Christmas on the milk carton

You can also learn something about the 13 Icelandic Christmas companions on the milk cartons from MS. The first “Christmas milk cones” can be found in the store from the end of October. I always look forward to these first signs of Christmas!

Of course, it's also a kind of pun - after all, the word "mjólk" (= milk) also contains the word "jól" (= Christmas).

From the website jólamjólk.is from the company MS (Mjólkursamsalan ehf.) you can read a little about the jólasveinar , the 13 Icelandic Christmas companions - and you can also print out the pictures of Santa Claus as a coloring template for children.

Source: jolamjolk.is

For example, today on December 15th the fourth Santa Claus, the Þvörusleikir , i.e. the “ cooking spoon licker ”, is coming. This Christmas companion is terribly long and skinny and is always hungry everywhere. As soon as he spots a wooden spoon somewhere, he grabs it and licks it devotedly until the spoon is squeaky clean.

By the way, the Þvörusleikir is very fond of children - it is said that as a child this Christmas companion always sucked his thumb and was punished terribly by his mother Grýla, which is why he still has a special heart for little people who still suck their thumb...

D-Vítamin í mjólk - Vitamin D milk

By the way, in Iceland there are also dairy products that are specially enriched with vitamin D. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is produced by the body under the influence of sufficient sunlight. Without enough sunlight, the body cannot produce enough vitamin D. Too low vitamin D levels in the body can be noticeable, for example, in skin problems, bleeding gums or an increased susceptibility to infections, but can also lead to more brittle bones, rickets and bone malformations. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to lifelong complications, especially in children.

Especially in Iceland, where it is dark for so long in winter, it is important to consume additional vitamin D with your diet in order to prevent such deficiency symptoms as much as possible. Traditionally, Icelanders consume Lýsi , i.e. cod liver oil. By the way, Lýsi is also available in capsules, the taste is admittedly a bit - well, takes getting used to.

For several years now, the MS company has also been offering milk that is enriched with vitamin D. There are now both nýmólk (= whole milk), léttmjólk (= low-fat milk) and both variants also laktósalaus (= lactose-free).

[Translated from here.]