Literally A Last-Minute Gift That Will Mean The World To Them
Have you ever been in a situation where you forgot about giving a gift, and you literally have no time to pick one up?
I got you covered.
Give them a book. . . That you own!
Now usually giving a ‘used’ item as a gift is frowned on in polite society. And “regifting” is a social faux pas. (fancy word, right?!)
But, with a bit of carefully phrased words, handing someone a well-read book, can actually be incredibly touching, and have greater meaning and value than the other, generic, gifts that will be given.
You see, a book isn’t just a book, it is an experience. It is (or should be, at least) a life-changing experience. It’s kind of an audacious gift if you think about it.
Asking the person to experience a specific change that you have decided they need, can be daunting.
And what if they don’t read it?
What if they hate it?
What if, instead of giving them a gift, you sucked hours of their life away by giving them a book they hated?
So lets always use the power of giving books away, very carefully.
Some tips on how to give books as gifts:
- Make sure the book matches the person.
- Only give a book that you have actually read and can recommend
- Write a note to go with the book. Mention what you love about the book, what you admire about your friend, and why you think they would love the book as well. (“This book hit home to me about standing strong in my convictions. You have always been a powerful friend, and I can see you in the main character, which is why I think you’ll love it.”)
- Fancy up the gift with a simple ribbon around it. Don’t bother wrapping a book. You need to hand it to them while expressing how much this book means to you.
- Include a Bookmark if you can. I use these Gift-Giving Bookmarks from Etsy. Just Download them, print them off, and you’ve got a tender note on one side, and a place to write your note on the other (in case you don’t want to actually write your note IN the book). I actually printed off all of these bookmarks, and keep them on my bookshelf so that I can hand books to guests at any time. Sometimes I write “Borrowed From_____ Return By____” on the back if I am just lending them a book.
- Err on the side of ‘enjoyable’ than on the side of ‘life-changing’. I gave my soon-to-be sister-in-law a book for her birthday. I wanted to share that I thought she deserved to be loved by the best, and she was capable of making good, yet hard, choices. I could have chosen Les Misérables, which is an incredible book. And I’d recommend it to everyone under the sun. But I gave her ‘Ella Enchanted’. And since it was not an intimidating book. She read it, loved it, and we had a wonderful conversation about what actually happened to break the curse, and how we can use that in our own lives.
The greatest thing about giving a book is that after they read it, you both have a special shared experience that you can discuss together often.
Some of my closest friends are they that I can confidently share my love of books with!
Now, I’m assuming that you need a last minute gift, so you’ll need to pick from your own personal library of books. Don’t be sad about giving a book away. Go onto amazon and buy your book back! Nothing is stopping you!
But if, by chance, you have enough time to order some books. Here is a brief list of awesome books and why they will be liked.
Baby Shower/ baby-4 years old birthdays
5-7 year old birthdays
8-11 year Old Birthdays
12-15 year old birthdays
16-Adulthood Birthdays
- Any of the books from earlier, plus consider:
- Financial living books (Dave Ramsey, E-Myth Revisited)
- Classics that are awesome! (Frankenstein – Monsters! Great Expectations – Crazy Wedding Dress Lady! Jane Eyre – Crazy Attic Lady. Pollyanna – Attitude is Everything!)
- Laugh Out Loud Books (My Dad Thinks He’s Funny, Cotillion, Field Guide To Dumb Birds In North America)
Hope these help you pick out the perfect book gift for whoever is on your list!
Remember to pick up the Gift Bookmarks to really tie the whole book giving thing together!
