The Literary Gift

Those who consider themselves bibliophiles generally like to receive books for Christmas. I do consider myself as such, and I very much like to find books under my Christmas tree. I also understand the difficulty of buying a book for a bibliophile. Absent some sort of wish list, it can be difficult to select a book that the bibliophile would a) like and b) not have read. The market solution to this challenge is the book-adjacent gift. Barnes & Noble has been aggressive in this department, offering a selection of notebooks, bookends, calendars, stationery, mugs, candles, and even something called the “reading poncho.” Many bookstores, museum shops, and general gift stores offer various options. As a bibliophile, I often receive these types of literary gifts for Christmas. The best one this year was a “Literary Tea Collection.”

This gift consists of a cute, book-themed tin filled with various bags of loose-leaf tea and an infuser. The tea is “literary” in the sense that it has names like Reading Nook Tea Black and Bookshop Blend White. Why one tea is reading nook and another is not remains a mystery to me, and I must confess that I had not seen the phrase “literary tea” before. Yet the connection between tea and books is undeniable. And besides, who cares if the tea set is intellectually consistent with the nomenclature? I do not. Tea (or coffee) is a wonderful accompaniment to a book, in the same way a cozy blanket, comfortable chair, warm bath, or whatever floats your reading boat, can make a good book just a little bit better.

I still prefer books, but I can’t say I don’t like a nice “literary” gift.