Musing Mondays (May 25)

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about gift certificates…

Do you give gift certificates to book stores as presents? If so, do you give for actual stores or online stores? Do you like to receive them yourself?

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I do like to give gift certificates for bookstores as presents, though I don't do it very often. I love the idea of giving a person a book as a gift, but unfortunately I don't have very many booky friends and so I try to restrain this impulse unless it's something I know they'll love.

As for the booky friends I DO have, I prefer to give certificates instead of actual books because then they'll get the book they want. I think it's the perfect gift. I mean, I know they'll use it and I know they'll get something they enjoy. It's usually a certificate for the local bookstore (as opposed to the online store) because browsing is all part of the birthday experience. Plus, for me, it's got the added bonus of being a bit of a game.

My cousin and I have been exchanging book certificates for our birthdays for the past couple of years. Every time her birthday comes around, I consider getting her something else, but at the end of the day she (as a mother of two) and I (as a student who really shouldn't be spending money) really look forward to our guilt-free birthday book. Every year we get our gift card and every year we hold onto it, hoarding it for as long as possible (my birthday is at the start of March... the card is still nestled away in my wallet) because, you see, there are rules for book certificate spending.

Firstly, it has to be something REALLY special. Something that you really want but wouldn't normally buy - it's too expensive, I'd have to order it in, it's hardcover, etc - and therefore worthy of book certificate-spendage. Consulting over said purchase is also necessary. My cousin and I usually send three or four emails ("Dear Book Consultant...") over the course of a book certificate-possession, discussing which book is worthy. This is good because we always have a laugh, but bad because it usually means we each add three or four books to the list before any decision is made.

I always love to have a book certificate - but that's just it, I love to HAVE it. I hate the actual spending of it (new book aside) because then the game is over. But of course, by the time I actually do spend it, it's usually pretty close to my birthday again :)