I like these auroras that show up at 7pm. #Iceland

#AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBooks When Minion was just a bitty thing, he had a reading party with some of his favorite animals.

Today's walk in Iceland This ground next to a frozen ditch looks like coral. I don't know the name for the process, but in winter the groundwater freezes (I think?) and pushes the soil into weird craggy peaks.

Today's walk in Iceland It's cold but very, very dry.

Today's walk in Iceland Pro tip: mittens keep your fingers warmer than gloves. I need to get new mittens.

Today's walk in Iceland

Today's walk in Iceland Another cold day. Another neighborhood waterfall, of which there are several.

Today's walk in Iceland Painfully cold wind freezing fingers and face. Even all bundled up, it was rough.

We had a little bit of snow on Monday. On Tuesday, the temperature dropped to the coldest we've had so far this winter. There was very little wind. And yet! All the snow was gone by Tuesday evening. I think the air was so dry that the snow just evaporated.

í dag er þrettándinn Today is the thirteenth day of Christmas, so we're getting another round of fireworks. Not quite as much as New Year's, but still a lot. #Iceland

Today's walk in Iceland Light dusting of snow. Pink light coming down. Blue peacefulness.

Today's walk in Iceland The afternoon is short, turning into sunset. Very light snow flurries fall.

Today's walk in Iceland A pile of frosty rocks

#ThemesWeek #AlphabetChallenge I for Incongruous O for Out of Place

Saw these two and thought of you @onefootiniceland.bsky.social. They are the size of cats!

Today's walk in Iceland After a warm December, January's temps have dropped and the wind was cooold on my face. I got to say hello to some horses who are wearing their fuzzy winter coats.

Today's walk in Iceland Clear skies (yay!). Big afternoon moon.

Happy New Year from my street in Iceland. BOOM

Ok. It's about to get real loud here.

I love that December 31 in Icelandic is "Gamlársdagur' - literally "old year's day" 🎆 And January 1 is "Nýársdagur" - "new year's day"

Can we please stop having this weather? It's been days. So many days.

When we moved from the US to Iceland, we gave up all our electronics (different plugs) & figured we buy new ones here. I kept all my CDs. Turns out, CD players are *really* hard to find. Got one for Christmas! Now I'm enjoying rediscovering all the music I've collected (& sometimes forgotten about).

Iceland Advent - Day 24 Gleðileg jól vinir mínir. Icelanders celebrate Christmas on the 24th, with family dinner at 6pm, followed by gifts. My little family, being immigrants, celebrate today with books and chocolate and save the presents for tomorrow morning.

Iceland Advent - Day 23 On this day*, it's common to go downtown Reykjavík for last minute gift shopping, meet up with friends, do some people watching, maybe a little skating at the seasonal outdoor rink. *But we didn't venture out this year because it's super rainy and windy, so not fun.

Iceland Advent - Day 22 Clementines and Christmas. Starting in November, mounds of the fruit are available and many, many are consumed.

Iceland Advent - Day 21 I still find it hilarious that the penis museum* features a nutcracker in their holiday window display. *The Icelandic Phallological Museum. Yes, a real place. Yes, they have a cafe that serves penis-shaped waffles and punnily named beers.

Our glorious (derogatory) sunset on the winter solstice here in Iceland. It only gets brighter from now on.

Iceland Advent - Day 20 In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Icelanders decorate the graves of loved ones with lights, plants and tokens. Families will often visit them on the 24th. Read more about the tradition here: grapevine.is/mag/articles...

Iceland Advent - Day 19 Omnom's December special ice cream is called "Saran" (the Sara). Sörur cookies are considered by some the most "Christmas" of the holiday cookies that families bake at this time of year. Read more about them here: yourfriendinreykjavik.com/sarah-bernha...

Iceland Advent - Day 18 You, too, can be Jólakötturinn or Jólasveinar at JólaBónus. (Fun display set up at one of the Bónus grocery stores.)

#AlphabetChallenge #WeekYforYearPast That time I found an adorable kitten outside my apartment door (it belongs to a neighbor) but it wouldn't stop squirming and purring to get a good picture.

Iceland Advent - Day 17 Each year the National Museum of Iceland (Þjóðminjasafn Íslands) showcases a range of historical decorated Christmas trees - from early 20th century through 1970s.

It's 3:05pm and the sun is already going down. #Iceland

Iceland Advent - Day 16 Repost from two years ago

Iceland Advent - Day 15 My favorite of the seasonal coffees offered by our local coffee chains. This one is named after Grýla, the troll mother of the 13 Icelandic Yule Lads. She steals naughty children and makes a stew of them. But the coffee is flavored with cinnamon & hazelnut, not little kids.

It's been a pretty warm December in Iceland. Yesterday it looked like fall but today winter showed up!

Iceland Advent - Day 14 Outdoor Christmas markets here are a lot smaller than the ones in European cities but there are a few. As Iceland's weather is, shall we say, changeable, I appreciate the indoor ones, too.

Iceland Advent - Day 13 Icelandic book publishers release a mad amount of new books right before Christmas. Books are a common gift Icelanders exchange. Therefore, you'll often find racks and racks of new books in grocery stores in December.

Iceland Advent - Day 12 The grocery stores fill up with mountains of chocolate candies.

Iceland Advent - Day 11 Oh! Oh! Oh! (😉). Someone seems to be getting ready. (I haven't visited this street yet this year, but I'm pretty sure these clothes will be there again.) #AlphabetChallenge #WeekXforXmas

Iceland Advent - Day 10 Jólatónlist (Christmas concert) Many Icelanders are a part of a choir or chorus. This time of year there are lots of shows to attend.

Iceland Advent - Day 9 Laufabrauð is a traditional kind of bread - made of round, very thin flat dough about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) in diameter, decorated with leaf-like, geometric patterns and fried briefly in hot oil. It is almost exclusively eaten in the Christmas season.

Iceland Advent - Day 8 Malt & Appelsín (orange soda) is a beloved holiday drink. I don't care for it, but Minion loves it. I love Appelsín on its own.

@samer.is US Ambassador? Did I translate that correctly?

Iceland Advent - Day 7 Christmas buffet time!

Iceland Advent - Day 6 Scary Jólakötturinn, with bloody teeth from eating all those who don't get new clothes

Iceland Advent - Day 5 This is my favorite Icelandic Christmas song, by a long shot. (And as far as I know, it's not a rip off of some Italian pop song.) youtu.be/0WaIzHI_no4?...

Iceland Advent - Day 4 Handmade ornaments from a crafting workshop during Christmas celebrations at Árbær Open Air Museum (borgarsogusafn.is/en/arbaer-op...). Made in our first year in Iceland.

Iceland Advent - Day 3 It's time for yummy Jólaköttur, a crispy, caramel-y chocolate candy bar only available now. Jólakötturinn (the Christmas Cat) is a giant creature said to eat those who don't get new clothes for Christmas. Minion made his own cat from pipe cleaners a couple of years ago.

Iceland Advent - Day 2 Companies jazz up their product packaging with holiday fun