The Uphill Yule lads

I mentioned last year about this time that I thought the Icelandic tradition of the Yule Lads visiting homes at this time of year is wonderful! These are thirteen trolls who come down from the mountains to cause mischief!

I thought there are probably local trolls who come off the hill here in Uphill and cause mischief too!

Here are the Icelandic bad lads:

Stekkjarstaur – Sheep-Cote Clod,
Giljagaur – Gully Gawk,
Stúfur – Stubby,
Þvörusleikir – Spoon-Licker,
Pottaskefill – Pot-Scraper
Askasleikir – Bowl-Licker ,
Hurðaskellir – Door-Slammer,
Skyrgámur – Skyr-Gobbler
Bjúgnakrækir – Sausage-Swiper,
Gluggagægir – Window-Peeper,
Gáttaþefur – Doorway-Sniffer,
Ketkrókur – Meat-Hook,
Kertasníkir – Candle-Stealer.

Now as Christmas approaches with all the preparation that goes with it, I’ve come to believe that there are some mischievous elves or pixies, or maybe cousins of our resident boggart, who arrive, probably from off the hill in Uphill, to play tricks on us at this time of year.

Sellotape Sticker- he welds the end of sellotape back to the roll so its impossible to either find the end or unpick it; also twists the sellotape as you’re putting it on the wrapping paper, usually tearing the paper at the same time
Paper Pincher – he somehow snatches wrapping paper between the time you measure it for the gift you are about and you actually wrapping said gift; the paper is then too small, usually by an annoying fraction of an inch
Present Hider – you have bought a present for someone but it mysteriously vanishes when you come to wrap it up to give it to your friend or relative; the present then reappears later in the year by which time either it is redundant or you have forgotten who it was intended for
Recipe Wrangler – he rewrites recipes so the sure-fire, never-fail recipe… fails…
Light Failer – the Christmas tree lights you bought last year and worked perfectly well, refuse to work; he has done something to the connection, or the bulbs, or the cable; he also hides the spare bulbs or substitutes them for spare bulbs which do not fit your lights
Card Coveter – he so likes Christmas cards that he sometimes takes them from the pile to be posted and then discards them too late to catch the last post, or in the New Year when it is way to late to blame the postal service for delays in delivering; he also renders some addresses on your list invisible so you don’t send a card to the very person you most want to send a card to, and he may also alter the address fractionally so you send it to somewhere street instead of somewhere road, or you have the wrong postcode
Fridge Fairy – he hides in the fridge and conceals items for your Christmas meal; if you are lucky you might find the cranberry or Cumberland sauce the next day; if you’re unlucky you might not find the cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon until there is a strange smell from behind butter
Menu Messer – he must be the brother of the Fridge Fairy; he conceals food until after you have served dinner and someone asks where the roast parsnips are, or why there aren’t any stuffing balls
Pud Purloiner – you think you will sneak into the kitchen and have a mouthful of delicious left-over pudding… maybe even with a dollop of rum butter or clotted cream… Too late! The Pud Purloiner has beaten you to it.
Time Thief – the Time Thief is maybe the most vindictive… just when you have most to do he steals time; this can result in being late with something, burning something, being unable to get the meal ready altogether to serve at the same time. The Time Thief often lingers on long after Christmas, snatching time when you most need it; this can make you late for appointments, having to rush to do something, or missing a deadline completely. He often stays right up until next Christmas
Needle Nudger – he constantly shakes the Christmas tree so the needles end up all over the floor; he also steals needles to sprinkle in random places long after the tree has disappeared
Wine Whipper – twin brother of Pud Purloiner; you go to have a glass of wine and the bottle is empty
Tree Shaker – twin of Needle Nudger, he enjoys spreading tinsel everywhere but on the tree and knocking glass balls off and rolling them under your feet so they get trodden on. He likes nothing better than tipping the fairy or the star, whichever crowns your tree, so it leans at a drunken and silly angle