White Elephant Jólabókaflóð, Miracle on S 13th St, Barcelonas

**RSVPs will open on October 10th at 7pm. **

Join us for our third annual white elephant jólabókaflóð! Huh? Hard to say but fun to do! Jólabókaflóð is the Icelandic tradition of giving and unwrapping new books and then sipping cocoa and reading. We'll do a fun (new) book exchange, stroll through Miracle on 13th St, and then dine at Barcelonas. PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL THE DETAILS BELOW BC YOU MAY BE REMOVED FROM ATTENDING IF YOU DON'T.

Here in Philly, December is a great time for celebrating our love of books, no matter what holiday you observe! Our own version of jólabókaflóð will not only support a local independent bookstore it will also bring us together to share our love of reading and hanging out as the coolest book club in town! See below for important book exchange instructions.

Afterwards, we’ll stroll a block or so over to walk through the light show known as Miracle on South 13th Street and then end our night at Barcelona’s for tasty tapas and wine.
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Jólabókaflóð White Elephant Book Exchange (limit 30 attendees)
TIME: 4:30pm-6:00pm
LOCATION: A Novel Idea, on Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia
HUGE THANKS TO NOVEL IDEA BOOK STORE FOR LETTING US HOLD OUR EVENT HERE WITHOUT CHARGE!

Instructions for the Book Exchange: Call A Novel Idea ahead of time (267-764-1202 by Friday December 6th) and GIVE THEM YOUR NAME AND PURCHASE A BOOK (of your choice or let them pick for you!) - make sure to tell them you’re with The Novel Tourists Book Club! **_They will wrap it (an additional $4 fee) and write the genre and a brief description of the book on the outside so we’ll be able to have a little bit of info before beginning the white elephant Jólabókaflóð! We will also have some fun games with prizes!

6pm: Miracle on South 13th Street
After the book exchange we’ll stroll through Miracle on South 13th Street to marvel at the lights, and then anyone who is interested can join us for dinner at Barcelona’s (a few doors down) (limit 25 people, but we may be able to push that a little higher if needed!)

About Jólabókaflóð: The tradition, started in 1944, wasn’t entirely born of intellectual and cultural pursuit; commercial and supply chain issues played a major part. Due to WWII currency restrictions and rationing, paper was more available as a gift than other commodities. Jolabokaflod was born, and has remained a critical part of Iceland’s culture and European book sales.

About A Novel Idea: The owners are Alexander Schneider and Christina Rosso-Schneider, residents of East Passyunk, book lovers, and parents of Atticus Finch, a crazy, but lovable rescue pup. The bookstore is their first business and first endeavor as newlyweds (they got married in October 2018). They make up the two halves of A Novel Idea--Alexander bringing over a decade of graphic design experience to the shop, and Christina, as a writer and open mic host, her experience and dedication to literary events in support of Philadelphia artists.

More than anything, their goal is to cultivate community. They hope to build a bookstore that reflects the community’s interests, while also supporting it. They hope to create and foster a space of diversity and inclusivity, and want to help customers fall in love with books, either for the first time or the millionth.

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Miracle on South 13th Street
6pm
The Miracle on South 13th St is a neighbor organized event that has been around for more than 20 years. It’s been dubbed one of the best Christmas light displays in the city!

Dress for the weather!

FEE: $5 - First pay goes. This covers your hot chocolate and holds your spot. Book purchase and restaurant fees are on your own.

HOW TO PAY: Use Friends and Family! Do not use the business option because it charges a fee. Please note the event name or date on your payment.
Venmo - @audrey-Heller1 (phone ends in 4478)
PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/AudreyBug
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DINNER: Barcelonas
6:45pm
Menu: Wine and Tappas

The cuisine is clean and rustic, with tapas shaped by Mediterranean, Spanish, and South American influences. Nearly 400 wines are featured on the wine list.

P.S. If you’re wondering how to pronounce jólabókaflóð, the phonetic pronunciation is yo-la-bok-a-flot, or you can listen to it pronounced here.)