Thanksgiving hasn’t passed and you’re already pre-stressing for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday all-nighters. You want to get the absolute perfect holiday gifts for friends and loved ones, and that’s totally understandable. Hear me out for a sec: what if I told you there’s an easier way to handle this?
Go back to basics: give books this Christmas! Here are a few reasons why:
1. Books are the easiest and cheapest way to travel!
Books hold treasured roadmaps of a writer’s mind. You’re giving a person a chance to explore uncharted territories (in real and fictional worlds) for free!
2. You’re feeding their brain!
Reading is a motor and cognitive skill that helps neural connections form in the brain. Your brain legit grows every time you binge read, and giving that power to someone is priceless.
3. Personalized and recyclable!
Sometimes older book editions hold a certain charm new versions lack, and besides, the smell is like crack for bibliophiles *guilty*. Pass on a copy ‘tis season and spread the love for books. Lowkey, it’s a necessary plague.
Icelanders cracked the code back in WWII when they birthed the holiday tradition of jólabókaflóð (yo-la-bok-a-flot) (Jolabokaflod), or “Christmas Book Flood.” Back then, paper was incredibly cheap, and alongside restricting foreign importation laws, Icelanders ended up publishing lots of books for the Holidays.
Now they practice jólabókaflóð, exchanging books and READING for the rest of Christmas Eve! Iceland is a book lover’s dream country at the moment; 93% of citizens read at least one book annually and 1:10 Icelanders get published.
Still not convinced ‘bout giving a boundstack of knowledge for Christmas? Take the word from Reykjavík, a capital that won the 2011 UNESCO City of Literature.
I’ve got some staple choices for you to start off with:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
If you want to stay in line with the season, this is a great classic.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (not García Márquez)
This novel is great to have as an audiobook, especially if your giftee is going through an indecisive transitional period. Great for finding their own answers.
La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
A spanish novel, great read during long haul holiday flights or airport stand by hours.
C’mon, check out your local book shops (Norberto, Libros AC, or The Bookmark if you’re on the island) and pass on a beloved tale this year. You won’t regret it, I promise.