Why books make great Christmas presents

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]tuck for present ideas this holiday season? Books are the gift that keeps giving, says Stephanie Hartley…

No two persons ever read the same book – Edmund Wilson.

This really strikes to the heart of the key reason why books are such a good gift for anyone at Christmas. Let’s face it, if you walk along the fifth floor corridor of the Humanities building at Warwick, you’re likely to encounter a pretty heated debate over serious issues like “is Fanny Price really that aggravating?” (yes), or “does anyone actually feel sorry for Gatsby?” (this one can go on for hours!). Nobody reads a book and comes away with the same impression as the next person. You bring your own life experiences and personality to it, and that’s why they can be such a great gift.

A number of publishing companies in recent years have turned their attention to creating some really aesthetically stunning books. A quick pop into Waterstones will reveal to you a whole myriad of colours, fonts and styles of covers. Even Penguin classics have been given beautiful new covers, so you can give someone a book they already have and have them be grateful for it!

Plus, who says it has to be a standard novel? There’s something out there for everyone. Whether it’s a book on how to grow your own azaleas for your grandma, or a ninja-filled graphic novel for your younger brother, there’s a plethora of books for you to choose from. You could even get someone an amazon voucher – let them choose their own e-book! On the subject of e-books, a kindle loaded up with the favourite books of that someone special would be sure to earn you some brownie points …

Books are probably the only gift that you can get for someone who doesn’t even like what the gift is made for: reading. Say you get a bit of an awkward Secret Santa choice, or just don’t know what to get the “joker” of the family. There is a whole sub-sector of ‘literature’ – that term is being used very loosely here – perfect for a gift for them. From Great Lies to Tell Small Kids to Bunny Suicides, pretty much any humorous, if not a bit disturbing, book out there is up for grabs.

Kids are always really hard to buy for: you never really know what’s entirely suitable for a seven year old or whether they’ve already got a similar toy, and kids always end up with way too many clothes. This makes a book a pretty good gift. As cheesy as the saying is, the notion that if you give a child a book, you give them the opportunity to see into a different world is true. Who didn’t read Harry Potter and retain even the most insignificant of hopes that their Hogwarts letter would arrive? It doesn’t even have to be fantasy novels, any kind of fiction, even down to the realistic writing of Jacqueline Wilson, can offer children and young adults a chance to learn something about the world, and gain a new perspective on it. Giving a book to a child means that you could be the one to inspire their love of biological science, or perhaps even penning of a novel themselves.

Finally, books are such a brilliant gift because they require thought. You can’t just pick up any old thing off the shelf, but really need to know someone to give them a book they’d really enjoy. If you can do that, you’ve shown them that you care.

Image Credits: Header (Flickr/Allie Towers Rice), Image 1 (Flickr/Catherine Parkinson), Image 2 (Flickr/Rituparna Choudhury)