian tradition. The youngest daughter of the house wears an evergreen wreath—with candles in it!—and first thing in the morning, serves the rest of the family coffee and sweet buns. 

Which sounds really lovely to me—though the daughters left the nest a long time ago. I’ll have to get my own bun. Still, Christmas isn’t meant to be like a Hallmark holiday movie, all eggnog in frosted mugs, a perfectly decorated tree, and well behaved people. 

The eggnog gets spilled, the cat climbs up the tree and knocks it over, and the toddler is having an epic tantrum! 

At your house, maybe you’re dealing with something similar. But perhaps you can be inspired by the Lads…and despite the messiness of life in general, and all too often, the chaos of the Christmas rush, I hope you’ll find room for joy!

You’ll find O Tannenbaum in the garden, and all about the wonderful movie “Last Christmas” right here in O Christmas Tree & a Holiday Rom-Com, my December newsletter!