Earlier this month I dedicated a post to the bookish friends in my life. They each received books and little goodies for Christmas. Now’s the perfect opportunity to share what I received from them — and to tell you what exactly they received from me!
Morgan, Lindsey, and Stina received . . . little vials with a slightly burnt scroll that said Expecto Patronum, to keep the darkness away. I ordered this from allthingsharry on Etsy. Morgan, Hannah, and Alyssa received . . . Between Shades of Gray, Jackaby, and Love Letters to the Dead, respectively. All purchased with eager enthusiasm at the bookstore. My #TBTBSanta recipient received . . . a sassy bookmark about how books don’t need batteries, cocoa mix and peppermint drops, Cinder, and a necklace from A Series of Unfortunate Events. The necklace was ordered from PaperHeartGallery on Etsy. The book and goodies were purchased at the bookstore.
The first gift to arrive was from Lindsey, and Rossetti and I had a lovely time unwrapping each item and, in her case, climbing into one of the gifts: a tote bag.
Mountains of chocolates and Starbucks-at-home packets, ribbon hair ties, a beautiful handmade ring, cleaning wipes for the obsessive cleaner (haha), socks, and books! I’ll admit I was a bit confused that I received the second book in a series, but figured I didn’t have to read it in order. It was far more exciting seeing how much thought Lindsey put into the gift!
The second gift to arrive was from Morgan, the same day I received my #TBTBSanta gift. When I opened the box, I had to laugh. What catches your eye first?
Was it Zayn? Cause that’s the first thing I saw. Haha!
More chocolates, a wonderful candle, tea, gum, and two great books — one of them the first book in the series Lindsey sent me! They conspired with one another! Morgan also has really great book recommendations based on our many conversations. The thoughtfulness in her gift was incredibly touching as well.
The book swap gifts with another Morgan, Hannah, and Alyssa were opened on Christmas day!
What cracks me up is that the list we gave each other reflected our own reading preferences, and the books we picked from that list to buy and send off reflected even further our reading preferences. For example, I sent the three of them my list, which was mostly MG and YA or slightly dark in theme. Hannah chose to send me Pennyroyal Academy, which is light and fun and MG and a genre she wants to dive into. Morgan chose The Book of Lost Things, which is adult and dark and veering away from the genre she was most submerged in recently. Alyssa chose Made for You, a YA romantic thriller, something I think Alyssa loves without realizing it.
My family purchased THE DIVINERS, my aunt and uncle UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKY, and uncle THE MISTRESS OF ROSEMERE. All in all, a good Christmas!
Yesterday was another great surprise, this time from Stina. She likes to send goodies year-round, and she puts so much thought into everything.
She said to me, “What does one buy a Janeite who already has so many Austen copies?” Well, the graphic novel version, of course! I’m so happy she chose Marvel’s Sense & Sensibility, as Pride & Prejudice is not my go-to Austen novel despite owning multiple copies. The number of graphic novels I’ve read I can count on one hand, and Stina’s always introducing me to new media. So this is really exciting! There’s also the small Austen quote book — and Stina knows how much I love quotes.
I’m thrilled with the gifts. Everyone put so much thought into it!
What did you receive this holiday season?
