Yule Lads
The Yule Lads Came to Wisconsin. The Herd Was Ready.
Thirteen Icelandic troublemakers finished their Christmas mischief and decided they earned a vacation. They picked a little farm in Cambridge, Wisconsin. Six Icelandic horses live there. One of them is the Boss Mare.
You can guess how that went.
New book: pre-order The Great HestaRokk Hullabaloo. Ships mid-November.
Shop Yule Lads Which Yule Lad are you? Gift finderAll Thirteen. One Barn. Zero Chance.
Sheep Cote Clod
Gully Gawk
Stubby
Spoon Licker
Pot Scraper
Bowl Licker
Door Slammer
Skyr Gobbler
Sausage Swiper
Window Peeper
Doorway Sniffer
Meat Hook
Candle Beggar
Illustrations by Charlotte Guernsey
The Yule Lads and the Great HestaRokk Hullabaloo
Thirteen Yule Lads. Six Icelandic horses. One Wisconsin Boss Mare. No contest.
The brothers came to cause trouble. Every prank backfired. Stjarna out-slams Door Slammer before breakfast. Gössi makes Skyr Gobbler's breakfast vanish. Hermi opens the kitchen door like it's his job. Kommi runs a carrot acquisition strategy. And Glytja? Glytja makes them clean the barn.
Written by Robin at HestaRokk Farm and illustrated by Charlotte Guernsey, with brats, cheese curds, a Lambeau Leap into a laundry basket, and more "Ope" than one barn should hold.
Hardcover. 48 pages. Ships mid-November, in time for Christmas.
Pre-order your copy More Yule Lad booksWait. Who Are the Yule Lads?
Forget the jolly guy in the red suit. In Iceland, Christmas comes with thirteen brothers called the Jólasveinar, the Yule Lads. They live in the mountains, they don't bathe, and they have never once been on the nice list.
Their mother is Grýla, a mountain troll with a famously bad temper. Their father, Leppalúði, mostly stays out of her way. Smart man.
Starting December 12, one Yule Lad comes down from the mountains each night. One steals sausages. One licks spoons. One slams doors while you're trying to sleep. By Christmas Eve all thirteen are in town. Then they head home one by one, with the last one gone by January 6.
Icelandic kids leave a shoe in the window every night. Behave, and a Yule Lad leaves a small treat. Misbehave, and you get a potato. A raw one.
The stories changed from valley to valley for centuries. A 1932 poem by Icelandic writer Jóhannes úr Kötlum gave us the thirteen names everyone knows today.
Meet the Thirteen
13 Yule Lads. 13 Bad Habits. Every Woman Can Relate.
Who shows up, when they arrive in Iceland, and what happened when they met the HestaRokk herd. Spoiler: nothing good.
Illustrations by Charlotte Guernsey
About the Artist: Charlotte Guernsey
Every Yule Lad on this page started as a sketch on Charlotte’s table.
Charlotte is a mother, a painter and a horsewoman. She studied classical oil painting as a teenager and went on to the Rhode Island School of Design. She owns two Icelandic horses of her own, so when a Yule Lad tries to sneak past a horse in these drawings, she knows exactly how that horse would react.
She also owns Lambs Hill Bridal Boutique in New York’s Hudson Valley, where she designs equestrian wedding veils. Yes, that’s a thing. Yes, they’re gorgeous.
Charlotte and Robin built this collection together, mostly long distance. Charlotte in New York, Robin at HestaRokk in Wisconsin, trading sketches, jokes and a lot of “what if Door Slammer…” texts. The best ideas came on horseback, riding Icelandic horses across Iceland together on our treks. Turns out Iceland is very good at inspiring Yule Lads.
Her art. Robin’s stories. Six horses who never asked to be famous.
Shop the Charlotte Guernsey CollectionThe Yule Lad Advent Calendar
December 12 to 24. One door opens each night with that night’s Yule Lad, a joke from the book, and a new code for 15% off the whole shop. Miss a night and he’s gone. That’s how Yule Lads work.
Which Yule Lad Visited Your House?
Icelandic kids leave a shoe in the window every night. Behave, and a Yule Lad leaves a treat. Misbehave, and you get a raw potato. Click the shoe. One peek per day.
Your shoe is waiting
Somebody tiptoed past the window last night. Click the shoe to see what he left.
Which Yule Lad Are You?
You bought it. You wrapped it. You cooked it, hung it and remembered everyone's traditions. Then somebody asked what's for breakfast. Six questions. One Yule Lad. One shirt that says what you've been thinking since Thanksgiving. Be honest. You're too tired to lie anyway.
Which Yule Lad Is on Your List?
Shopping for someone else? Four questions about them, three gifts they’ll actually love. Yule Lads and Charlotte Guernsey’s art, all in one place. No Yule Cat required.
Free Coloring Page
Bring the Yule Lads Home
Thirteen brothers is a lot. Start with one. Or a book. Or let the lopapeysa do the talking.
The Yule Lads and the Great HestaRokk HullabalooPre-orderThe new herd book. Ships mid-November.
Fróði and the Forgotten Yule Lad$30Fróði's first Wisconsin winter, with a Yule Lad who got left behind.
The Yule Lads Book$30The classic illustrated guide to all thirteen, by Brian Pilkington.
Hurðaskellir (or is it Hermi)?$30Door Slammer ornament from Iceland.
Þvörusleikir (or is it Kommi)?$30Spoon Licker ornament from Iceland.
Gluggagægir (or is it Gössi)?$30Window Peeper ornament from Iceland.
Mini Lopapeysa$15Hand knitted in Iceland. Keeps the Yule Cat away. Probably.
Herd Holiday Book Bundle$82Four books, one herd, thirteen troublemakers.
Vegvísir V-Neck Tee$40New clothes for Christmas. The Yule Cat approves. Made to order, so nothing ends up in a landfill.
Nothing prepared them for a Wisconsin Boss Mare.
They survived hundreds of Icelandic winters, angry farmers, and even Grýla.
Take the quiz again Shop Yule LadsIllustrations by Charlotte Guernsey
Featured collection
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Dear Sótí, Love Glytja chapter book
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Dear Diary, Confessions of a Blue-Eyed Viking Horse
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"Fróði and the Forgotten Yule Lad" book
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How I Became Boss Mare
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