Kertasníkir aka Candle Stealer, arrives on the 24th and leaves on 6th of January. Also known as Candle Beggar.
Candle Beggar arrives on Christmas Eve Day, 24 December. In former times, candles were the brightest lights available to people. They were so rare and precious that all children longed to have their very own candle for Christmas. And poor Candle Beggar – well, he also longed for a candle.

The thirteenth was Candle Beggar
– ‘twas cold, I believe,
if he was not the last
of the lot on Christmas Eve.

He trailed after the little ones
who, like happy sprites,
ran about the farm with
their fine tallow lights.

Ketkrókur aka Meat Hook, turns up on 23rd and leave 5th of January.

St. Thorlák’s Day, 23 December, is the day of Meat Hook’s arrival. Meat Hook was crazy about meat. In the old days he would lower a long stick through the chimney and snag a smoked leg of lamb hanging from the rafters, or a piece of smoked lamb from the pot.

Meat Hook, the twelfth one,
his talent would display
as soon as he arrived
on Saint Thorlak’s Day.

He snagged himself a morsel
of meet of any sort,
although his hook at times was
a tiny bit short.

Gáttaþefur aka Door Sniffer turns up on the 22nd and hangs around until the 4th.

Door Sniffer comes to town on 22 December. He is easily recognized by his huge nose. He loved the smell of cakes and lace bread – sometimes called leaf bread – when they were being prepared for Christmas, and always tried to steal one or two.

Eleventh was Door Sniffer,
a doltish lad and gross.
He never got a cold, yet had
a huge, sensitive nose.

He caught the scent of lace bread
while leagues away still
and ran toward it weightless
as wind over dale and hill.

Gluggagægir aka Window Peeper appears on the 21st and hangs around until the 3rd of january.

December 21 is when Window Peeper visits. This Lad was not as greedy as some of his brothers, he just liked to peep through the windows and sometimes nicked the toys that he saw. 

The tenth was Window Peeper,

a weird little twit,
who stepped up to the window
and stole a peek through it.

And whatever was inside
to which his eye was drawn,
he most likely attempted

to take later on.

Defenses against Window Peeper

Call the cops!

Bjúgnakrækir aka Sausage-Swiper arrives on the 20th and goes away on the 2nd of January.

On 20 December we are expecting Sausage Swiper. He loved to eat sausages and stole them whenever he had a chance.

The ninth was Sausage Swiper,
a shifty pilferer.
He climbed up to the rafters
and raided food from there.

Sitting on a crossbeam
in soot and in smoke,
he fed himself on sausage
fit for gentlefolk.

This guy seems like a real weirdo.

Defenses against Sausage Swiper
Dont have any sausages in the house
Eat all your sausages right now
Keep your sausages close to the ground.

Hurðaskellir aka door slammer. This freak turn up on the 18th and leaves on the 31st

Door Slammer comes to town on 18 December. He always made a lot of noise when he walked around, slamming doors and such, so people could hardly get any rest.

The seventh was Door Slammer,
a sorry, vulgar chap:
When people in the twilight
would take a little nap,

he was happy as a lark
with the havoc he could wreak,
slamming doors and hearing
the hinges on them squeak.

Although the other Lads’ acts of dickery may be confusing to modern people, and most of them require a fair understanding of medieval Icelandic culture and way of life to fully appreciate, Door-Slammer’s rather bland brand of shithead-ism requires little elaboration. This asshole shows up at your house in the middle of the night and slams your fucking doors. Repeatedly.

Defense against Door-Slammer:

• Lock and bar doors when not in active use
• Alternatively, wedge them open securely
• Don’t allow kids anywhere near your home
• Use nothing but revolving doors

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Askasleikir aka Bowl Licker arrives on the 17th and leaves on the 30th.

Bowl Licker comes to town on 17 December. In the past, Icelanders ate from lidded wooden bowls that they sometimes kept under the bed or on the floor. Bowl Licker would hide under the bed, and if someone put their bowl on the floor he grabbed it and licked the inside clean.

Bowl Licker, the sixth one,
was shockingly ill bred.
From underneath the bedsteads
he stuck his ugly head.

And when the bowls were left
to be licked by dog or cat,
he snatched them for himself
– he was sure good at that!

This one requires a bit of an explanation. You see, there is a certain kind of food container in Iceland called an Askur, which doesn’t have an equivalent elsewhere. The “bowl” this lad licks is the Askur.

There are two reasons why him licking these is mean. The first is that an empty Askur would be left out for the cat or dog of the house to lick as a bit of a treat, and Bowl-licker would snatch it from the pet for himself. The other reason is that sometimes he might snatch one of these when it’s full, and over Christmas the Askur is traditionally filled with all kinds of special treats that each person is meant to be responsible for on their own and pace over Christmastime. Essentially, Bowl-licker will steal your candy-filled stocking. And then lick it.

Defense against Bowl-licker:

• Don’t use an Askur (practically no one does this anymore)
• Don’t skimp on the pet food, he only wants scraps to steal from them
• In fact, don’t have pets
• Eat all the candy first, you disgusting pig