When you become an aunt, uncle, or grandparent, whether you like it or not, you’ve signed up for a life-long contract of gift giving.
Parents of course have it the worst, because not only do they have to buy hundreds of presents for birthdays and holidays for their own children and relatives, they’ve got to shop for years and years worth of their children’s classmates’ birthday parties.
It can get expensive and repetitive. After several trips down the toy aisle at your local shopping malls, you’ll likely start saying, “They’ve got too many of those… and those…”But there’s one gift category that never runs dry… BOOKS! Books are the ideal gift for anyone of any age.
Here are 11 Reasons Books Make the Best Gifts:
1. Educational — Of course we all know the best reason to buy a child a book is because it’s educational. The gift of literacy is the ultimate gift and the more books a child has, the better.
2. Last Forever — Not much we buy really lasts forever… assuming diamonds are out of the budget. Kids grow out of most toys or get bored of them if they don’t break or lose them first, but books find themselves placed lovingly on a bookshelf to be enjoyed over and over. Eventually, they’re usually passed on to family and friends to spread their joy further.
3. Some Can Be Personalized — A wonderful idea is to select a book that can be personalized for the child such as I See Me! books. When a book is created specially with a child’s name, it is truly a unique and magical gift.
4. Not a Big Plastic Toy — There’s only so much room in a house and big, plastic toys can take over very quickly.
5. Don’t Make Loud Honking Noises — Unless you WANT to annoy your sister-in-law with a toy that honks or squawks over and over, pick a good old-fashioned book that the child can read quietly.
6. Don’t Require Assembly or Batteries — Parents have enough to do without putting together another toy and every other gadget in the house requires batteries and half of those have run out.
7. No Small Pieces — There are so many reasons to be thankful for a gift that doesn’t have little pieces… it won’t choke the little sister, it won’t be rendered useless because one piece is lost, it won’t be continually spread out all over the floor and most importantly you won’t scream when you step on it in the dark.
8. Easy to Buy Online — Books are the perfect gift to buy online. You can search and browse by authors/ages/topics/categories, read reviews, get recommendations and if necessary ship directly to the child.
9. Buying Books Supports Authors and Illustrators — Each time you buy a book, you’re celebrating a work-of-art created with love.
10. Parents Need A Change — While kids love to hear the same books over and over, parents enjoy a long rotation cycle. I often think I’m the most excited when my girls get new books, because it means I get to read them something new!
11. The Options Are Endless — My favorite reason for giving books as gifts is that you can get creative as the gift giver. When selecting books as gifts, you want to stay away from the most popular titles because chances are high they’ve already read them. So dig deeper… think of your favorite books from your own childhood, ask your friends on Facebook or go to a local bookstore and ask the staff working there for their suggestions. Personalized books are a fabulous choice and guaranteed to be loved.