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Not sure what to get this holiday season? Give books for Christmas! Here are 5 reasons why a book is better than some random trinket or desultory addition to someone else’s clutter pile. As corny as it sounds: give the gift of reading this Christmas, for Christmas’ sake.

1. Promote Critical Thinking

‘Critical reading’ promotes ‘critical thinking’ in learning how to read books with a keen, scientific eye. The trick is in understanding how aggregate chunks of information are encoded in paragraphs to extract all of the necessary information to truly understand what a book or chapter is all about. Critical reading is understanding how an author writes.

Anyway you want to slice it, reading spurs thinking! Give books this Christmas to inspire your loved ones to THINK. Offer them the responsibility to take action to better themselves as a person. Thinking of buying an exquisite watch? Ack! Buy them an exquisite brain!

2. Inspire Life-Long Learning

The quest for knowledge often starts with a single idea. For me as a child it was wondering why my Aunty greeted my saying ““ça va?” and not “how are you?” What were these strange words and sounds? This instilled in me a life-long fascination with languages. Reading books definitely has satiated that thirst for knowledge, as well as a degree in Linguistics.

One book on any subject bought for the right person can unlock within them the desire to learn more and become a more well-rounded person. One book can inspire confidence in that person to speak on a subject that he or she may not have been able to before. Knowledge is truly an empowering thing.

3. Support the Publishing Industry

It’s amazing book stores are still in business, and in certain parts of the world even flourishing. While I suspect our global publishing industry has gone mostly digital, to give books this Christmas is to support a noble industry.

I travel quite a bit and the one thing that comforts me is to still find bookstores in every major city I visit, which basically amounts to a Barnes & Noble and a string of other smaller couture shops. Supporting the book publishing industry is easy, Amazon has millions of them! I know because I’ve bought a fair fraction of them, and besides, books are cheaper than ever now that costs have gone down.

4. Support Genealogical Research

I have learned more about my own genealogical research by reading books than by actual genealogical digging. For me it’s always been about the difference between GENEALOGY and FAMILY HISTORY. For example, reading about how the Virginia Colony was first settled has been crucial to my understanding of how my ancestors lived and provided a candle-light insight into understanding their often crazy decisions. ‘Why did he sell his land?’ ‘Why did they move from Northumberland County to Halifax County?’ The list goes on.

Give books this Christmas to help someone with their genealogical research. Find something that might benefit their understanding of the area or time period in which their ancestors lived. Buy them a book on Ellis Island and how immigrants fared; buy them a book on England or another European country from which their ancestors came to aid in knowing about their ancestral experience.

5. Books Can Be Regifted

Although this violates my personal rule, books can be regifted. I never do this but it is a common, and kind, practice. If you have a book laying around that you think another would benefit from this Christmas, regift it. If not, purchase another copy for them. If you have qualms about regifting as a cheapo act, well, then sign a personalized inscription in the book for them that they will always remember. With loving care!

I hope you’ve been inspired to GIVE BOOKS THIS CHRISTMAS! Santa says it’s cool!