“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”—W.T. Ellis
Now that we’ve entered December, there’s no denying there’s a feeling of Christmas in the air. While the hustle and bustle of the holiday season looks and feels quite different this year, the spirit of the season is still strong and apparent as the world fills with lights, trees, and signs of festive cheer.
Though the season of giving means more than just gifts under the tree, it’s a lovely thing to gift friends and family something that puts a smile on their face. For the readers and writers in your life, this Literary Gift Guide is your guide to gifting for the holidays.
“I love the Christmas-tide, and yet,
I notice this, each year I live;
I always like the gifts I get,
But how I love the gifts I give!”
—Carolyn Wells
Bookmarks
There’s no easier gift for the readers in your life than a bookmark. Skip the boring, run-of-the-mill bookmarks in favor of something that speaks to the personality and likes of the reader. These bookmarks are my top choices of 2020, but I recommend looking at the Etsy shops of each artist to see their full catalogue of beautiful artwork. There’s sure to be something that stands out to you.
Classic Literature Bookshelf Bookmark | $6.99
This bookmark comes in a variety of colors—royal plum, ebony, mahogany, and beige—and is perfect for any fan of classic novels. Take a look at this shop while you’re there; they have an impressive collection of themed bookmarks that are perfect for fans of Harry Potter, Poe, Stephen King, witchy books and more.
Ascalon Sword Bookmark | $7.99
From the same shop as the bookmark above, this sword bookmark stood out enough that I couldn’t fail to include it within this Literary Gift Guide. While the design is specific to The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, the sword design is still basic enough to appeal to all fantasy fans.
Candle Illustration Bookmark | $2.09
This beautiful bookmark is perfect for nearly anybody—readers of fantasy, witchy books, and fans of the dark academia aesthetic especially.
Narnia Illustration Bookmark | $14.70
These stunning little bookmarks are so incredibly charming. You have your choice of illustration–Narnia Map, Lucy and Tumnus, or Lucy and Aslan.
Mini Sauron One Ring Bookmark | $7.99
Have a Lord of the Rings fan to buy for? This beautiful Sauron One Ring design is striking and impossible for any LoTR fan to resist.
Mugs
A Christmas Carol Mug | $15.95
Mugs are a quintessential gift for readers who love to have something warm to drink while reading, and this A Christmas Carol mug makes for a perfect Christmas gift.
Quill Travel Mug | $24.95
This quill travel mug comes in a variety of colors and is a great gift for writers on the go.
Face Masks
Face masks may be the most “2020” gift ever, and I’m sure they’ll be finding their way into many a stocking this Christmas. For the literary-inclined, these masks are a wonderful little addition to their gift.
A Christmas Carol Face Mask | $9.99
Seeing as this A Christmas Carol quote pertains to the Christmas season directly, this mask could be a lovely early Christmas gift.
Shakespeare Quote Mask | $14.95+
This Shakespeare quote is a fun take on masks for all the year round.
Ornaments
A Christmas Carol Book Ornament | $9.49
While there’s no shortage of A Christmas Carol ornaments out there, this stunning little ornament stood out among the rest for the detail of the design and the beautiful, rich coloring. It’s the perfect adornment for every reader’s Christmas tree.
Jane Austen Quote Ornament | $6.99
With all the time we’ve spent at home this year, this Jane Austen quote ornament has never rung more true. Though certainly a gift for readers and Jane Austen fans, this ornament could rightfully earn its place on every tree this Christmas.
Typewriter Ornament | $14
This little typewriter ornament is a great gift for writers.
Journals
Reading Journal | $39.95+
Got a diligent, organized reader to buy for? This reading journal is perfect for readers who like to keep track of the books they read and their thoughts about them, with space to list favorite authors and TBR books as well as areas to jot down favorite quotes and star ratings. This journal can be personalized.
Reading Journal | $39.95+
From the same seller, this reading journal has the same basic setup but with a different design that may be better suited to who you’re buying for. It can also be personalized.
