LAST Christmas I wrote about the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod—Christmas Book Flood—where Icelanders give each other books on Christmas Eve and spend the night reading.
Put a cup of hot cocoa by your bedside and curl up under a patchwork quilt as you read, and you’ve got instant hygge (a Danish term for cozy and comfortable).
I suggested that we create a similar tradition called “Booksgiving.” Instead of the usual gifts or toys that we give this season that are soon discarded or used up, give books. Choose books that are special to you, perhaps a childhood favorite or one that influenced or transformed your life in some way. Give them to everyone.
They don’t read? Give it to them anyway—the book might spark an interest. Or, choose a book on a topic that they like.
Looking for recommendations? Creative writing professor Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo recently posted on social media a list of 27 books by Filipino authors, among them F.H. Batacan’s Smaller and Smaller Circles, that has been made into a movie. The list was picked up by two other writers and published online.
Here’s a suggestion: give a book of ghost stories. It was the tradition back in England in the centuries leading up to the post-Victorian era to tell or read ghost stories at Christmas, hence Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol.’
The book’s spooky premise is that a mean Grinch of a man changes his ways after being visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. It is really a morality tale, but the supernatural elements fit it right into this tradition.
More recently, there was a BBC production of M.R. James’ ghost stories starring Christopher Lee called “Ghost Stories at Christmas,” with Lee playing James, who was a university professor, telling his stories to a group of students all agog. Look for the episodes on Youtube.
You don’t have to buy new books to give as gifts—you can visit your favorite thrift book shop and pick up a lot of bargains there. This strategy is best done throughout the year, stockpiling books for December.
Here’s another idea: go through your own collection of books, cull the ones you don’t want to keep and donate them. I usually give my books—balikbayan boxes-full through the years—to my alma mater’s library. Once I gave a box of fiction books that were not quite suitable for the library and suggested they be sold at ‘booksale’ prices to students to raise money for the school.
I advocate reading because not only is it a form of delicious escape from everyday life, studies show that it also creates better outcomes for students in school. Start your children reading early, and make books a part of your family life if they aren’t already. Build rituals and traditions around books, and let Booksgiving be among them.
A very merry Christmas to you, and may you and your loved ones enjoy each other’s company this season. Blessed be.
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The University of the Philippines Institute of Creative Writing has announced the names of the fellows who will participate in the 57th edition of the prestigious workshop to be held in April 2018.
The UP National Writers Workshop started out as a proving ground for young writers but was reformatted to mentor writers in mid-career. This means writers who have already published or are on the verge of publishing a book, or have won major literary awards.
The 2018 fellows are: Cherilyn Sarigumba (Fiction, Filipino), Januar Yap (Fiction, Filipino, translated from Cebuano), Bernardo O. Aguay Jr. (Poetry, Filipino), Niles Jordan Breis (Essay, Filipino), Victorette Joy Z. Campilan (Fiction, English), Noreen Capili (Fiction, Filipino), Carlito P. Casaje, (Essay, English), Mark Anthony L. Daposala (Poetry, Filipino, translated from Cebuano), Eljay Castro Deldoc (Drama, Filipino), Patricia Celina A. Ngo (Fiction, English), Romeo P. Peña (Poetry, Filipino), and Anna Sanchez (Essay, English).
The Advisers, Fellows, and Associates of the UP ICW who comprise the workshop panel are National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario, National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio, Gémino H. Abad, Jose Y. Dalisay Jr., Charlson Ong, Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, J. Neil Garcia, Jun Cruz Reyes, Victor Emmanuel Carmelo Nadera Jr., Luna Sicat Cleto, Eugene Y. Evasco, Roland Tolentino, and Vladimeir Gonzales.
Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Facebook and
Twitter: @jennyortuoste