By Amber Short. December is a month that holds its own special charms. All around us the beauty of twinkling lights and sparkly decorations add excitement to the air , the scent of pine tickles our nose, and we all begin to wonder what we’ll be tucking under the tree for our loved ones this year.
For booklovers, the Christmas season starts us drooling with desires for all of the books that we’ve been dreaming of reading. Wish lists are concocted and passed along to family members in the hopes that the newest offering by a beloved author will be acquired and stowed under the tree for Christmas morning. We dream of tearing through the paper to get to the familiar bulk of a book beneath, a tantalizing cover and the words within much more alluring than visions of sugarplums!
What could be better? Well, that’s easy! A gift certificate to a favourite book shop unlocks the pleasures of spending an hour or three wandering the aisles and stacks, thousands of titles awaiting discovery. I refer to the pleasures of shopping with a gift card as “Guilt Free Buying” and feel as though it’s a bit like receiving a second present as I think of the friend who allowed me the experience of an afternoon browsing.
Perhaps your loved one has more books than you can bear already. For these circumstances, I would draw one’s attention to the cornucopia of delightful book themed presents. Reading lights stop your book obsessed friends from keeping you up all night, bookmarks remind them of you each time they pause in the middle of a good story, and fabulous book themed mugs, t-shirts and even jewelry provide unique literary presents. A well chosen book tote is the ultimate fashion accessory for the book obsessed, or a unique bookshelf bought from a local thrift store and refinished in the garage under a cloak of secrecy. There is of course a wide array of beverages that do a great job of accompanying a good book: tea, wine, coffee made perfect with a handmade label dubbing it “Reader’s Red” or “Librarian’s Libations” by you!
If crafting is your thing, you can create some pretty unique literary gifts. Burying the base of a lamp inside of a beautiful stack of books, or creating a purse out of an old Nancy Drew novel offer a unique crafting experience, and even better gift! I’ve even read tutorials on how to turn individual books into cool shelves for knick knacks with a couple of braces and a power drill! Simply Google “Book Crafts” and allow your creativity to carry you away to the land of the literary!
That’s the thing with books; they are creative in their very nature, and make some of the most varied, personalized and interesting gifts that exist. Supporting your local bookseller, giving the gift of a wonderful story or browse, or a piece of literary art? What could be better? Receiving it, of course!
The Book Man’s Shelf Is Brought To You By The Folks At The Book Man In Downtown Chilliwack and Abbotsford.Amber Short
Amber Short co-owns and manages The Book Man in Chilliwack and Abbotsford BC.
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