Musing Monday...Have you Been Naughty or Nice?

Time to check out this week's question from Just one more page...

With the holiday season now upon us, have you left any hints – subtle or otherwise – for books family and friends might buy you for Christmas? Do you like to receive books, or do you prefer certificates so you can choose your own?

Oh, the dreaded gift buying season.
Without question, Christmas would be my very favorite time of year..except for the dreaded gift buying. I have no problem receiving gifts...I don't mind spending the money to buy gifts for others...I just never know what to buy! I see gift buying as sort of the ultimate proof of how well you know someone and on that I always come up short. And I know that I always will since I have a problem even deciding what to buy for myself. as the philosophers say "First, Know Thyself..."

So, why I find it very hard to buy any gift, to buy a book for a gift takes it to a whole other level. Books are very personal, what we like and dislike. I have, on rare occasion given books in the past and it has not always gone well. I have a book, one of my favorite books in the world and I gave it to a friend years ago. Not only did she not think it was the best book every written, she saw it in a way that was totally alien to my experience of it. That gave my book giving instinct pause.

And unless some one is kind enough for leave a nice wish list somewhere, hopefully printed out nice and neat and casually left "accidentally" somewhere, that is a very dangerous gift to get right. Not to mention the fact that it is very difficult to know what the receiver may have already read or own. Just in case anyone is in the dilemma as pertains to me...remember My Beloved Library Thing. Since I only started it a year or two ago it does not contain every book I have read but it does contain every book I have read in the last couple of years and every book that I own. And since I may well have forgotten most books I read before that, you would be pretty safe. An advantage of the vagary of advancing years...

But on the other hand, gift cards are just a wee bit impersonal. I will admit that I love to get them! Taking the card and going to the bookstore, spending hours looking around to make my decision, have a nice tea and a snack...it is just a lovely added part of the gift. But somehow, I don't like to give them. I feel I have given in, taking the easy way out of the gift giving test....even if the receiver loves it! After all, the point of gift giving is all about me...right?

Yes, I know, it makes no sense...