For centuries a popular folklore in Iceland has been that of the Gr'la and Leppal??i, the parents of the 13 Yule Lads. Gr'la is a wicked witch like character, used to scare the children. Around Christmas time, she would come down from the mountains in Dimmuborgir, Myvatnssveit and take away the naughty children. The family's pet, the Yuletide cat would come on Christmas and snatch the children who did not get new clothes on the day. The Yule Lads were no better either, their names suggesting the type of mischief they were likely to get in; Spoon Licker, Pot Licker, Meat-snatcher, Sheepfold-stick, Gilly Oaf, Shorty, Window-peeper, Bowl-licker, Door-slammer, Skyr-glutton, Sausage-pilfer, Sniffer and Candle-beggar.
In pre-Christian, times most of the Europe celebrated the winter festival of Yule during the month of December and later the dates for the festival were fixed to match the Christian calendar, on 25th December. During the last couple of centuries, the family's image has taken a turn for the better. Yule Lads, who earlier came one by one before Yule to create mischief, now have taken up the task of gifting children around Xmas time. The children in the town place their best shoe in the window and each night, for thirteen nights, one of them comes down from the mountains and places a gift in it if the child has been good. The naughty ones, on the other hand, only get a rotten potato.
The change in the folklore came with the arrival of Santa Claus on the scene. Icelanders, around the start of the 20th century, decided to change the Yule Lads? image, and it became a mixture of Santa Claus and the Scandinavian Julenisser. The Lads, originally dressed in rags, but now they have taken up Santa's garb as well, black boots, red pants, tunic and hat with white trimmings. The change has really been for the good and now a days, instead of snatching and stealing, they tend to ask and normally get what they want.
The Lads also make special appearances at the Christmas dances and sing carols with the kids and always leave a bag of goodies for the children before they leave. At Xmas time, Dimmuborgir in Myvatnssveit, is the place to be for kids. Children can meet these cheeky Santas and get their picture taken in this beautiful natural setting. The Lads come out at their caves door every day from the 3rd of December from 1 to 3 p.m.
For adults also, the place promises a trip of a life time. Visit Godafoss (waterfall of the gods), Lake Myvatn and the lava formation of Dimmuborgir. At night look out for the northern lights to brighten up the sky. You can venture around in the area where the Lads live and take a dip in the geothermal nature baths of Myvatn. The place is blessed with nature's beauty in abundance, and the town is bursting with the spirit of Christmas, a perfect place to be, during the holiday season.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
Naughty Or Nice Christmas
You know the type the real nice guy/girl, or do you? What are there motives. Some people boost their self esteem, by what others think of them. They spend all their time being the sort of person others expect of them. They bask in the glow of other people saying isn't that person nice. However this is not being honest, it is emotionally dependant and selfish. You are acting like a chameleon and changing your personae for every person you meet.
No one can base their self esteem on what others think of them. In the long term you become resentful, and exert a type of emotional blackmail to others. I am so nice and caring and considerate to you how can you let me down, and not give me the love I need in return.
You get others to love you when you have actually earned their respect. Otherwise you are like a willow blowing all over the place, superficially, people will think of you as nice, but somewhere along the line your friends are going to fall in. You are actually not being nice you are a "victim" a slave to the thoughts of others.
Self esteem only comes from within. The admiration of others is not going to give you long term satisfaction.
We are all trained as children to please others, but their is a point in all our lives when we have to grow up and become our own person.
You are conning yourself if you think that you can go through your whole life like that. Actually you can and many people before you have tried and failed.
When you start to be honest with yourself you grow as a person. This is a difficult process for all of us, but we all need to change to be healthy people.
There are times in life when we have to let people down, however that is no excuse for doing so in an unfeeling manner. Be honest, and give a valid
reason why you cannot deliver what someone wants.The first time you do this is the hardest, because it goes against most people's training. However it does have to be done at some point. The first time I did it, I can remember decades later. At the time I thought the whole world would come to an end, but ten seconds later the world was still spinning on the same axis.
I had taken the first step in a process which would genuinely earn the respect of my peers, I had taken the first step to self respect.
I know it is hard to face up to the fact that you may not always want or be able to help others, but to be true to yourself you need to acknowledge this fact.
Stored up anger at other people is depressing to your psyche, it crushes your soul. To be a healthy individual you have to acknowledge your own needs, and be able to appraisse them honestly. This is a huge step forward, you start to earn the respect of others. I am not suggesting that you trample on other people's feelings, but be aware at times you are going to hurt others. Stop being emotionally greedy and thinking that love and appreciation is your right, it isn't for any of us.
You are being weak if you feel that others can boost your moral, it is yours and no one elses and only you can boost it. You boost it being by being forgiving about your foibles, learning to accept them and the fact that others will respect your honesty. Don't be selfish learn to live.
This information is valid for both genders, as trust and respect are the founder cornerstones for intimacy. Before you can build this into your dating repetoire you have to build it into your life. Honesty is a vital part of a longterm viable marriage, we would flounder on anything less. However, we need to learn that skill before we date successfully. When you value yourself as a real person, you will feel less pressured and depressed.
Others who may have been shunning your company as a result of your supressed anger will start to reappraise you. People will like you for yourself .
Both E Cho & Roy Barker are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Roy Barker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Careers and Job Hunting, Fitness and Movie Reviews. Author & Publisher Billy Baker - You can gain a vast array of more relevant detail from these sites along with other helpful tips and special surprises at
Beginner's Guide To Traditional Archery A good banker can help determine which solutions will meet an individuals needs, and that simply cannot be done with a completely virtual bank