This week I was thinking with Christmas coming what to write about . My mind went to a column I read last week on American Spectator, “Buy the Book Christmas Books The gift of knowledge”, by Thomas Sowell . Then by happenstance that day I saw a Barnes & Noble ad on Facebook with this quote, “Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside them” – Neil Gaiman. Then a couple days later, a friend from my school days on Facebook posted an interesting tag of mentioning 10 favorite books that had personal meaning to her life. So I thought why not write about books as a last minute Christmas gift option?
Now I know what you may be thinking. You notice my new book, Living More Than OK, at the top of my blog webpage. “Oh, this is a subtle attempt to get me to buy his book.” My response to that is, “ do you really think I would stoop so low as to just focus in on my book to get more sales? Ummmm! Oh my, that is a great idea. Thank you for thinking of it!” But seriously I am looking at this topic from the standpoint of the individual needs of each person on your gift list.
Considering the Neil Gaiman quote books make a great gift as they allow you to give a gift that opens up new worlds to the person you are giving the gift to. You have so many options to choose from in looking for books that relate to the friends you are shopping for. This variety with books is seen as Thomas Sowell brings out in his column there are options from coffee table books to more heady scholarly works. So through the gift of books you are opening up the mind of the receiver to new ideas, new possibilities and even new worlds. Dr. Sowell’s column title has the “gift of knowledge” in the title. What better gift to give as to increase a person’s thinking and knowledge with a Christmas gift of a book. Everything we read is increasing our knowledge which I believe is a good thing. I can’t think of a better way to help a friend prepare for new possibilities in the coming New Year.
Also giving the gift of books is very personal. In buying a book for someone you are thinking about the unique interests and likes of the person you are buying for. Of course you do that for any gift but with books you are zeroing even closer as you want the book to fit the individual. So buying books as a gift is very personal. If you need some ideas you can go to an online search engine like Google or Bing and search for ‘Best Books to give at Christmas”. You will find a wide variety of suggestions from various websites.
With shopping for books there are opportunities for ordering online through Barnes and Nobles and Amazon’s websites, as well as other book websites. Of course I am old fashioned, and prefer supporting brick and mortar bookstores. The internet cannot give you the feeling of exploring through the bookshelves and finding a hidden gem of a book. In the bookstore you can relax and peruse through any pages you wish, to see if it is the right book to purchase. So give me a bookstore any day!
Don’t forget in your buying books for others to not forget about yourself. Another great thing about books is that you are not going to break the bank so you can purchase a book for yourself to enjoy on these Wintry December days. Visualize yourself inside on a snow covered day with a hot cup of coffee and a good book. Buy yourself a book and you can make the visualization come true (maybe-- except for the snow if you live in the South like I do). Have a fun and safe final shopping weekend before Christmas!
By the way did I forget to mention I have a new book out? Living More Than OK! (Alright! I will keep quiet about it!).
Reflection: Write down the names of five of your friends. After their names write down what you know of their interests and likes. Search the internet for books that relate to those interests and likes.
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