Published December 16, 2019

In Iceland, Christmas is a little wacky. Instead of one Santa, we have thirteen. And rather than being a jolly old white-bearded fellow who lets children sit on his on his lap in a shopping mall and showers them with presents, our Jólasveinar—or “Yule Lads,” in English—are a tribe of mischievous little weirdos.

Starting on December 12th, the Yule Lads come down from the mountains one by one, each day until Christmas. If you’ve behaved well, they’ll put a gift in your shoe; if not, you get a potato. In honour of this harrowing game of cat and mouse, we present: the Thirteen Days Of Grapemas, where every day, a Yule Lads will deliver one of you—our beloved readers—a special Icelandic gift.

So what’s a girl gotta do to get some cool stuff in her shoe? Just tag the friends or loved ones you think are most deserving on this Facebook status, along with a damn good reason that they should win. Remember: If you don’t enter in this life, you sure won’t win. #JÓLÓ

What’s In The Shoe Today?

Don’t look under the bed, and make sure to keep that bowl of lakkris ice cream in plain sight—today, Askasleikir, or ’Bowl Licker,’ in English, has arrived to hide under your mattress and ruin your weekend self-care, like that ex who never stops texting you late at night. 

But, if you’ve been good, the little crockery-licking bugger could have a gift for you. Today, he’ll put a dinner for two at Matur og drykkur under your bed, a consistent winner of our Must-Try Dinner Experience. That’s just how good the place is.

It’s a great way to spend an evening in high style. Tag the friend of loved one you think would appreciate this most here.