deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Smoking meat is one of the favorite cooking methods in Iceland. Smoked fish and lamb are popular throughout the year, as well as smoked sausages known in Icelandic as “bjuga”.

From the night of the 20th, however, vigilance was required when preparing the bjuga. It was the only piece of food that the ninth Yule Lad, Bjugnakraekir, or “Sausage-Snatcher,” wanted to get his grubby hands on.

Bjugnakraekir had a perfect way of stealing this Icelandic delicacy. It was said that he would break into homes and hide in the rafters, waiting for dinner to be cooked before swooping from above to snatch them.