16 Christmas Activities to Do While Visiting Iceland – Ep. 31

Christmas in Iceland is a lovely time. Everyone is merry and there are lots of fun events happening. I purposefully decided not to include Christmas activities that not holiday related on this list. You won’t hear me say, hunt for Northern Lights, go on a Glacier Walk, ride an Icelandic horse and so on during this episode. While those activities are awesome, they can be experienced when it is not Christmas in Iceland. Because the Christmas season in Iceland lasts for about a month, you will have lots of time to tick off some of the activities on this list.

1. Try Icelandic Christmas Beer (jólabjór)

I am a big fan of tasty beers and Iceland has a thriving craft beer culture. In fact, one of my favorite episodes of this podcast is my interview about Iceland’s complicated and fascinating beer history with Óli the brewmaster at Ægisgarður brewery. Icelandic brewers start to offer their special Christmas brews around mid November. It is a glorious time and there are such tasty varieties. My two favorite are Egill’s Malt Jólabjór and Einstök´s Icelandic doppelbock. I highly recommend trying those and others while you are. I know that some Icelandic companies are exporting their beer, so you might find some Icelandic Christmas beer at a distributor near you.

2. Laufabrauð

Next up is eating Laufabrauð, or leaf bread. Some people even call it snowflake bread. It is at type of bread that looks like a thin, flat cake. Geometric or leaf like patterns are cut into it and it is then fried quickly in fat or oil. It is only served during this time and it is yummy. Some people make it at home and many buy them from bakeries. Many of the supermarkets in Reykjavík carry them, but if you can get your hands on some fresh, homemade laufrabrauð, you are in for a treat.

3. Ice Skating in Ingólfstorg

Ice skating, in general, is an activity that you can do in Iceland at any time of the year at the Laugadalur sports center. However, ice skating outside in Ingólfstorg or Ingólfs Square is only reserved for the Christmas season. It kind of reminds me of ice skating in Rockefeller Center in NYC, expect it is not as extravagant and it might even be a smaller rink.

4. Eat some Christmas cookies – Piparkökur

It wouldn’t be Christmas for me in Iceland if I didn’t eat some piparkökur or pepper cookies. I know it might sound strange to want to eat cookies with pepper in them but don’t let that deter you. They taste similar to gingerbread cookies. Hopefully, that helps anyone that is on the fence with trying them. Boxes of them are sold in the supermarkets in Iceland. They are seriously delicious. I probably gain a few pounds during the holidays just because of these cookies.

5. Visit a Christmas Market

Like many communities that celebrate Christmas, Iceland has Christmas markets that feature locally made crafts and food. They are great places to find a unique gift for yourself or someone else.

6. Eat at a Christmas Buffet – Jólahlaðborð

Many restaurants in Iceland prepare special Christmas buffet menus. It is a tradition for most Icelandic people to get together with friends and family to chow down at a Christmas buffet. While the traditional fare, such as potatoes prepared in different ways, lamb, pickled herring, red cabbage, green peas and so on are served at the buffet, some modern dishes do show up as well.

7. Try Skatta

As I had mentioned in my Icelandic traditions, holidays and celebrations episode, December 23rd is one of the smelliest days of the year in Iceland. Many Icelandic people are enjoying their once a year indulgence in skatta, or fermented skate. The putrid smell wafts through air, crawls up your nostrils and pokes your brain. It is a smell that lingers in people’s clothes and is one you won’t forget easily. Many people don’t eat it in their house because they don’t want the smell in their furniture and any other items in their house that might hold onto smells. I’ve never tried Skatta but I have heard that it can feel like it is burning your mouth. Even if I were not vegan, I wouldn’t be interested in trying it. However, to each their own and this is a very popular Christmas activity among Icelanders. So, feel free to give it a try if you plan to be in Iceland on December 23rd.

