Christmas comes with many traditions. Some involve books and biscuits. Others involve donkeys, goats, and a suspiciously generous log.
A Christmas Eve Full of Books
The Best Kind of Christmas Flood
In Iceland, Christmas and books are a particularly happy pairing. The tradition is often called Jólabókaflóð—the Christmas Book Flood. Publishers release many new titles ahead of the holidays, and books have become beloved Christmas gifts.
For some families, Christmas Eve means exchanging books, settling in with a good read, and perhaps enjoying a warm drink. It's a holiday tradition with an excellent excuse to ignore the washing-up.
The quirky bit: The flood isn't water. It's books. For once, being completely swamped sounds wonderful.
The Christmas Log That Gives Presents
A Log With a Very Unusual Job
In parts of Catalonia, children welcome a cheerful wooden log called Tió de Nadal. It often has a painted face, little legs, and a red cap. Families bring it out in the weeks before Christmas and look after it.
When the time comes, children sing a traditional song and tap the log with sticks. Then, beneath its blanket, they discover sweets and small gifts. It's an especially imaginative alternative to hanging stockings.
The quirky bit: This may be the only Christmas guest who is fed, tucked into bed, and then politely asked to produce presents.
Christmas Dinner, With a Side of Fried Chicken
An Unexpected Holiday Favourite
Christmas isn't a traditional national holiday in Japan, but it has developed its own modern customs. One of the most famous is eating Kentucky Fried Chicken at Christmastime.
A marketing campaign launched in the 1970s helped turn a bucket of chicken into a seasonal ritual for many households. Christmas meals can be ordered in advance, and the custom is now widely associated with the holiday in Japan.
The quirky bit: In some places, Christmas dinner means turkey with all the trimmings. In Japan, it might arrive in a striped bucket.
The Giant Goat That Keeps Everyone Guessing
A Straw-Star With a Dramatic History
Every Advent, the Swedish city of Gävle builds an enormous straw goat inspired by the traditional Scandinavian Yule goat. The Gävlebocken has become a much-loved local landmark—and an international curiosity.
The goat has also attracted unwanted attention over the decades, including repeated acts of vandalism and arson. Local organizers work to protect it so visitors can enjoy the festive display.
The quirky bit: Most Christmas decorations just need dusting. This one has occasionally needed security.
The Christmas Visitor With a Horse’s Skull
Knock, Knock. It’s the Mari Lwyd.
In parts of Wales, a winter folk custom known as Mari Lwyd features a decorated horse's skull carried on a pole, often draped in a white sheet. A group brings the curious figure from door to door, accompanied by songs and playful verbal exchanges.
The tradition has varied over time and from place to place. Today, revived celebrations offer a wonderfully theatrical glimpse of Welsh midwinter folklore.
The quirky bit: If a mysterious horse-shaped visitor turns up at your door singing, you may be experiencing a very old Christmas tradition—not a particularly elaborate prank.
The Kindly Witch Who Arrives in January
Move Over, Santa. Here Comes La Befana.
In Italian folklore, La Befana is an old woman who visits children around the feast of Epiphany on January 6. She's often pictured flying on a broomstick and delivering sweets or small gifts.
The story comes in several versions, but the figure remains a familiar part of Italy's festive season. Christmas, it turns out, doesn't always finish on December 25.
The quirky bit: A broomstick, a bag of sweets, and a January delivery schedule. La Befana runs a very different kind of holiday operation.
There’s More Than One Way to Celebrate
From a quiet evening with a new book to a visit from a singing horse, Christmas traditions can be cosy, surprising, theatrical, or just plain peculiar.
And that's rather lovely. After all, the best traditions are the ones that bring people together—and give us a good story to tell afterward.
Which tradition would you most like to try?
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