Leather Pendant Journal | $33.99
Dramatic and unique, this journal is a great gift for a writer or fan of fantasy. With unlined pages, this journal provides the perfect place to jot down plot ideas or even to sketch out story details. It strikes me as the type of thing someone might not think to buy themselves, which makes it a fantastic gift.
Get Cozy
Nothing is better than reading and feeling cozy. During the long, dark winter, my ideal cozy night would be taking a bath, getting into comfortable pajamas, and settling down with a mug of something warm and a book to read for hours. These gift ideas are aimed at fostering the coziness of a perfect reading night.
The Macbath has a wonderful and fun variety of bath and self-care products inspired by literature. From Harry Potter houses to bath bombs inspired by Shakespeare quotes, The Macbath’s products are absolutely perfect for gifting to the readers in your life. These are my top choices, but I recommend looking through the whole site.
A Christmas Carol Soap | $8
Christmas spice-scented goat’s milk soap. Add a muslin bag with the same quote to your order for gifting, if you’d like.
Polar Express Soap | $8
Crisp spearmint-scented goat’s milk soap. Matching muslin bag available.
Night of Revels Bath Bomb | $5
“What, man, tis a night of revels!” – Othello, Act II scene III
Fizzing champagne-scented bath bomb dusted with glittering gold.
Keats’s Autumn Soap | $8
Autumn fig-scented goat’s milk candle inspired by John Keats’s poem To Autumn.
Jane Austen Lip Balm Gift Set | $25
Five scented lip balms inspired by Jane Austen’s literary heroines. Scents include mint lemonade, french vanilla, pomegranate, salted caramel, and vanilla latte. Lip balms are available separately as well.
Lord of the Rings Soap Trio | $22
This gift set includes Aragorn’s Shave Soap (scented with woodsy cedar and saffron), Gandalf Soap (scented with white tea and ginger), and The One Ring Soap (scented with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and orange). All soaps are goat’s milk and can be purchased separately as well.
Book Lover Boxed Candle Set | $48
This is a wonderful gift set with plenty of options. Each themed set—The Bibliophile Set, The Author Set, The Happily Ever After Set, The Poet Set, The Artist Set, or The Jane Austen Set—comes with three six-ounce uniquely scented candles named for the theme it belongs to. If you’d prefer to take a look at the scents and pick a personalized selection of three candles, the seller is willing to do that.
Literary Tea Set with Bookmarks | $24.95, $39.95
This Literary Tea Set is such a beautiful gift for readers and tea-lovers. Each set comes with four different tea blends inspired by classic children’s tales: Pekoe Pan, Anise in Wonderland, Anne Of Green Tea Gables, and Pu’er Rabbit. With beautifully illustrated labels, you have your choice of packaging—either the kraft bag (one ounce per blend) or a premium tin (two ounces per blend). With either choice of packaging, you will also receive a bookmark per blend that has artwork and a quote from the story that inspired the tea.
Literary Variety Tea Pack | $35.99+
This tea sampler includes three of TheTeaBook’s literary inspired teas– Agatha ChrisTea, Mark Twainquility, and William ShakeSpearmint–all with charming little illustrations on the packets.
Bookshelf Cozy Socks | $14
While socks are the quintessential eye-roll-inducing, boring gift of the holiday season, these socks are cozy and cute enough for any reader to love.
Season’s Readings Socks | $14
Another cozy pair, this Season’s Readings pair is cute and the perfect color scheme for the rest of the winter.
Jane Eyre Sweatshirt| $69+
Litographs makes incredible products with beautiful designs made up of the text of entire books. While I’m drawn to this sweatshirt in particular, take a look at their website to see the over 200 books they base their designs on. From classic literature to contemporary YA, they have something for everyone.
A Christmas Carol Blanket | $69+
Litographs’s blankets are the perfect finishing touch to a cozy night of reading. As with the sweatshirt above, this blanket is printed with the entirety of the story you choose. I chose A Christmas Carol as the example for obvious festive reasons, but any of their 200+ book options can be made as a blanket. Each blanket comes in a variety of color choices, but all have sherpa fleece on the inside for maximum coziness.
