Holiday Gift Guide: Part 1
The holidays are upon us! Everywhere you look, there are lights, decorations and children counting down the days until the break. My parents are divorced so every year, I split the days up between my two (now three) families and each occasion is very different. On my father’s side, we all exchange gifts, while on my mother’s side we do a Secret Santa.
Now, for those who aren’t familiar with Secret Santa, the idea is that everyone who wants to participate puts their name in a hat and then draws a name. The name you draw is the person you will buy a gift for. Secret Santa is a great way to exchange gifts while not breaking the bank (especially when there are 16 people in your group, as there are on my mother’s side), but the trouble you can sometimes run into is not knowing what to get that person. Especially when significant others who you may have only just met factor into the mix.
To that end, Sarah and I have decided to throw together some Bookish Holiday Gift Guides. Because what’s better than a book or bookish item?
For the 90s child
The Harry Potter Illustrated editions - $29.18
Description: Exactly what the title suggests. Bloomsbury Children is re-releasing all the books with illustrations by Jim Kay. As of the time of this posting, both Chapters online and Amazon Canada are selling each for $30 CAD vs. the market price of $50. A pretty good value when you consider how stunningly beautiful they are! Note that in store, Chapters is selling them for 40$.
Who you should buy it for:
• As the section suggests: 90s kids! Harry Potter is part of our childhood and should be celebrated. • That being said, even children, teens, adults today can still appreciate this gift as HP is eternal. • Buy this for anyone with small children so that they too can experience the magic that is Harry Potter, now with pictures!
Bonus Tip: Don’t buy the box set just yet! If you buy each book by itself, you’ll spend 60$. For the “box set”, it’s 90$. You’re basically paying 30$ for a box that will only hold 2 of the eventual 7 books that will be released.
For the children in your life
Lego build kit - $16.19
Description: Perfect for the child who has lots of Lego but doesn’t know what to do with it! This book comes with some key pieces, but a big part of needed pieces need to be bought separately. Still, it goes into fun and simple engineering ideas for kids. Great for the STEM enthusiast in your life! (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
Who you should buy it for:
• The box says that this is a choking hazard for children under 3, so definitely heed that. • Someone who already owns some Lego. Alternatively, buy a pack of Lego to go with this. • Children whose imagination you want to spark!
The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield - $13.37
Description: Great Canadian Lit from our favourite Astronaut (or at least mine). Chris Hadfield’s first Children’s book is sure to inspire youngsters who are fascinated with the earth and the universe or adults who just want to rediscover their youth like wonder.
Fun science fact to include with your gift: In an interview, Chris Hadfield explained that it is very important not to bring germs to space, so to prepare for a trip, all astronauts must be sanitized from head to toe by a technician using a cloth and rubbing alcohol! The fear is that if we bring germs to space, we could A. hurt any possible extraterrestrial life we might encounter or B. ruin the results of our search for life elsewhere in the universe. Plus, who wants to get sick in space?
Who you should buy it for:
• STEM loving kids. • Canadian kids who need a Canadian hero!
Those who prefer the real world
99: Stories of the Game - $21.38
Description: In 99: Stories of the Game, Wayne Gretzky takes us on a journey through time as he talks about the greatest moments of Hockey. The man who is famous for saying “You miss 99 % of the shots you don’t take” shares his successes, his failures, and how he made his way to the top.
Fun Fact
This isn’t the first book Gretzky has released, but it is celebrating the 99th anniversary of the NHL.
Who you should buy it for:
• Hockey fans. Specifically Canadian sport fans • People who are into biographies
Born a Crime - $21.16
Description: I’ve been hearing a lot about this memoir recently. Trevor Noah, the hilarious and charming host of The Daily Show opens up about his beginnings and his life as the child of a black Xhosa mother and white Swiss father in a time where such a relationship meant prison time. A story of struggle, but eventual hope, this story seems eerily contemporary despite depicting events that happened decades ago. A good reminder that we need to keep moving forward.
Bonus Tip: If you’re in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and can handle the crows, there were recently signed copies at the Eaton Centre as Trevor Noah did a signing on Friday December 2nd.
Who you should buy it for:
• People who you think need to be aware of our history so that they don’t repeat it • People who like talk shows (particularly The Daily Show of course) • People who are into biographies
For the book lover who has everything
Book themed candles! - Prices varied
Description: Book themed candles are huge right now and there are shops all over Etsy. My favourites are NOVELLY YOURS and THE MELTING LIBRARY. Unfortunately, TML has closed shop for the holidays, but Novelly Yours is still (at the time of this post) accepting orders! Note that they ship from the U.S., so if you’re ordering from a different country, you’re going to want to order pronto!
Who you should buy it for:
• The bookish friend who has every book before anyone else has the chance to get it for them • Anyone in a book fandom
Photo Credit: Novelly Yours
Where to buy
Chapters Indigo will have all these books in stock so definitely check them out. They’re running a bunch of Holiday promotions and they change all the time. I’ve also compiled the list of 6 books into an amazon list so that you can easily find them. Please make sure you don’t buy the books directly from THIS LIST because they will be shipped to me (which I mean, hey, if you want, but I don’t imagine that’s your goal here).
Happy Holidays all! Happy shopping!
Two book-loving, wanderlusting, language learning Canadian girls who form one hell of a team. #DreamTeamReads.
We post most Tuesdays and Thursdays.