The greatest gift…?
Is a book the greatest possible Christmas gift? I think it might be.
My friends and family know what to expect from me this time of year. There will be no expensive baubles, no designer perfumes and aftershaves; no boxes of chocolate or candy purchased at the last minute. Almost all of them will be receiving from me a book (or two). Not a book token; not an Amazon gift card; and not an Audible credit. I mean an actual physical book.
At first glance, this might appear lazy. I bought my loved ones a book last year, I will buy them another this year and, in all likelihood, I will buy them another next year. Predictable and formulaic, right? Well, yes and no.
Yes, the physical book itself is entirely predictable. It will be a collection of letters, words, phrases, sentences and chapters inked onto paper and bound.
But I put more thought into it than that. Way more.
My book selection is done not by some unfathomable computer algorithm, like a dating app. As I am reading a book myself, I am already thinking who among my friends and family would enjoy this.
I only ever gift fiction books; and in doing so, I am not gifting words but people, characters and personalities that I have hand-picked to suit the recipient. In gifting a book, I am effectively saying: “Here’s some people I have spent…
