Today is 12th Night, the last day of Christmas. This is the night that animals can speak in human tongue. When seals come to land, shed their skins and take human form. It is also the night that elves visit humans.
I am stayin up until past midnight, just in case. I would like to see the Hidden People.
This night is celebrated in my home. In years past we used to have large parties and ask each person to bring a branch of their Christmas tree. After a lovely feast and strong drink, we would burn the Christmas tree branches in our fireplace,(fire laws where we lived, would not allow us to make a bonfire) and bid Christmas farewell. This evening will be a small celebration as there will be just the two of us. We will talk about our lovely Christmas and bid it farewell. We will be keeping the memories :)
This is also the night that Kertasnikir-Candle-beggar, the last to arrive and the last to leave, arrives at his home in the mountains. He was a little late this year. He was carrying so many candles in his arms, that he dropped one or more, from time to time. He would stop to pick up the ones he dropped and then having to rearrange his loot in his arms. He would then trudge on, having to repeat this routine several times. At one point he though he would just walk on and leave the candles that he dropped, but greed got the best of him and he does love a well lit cave, which is funny, because he will be sleeping while the candles burn down. He arrived just as Gryla was about to send poor little Stufur.....Stubby to find him. Stufur was relieved not to have to go after all, because for every one step his brothers take he has to take five, and that can get tiring.
You will be happy to know that Meat-hook made it back to the mountains. He was dragging his fat tummy, it was a very good year for him. As he arrived at the cave he flopped into his bed and fell asleep instantly. Snoring was heard all the way down the mountain. Some folks thought it was a land slide, but one of the villagers said with some pride “I have heard this sound before, about 50 years ago, when it was a very good year for Meat-hook”. He then puffed himself up and said “This is Meat-hook snoring” The villagers looked at each other and started laughing, because, this villager is well known for telling fantastical stories about the Jolasveinar. He considers himself an authority on Jolasveina lore. The villagers go along with him because they are not quite sure if he is or not, they have no way of proofing his stories.
Skyrgamur.....skyr gobbler, poor thing ate so much skyr that he had severe stomach ache and was heard crying out loud “I should not have eaten all the skyr” with every step he took. Will he ever learn? It is said that he does this every year.
All this crying out loud did not bother Hurdaskellir.....Door-slammer who was just a day ahead of him. You see Hurdaskellir had slammed so many doors, heard so many dog barks, startled screams and baby cries, that he had temporally lost his hearing. Don’t worry he will get it back after a years worth of sleep. He will be in good form with his hearing back and his arm ready to slam doors.
The saddest story that I must report to you, is the one about poor, skinny, hungry Thvorusleikir....Spoon-licker. Seems that there were not as many dirty wooden spoons, as in past years.....dishwashers. Thvorusleikir was so hungry that he hardly could drag himself up the mountain, once or twice he even fell down and had to crawl for miles. When he arrived at the cave he looked so pitiful that Gryla felt sorry for him, no small feat for Gryla, and offered him some Reindeer Moss soup. Gryla, Leppaludi and The Jolakottur.....Christmas cat did not have much success this year either. The Icelandic children were particularly good this year, so they are stooping to eating Reindeer Moss soup. Leppaludi is looking rather smug and Gryla is annoyed because she can not figure out why, but we know that he ate, more than a years worth in sales, of the Bæjarins Bestu Pylsur and Coke.....hot dogs and coke.

Disclaimer: The Jolasveina story was told to Mo’a by her Muse and is not to be copied by anyone. Her Muse would be very angry with you if you do and furthermore she gave Mo’a copyright :)