8. Try Rjúpa

Every year, Icelandic hunters go out to shoot rjúpa, also known as the Rock ptarmigan. This game bird changes the colors of its feathers with the season. It is brown in the summer and white during the winter. Many Icelandic people eat this bird for Christmas. My mother in law cooks the bird for Christmas and then saves the bones to make a soup for New Years eve dinner. I know that having this bird for Christmas is quite important for many people here. It is quite expensive to get it in Iceland. If you are in town and want to try, it seems that a restaurant called 3 Frakkar serves it. There might be others as well. A quick Google search of ptarmigan in Icelandic restaurants could provide more options.

9. Celebrate the New Year in Iceland

Celebrating the New Year, like in most places, is a big deal in Iceland. There are a ton of fireworks. Some of professionally blown up but most of the fireworks are set off my ordinary Icelanders. There are also bonfires and lots of partying. It is one of the best places to ring in a new year. If you are curious to learn more about this holiday, you can check out my episode on Icelandic traditions, holidays and celebrations. I highly recommend coming to Iceland for the New Year.

10. Learn about Iceland’s 13 Santa Claus or Jólasveinn

While the rest of the world that celebrates Christmas has one Santa Claus, Iceland somehow ended up with thirteen. I go into detail about the Icelandic Yule Lads in episode 24, which is linked in the show notes of this episode. That episode is a great intro into these mischievous Yule lads. However, I think being in Iceland gives you the joyful expectation of Christmas and seeing these scraggly Santa Claus come to town kicks the holiday season into high gear. There are different events where the Yule Lads show up, such as a Christmas Market or a children’s holiday event.

11. Árbær Open Air Museum Christmas Program

This open air museum in the neighborhood of Árbær, also known as Árbærsafn, showcases different periods of Reykjavík’s history. You can see vintage car displays, the type of crafts that traditional Icelandic people did, turf houses and more. Every year, the museum has Christmas exhibitions, which are worth seeing. Some of the exhibitions include seeing how candles are made from sheep fat, women dressed in clothing from a century ago who are making laufabrauð and see how Christmas cards were made with a hand press. The Icelandic Yule Lads have a tendency to show up at the museum during the holiday season. I have a link to the museum in the show notes, if you would like to learn more.

12. Hafnarfjörður Christmas Village

Hafnarfjörður is a fun and somewhat eclectic seaside town that is part of the Reykjavík area. During the Advent, the downtown turns into a cheery and festive Christmas Village every Saturday and Sunday. There are horse-drawn carriage rides and shops that sell different crafts from local Icelandic designers, snacks and drinks. Of course, the Icelandic Yule Lads usually show up.

13. The Children’s Christmas Workshop at Reykjavík City Hall

If you have small kids, the Children’s Christmas workshop at Reykjavík City Hall is a fun activity for the whole family. Everyone gets to create holiday decorations, as well as meet the Icelandic Yule Lads and other characters.

14. Go to A Christmas Concert at Harpa

Harpa is a gorgeous concert and conference hall made of glass that sits on the harbor in downtown Reykjavík. During the Christmas season, Harpa hosts close to 30 concerts. There are Christmas performances from the Icelandic symphony orchestra and Icelandic music legends, like Bubbi Morthens. It is a fun way to hear Icelandic Christmas songs. Plus, it is one of the Christmas activities where you can hear Icelandic sung and spoken.

15. Buy a book by an Icelandic author

Every year in November, new books from Icelandic authors are published. It is called Jólabókaflóðið or the Christmas Book Flood. It is a tradition for Icelandic people to give each other a book for Christmas. There are plenty of authors to choose from and you can find plenty of books to choose from at the bookstore chain Eymundsson.

16. Lighting of the Oslo tree

Last but certainly not least, is the decades long tradition of lighting the Oslo tree in Austurvöllur, which is Parliament Park downtown. It is the official opening of the season in Iceland and is one of the Christmas activities that many Icelanders attend.

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I hope you enjoyed this episode that is chock full of information about activities to do in Iceland during Christmas. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already.

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