Give Thanks for Books
After your all-day nap this Friday, get ready for Small-Business Saturday
Ah, Thanksgiving week. A holiday created in recognition of colonial conquest, the success of white European settlers on land that was already inhabited by human beings with their own civilization. A holiday that brings family together whether they like it or not. And, weirdly, a holiday that has come to stand for crazed shopping expeditions, in person and online.
Thus I come to you on this Monday of a week that might seem agonizingly long to some and terribly short to others, a week when some of us will experience travel trauma and others will relax at home, a week of community or solitude or loneliness, and urge you to ignore Black Friday and instead focus on Small-Business Saturday.
You know what I’m going to say next, because you signed up to receive these posts via email: Visit your local independent bookstore.
Small-Business Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving, will be the breath of fresh air you need after all the tryptophan and carbs. Booksellers will be delighted to see you even when their stores are packed to the gills and their counters filled to the rafters with books waiting to be gift-wrapped.
Not to mention, as I always do: Books make the best gifts. There is a book for everyone and anyone on your list. Picture books. Award-winning novels. Shiny new cookbooks. Hefty biographies. The latest, most thrilling book in a series. Funny books. Helpful books. Stop me before I write a children’s book about. . . a bookstore.
Wait. Maybe I should do just that! ::Emails agent::
But back to my purpose. Other local businesses will be available to you, too (don’t get me started on how easy it is to do all of your gift shopping at the hardware store, if you’re creative enough), but bookstores are your most important stop.
Bookstores don’t just sell objects. Bookstores sell ideas, whimsy, delight, and change. Bookstores remind you that we are a thinking species, and that thinking is the step that helps us distinguish between reaction, and compassion. Bookstores are purveyors of products that can take time to finish, and can be used again and again and again, sometimes kept by one person for decades, sometimes shared with another person immediately.
Gifts from bookstores require no batteries, electricity, or assembly. They can be read aloud or in complete silence. Books can signal that you understand someone loves things you don’t understand – a grandmother’s purchase of manga for a grandchild – or show that you’d love to share your favorite story with someone else – the choice of a fantasy read for a best friend.
If you aren’t sure where your nearest independent bookstore is, check here.
If you’re far from an independent bookstore, you can always support your favorite, or independent bookstores in general, by shopping here.
Happy Small-Business Saturday to all! I’m grateful for my readers.