Renee Mazin
Gift giving is going to be a challenge this year. In the past we wanted to avoid standing in long lines to ship things, now we don’t even want to leave home to buy gifts.
Book giving is still a great option. Order online and have them shipped. Find out the name of local bookstores near friends or relatives to request a gift card or set aside a special book. Many have curbside pickup or direct shipping.
The hard part is finding the right book! What do they like to read? Maybe they belong to a Zoom book club—get them a title on that list. Or, gift a title you enjoyed and form your own two-person book club. You can also give gift certificates for e-readers.
People have been spending a lot of time at home. They have acquired new past times, hobbies, and interests. Give books to reflect what they have embraced. A musical instrument? Self-care products? At home exercise? Crafts? Art? Biking? Coloring books? Online classes? Gardening? Follow up their interest with a magazine subscription right on target.
Kids are at home more and using online learning. It may be time to help move the kids away from the screen. Look for books that enhance what the kids have been talking about on those shared Zoom, Facetime, Google Meet, or video calls. Let them take a deeper dive into their passions.
Everyone is doing more home cooking. New appliances have been purchased: air fryers, indoor grills, sandwich presses, ice cream makers, or gigantic blenders? Maybe a new cookbook will help them learn how to use it!
People are bored eating the same things. An introduction to a new cuisine, type of cooking, or baking may help break them out of their same old, same old. Send a cookbook about a place traveled to or that may be on a future itinerary, hopefully in the spring.
You still don’t think sending a book is enough or particularly festive? Add to your package a small item that is easy to ship from a store. Think about small garden tools, seeds, cutting boards, jigsaw puzzles, measuring spoons or cups, picture frames, scarves, socks, gloves, shawls, throws, stuffed animals, or candles.
In the meantime, enjoy some holiday books by reserving them online from our library catalog, using the easy link on the library website at www.sblibraries.com. Newer titles include: A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, Silent Bite, and The Christmas Cupcake Murder. Christmas books by Hilderbrand and Macomber are always popular. Other titles can be found in the online catalog using Christmas as a search subject.
Please give back to the community at this holiday time by joining Friends of the SaddleBrooke Libraries (FSL). FSL supports our libraries by providing funding for the books, audios, DVDs, and large print titles you enjoy. To become a member, visit the FSL website at www.sbfsl.org.