Dear Editor:

The hassle of the stores during the holiday season is often a complaint amongst holiday shoppers. Last-minute shoppers, who make up an approximate 23 percent of all shoppers, according to a study done by Epsilon, a global marketing company. Additionally, upon returning home, then they have to figure out how to wrap the presents. That is without getting into the struggle of assembly and finding personalized gifts for that special someone.

Books have always traded hands throughout seasons and during the holiday season it should be given as the greatest gift.

Here are eight reasons why books should be given for gifts this giving season:

1. Personal message: Many websites, like Etsy, offer to personalize gifts with little to no charge. Books allow for a person’s own handwriting and message to be exactly what they wanted. It gets even better: no extra charge.  
2. Open again and again: After the satisfying end of a book, or the heart-tugging end, leaves a reader wanting to re-read it. Perhaps even a few times. A book lets a reader revisit the world in which they escaped, according to reading-rewards.com’s infographic “Top 10 Reasons Why Books Make the Best Gifts.”
3. Easy to wrap: Gifts can come in all shapes and sizes that make wrapping paper stretch to its boundaries. Books, however, are wrapping paper’s best friend. The simple rectangle-shaped construction of the book
4. Stress reliever: Books are the greatest stress relievers, according to a study from Mindlab International at the University of Sussex. In just six minutes a person’s heart rate and muscle tension began to ease. Overall, reading can lower stress by 68 percent, compared with listening to music at 61 percent or even taking a walk at 42 percent.
5. No batteries needed: The extra charge of batteries is unnecessary with books of any kind! Books never lose charge because of the lack of batteries or any power needed. Readers can even read by the light of the fireplace for that cozy holiday feeling. 
6. Last a lifetime: Many gifts may break after just a few months or even weeks of owning it, but books can last lifetimes and even become a family heirloom. John Green has a copy of Tom Sawyer that his mother gave to him when he was 10-years-old, according to his vlogbrothers video “John’s Book Giving Guide for the Holidays!”
7. Cheap: There are many stores to get discount books at like Half Price Books or the local independent bookstore. Even sales at Barnes & Noble can deliver cheaper books that will please a thrifty person. (Look for the hidden treasures of signed books.)
8. No assembly required: Books come ready to open and to read for the recipient. All the book is missing is that personal message on the inside cover.

Books make the holidays easier and virtually hassle-free if shoppers know which books to buy. Melissa Binsfeld, reading coach, recommends WILD by Cheryl Strayed for those who like memoirs and outdoors. “The journey is healing, risky and it was a very inspirational book for me to read,” Binsfeld commented. Erin Schubin, sophomore and third place winner of the summer reading challenge, recommends The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern because “… [Night Circus] makes you think about the possibilities that life can hold.” NHS librarian, Polly Kelly, recommends The Book Thief  by Marcus Zusak because of the unique narrator, Death. “This is a story of family, survival, hope, and the power of books,” Kelly describes it. “The Book Thief is truly an unforgettable story.”This holiday season wrap up books and place it under the holiday tree with a bow for “that special someone,” as Buddy the Elf would say.

Sincerely,

Charley Hrobsky, junior