Literary Experience and Book Boxes
Dracula: The Evidence Digital Experience | $25
Dracula: The Evidence is a fantastic gift for enthusiastic Dracula fans, providing the opportunity to experience the classic gothic horror novel like never before. The original text of Dracula is reformatted into maps, diaries, letters, telegrams, newspaper clippings and more, allowing the person you gift this to to experience Dracula in the most immersive, firsthand way possible. This digital experience includes images of all the evidence for a reasonable price, but if you’re interested in going further, they also offer various physical collections of this and more material on their Kickstarter.
Mystery Book Box | $49
Book boxes make such brilliant gifts. Whether you know exactly what the reader likes and you’re looking to tick all the boxes to create a lovely reading experience or you’re unsure of what, exactly, to get the reader in your life, curated book boxes have you covered. Especially this Mystery Book Box, which takes all the pressure off by letting you select a genre for them to choose the book from. Each box comes with a metal bookmark, a vintage teacup, 6 teaspoons of tea or hot chocolate, four handcrafted caramels, and a hand-poured candle. This book box is special in that it’s not just full of book-themed merch, it’s focused on creating a wonderful atmosphere and reading experience.
The Mysterious Package Company | $99.99-$350
The Mysterious Package Company is an experience gift similar to Dracula: The Experience and is a fantastically unique gift for readers. While not every one of their themed packages is directly inspired by specific books, fans of certain genres will find themselves inserted into the story with these experiences. Know a fan of mystery novels? Treat them to a murder mystery box. The Mysterious Package Company offers adventure, horror, murder mystery, sci-fi, and antiquities experiences. Each box comes with artifacts and documents related to the case. While pricey, some of these packages are appropriate for younger teen readers while some are aimed at family participation. This could be a wonderful group gift for families or siblings to solve together while feeling like they’re in the middle of a plot of one of their favorite books.
Literary Accessories
Owl Book Plate | $14.95+
Readers love bookplates, and this illustration is cozy and charming enough that I’m sure it will appeal to many, many readers.
Hemingway Pencil Cup | $25
Another gift with writers in mind, this typewriter pencil cup is a unique way to add a little writer-themed charm to a workspace.
Dragon Wood Fountain Pen | $54
If you’re looking to give a writer a gift with impact that is very cool, this fountain pen will do the job. While perhaps a little pricier for a smaller gift, this pen is incredibly striking and, frankly, righteous. It comes in a variety of wood choices and could be the perfect accompaniment to the leather pendant journal.
Little Leather Library Antique Book | $10
These little books are a bit more special than some of the other gifts on this list in that they’re vintage—from the 1920s. While these books may not be to every reader’s taste, they certainly make for a memorable gift. Measuring 3×4 inches, these little books could be an interesting addition to a gift.
Mr. Christmas Nesting Nostalgic Books | $49.35
One of my favorite items within this literary gift guide, these vintage nesting Christmas books are so charming, festive, and a wonderful bookish touch to every reader’s Christmas decor. I was gifted these myself and I adore them, especially the fact that the smallest book is also a music box.
Charities
“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others.”–Bob Hope
Though giving gifts to our friends and family is lovely, the holiday season is an especially important time to think of others. I’d like to once again share some charities that focus on providing books and literary opportunities for those who might otherwise not receive them.
Pajama Program believes in the power of bedtime routines for children and aims to provide pajamas, books, and resources to parents and caregivers for children in uncertain circumstances so that they too can have good nights that lead to great days. Donate here.
First Book distributes books and educational resources to children in low income communities all around the world. Every $3 helps give one new book to a child. Donate here.
Litworld aims to increase literacy around the world and encourages creativity in children, focusing on the importance of reading aloud and writing as a way of teaching children creative expression as well as teaching them that their voice matters. Donate here.
Room to Read focuses on literacy and gender equality in education in low income communities around the world, encouraging reading and helping support girls through secondary school. Donate here.
Help Santa this holiday season by ‘adopting’ one of his letters from some of the many children and families who send them his way. Send kind responses and give the gifts or necessities asked for in the letters to take a little off Santa’s plate while helping children who need a little extra joy this season.
What are you thinking of getting the readers and writers in your life? Do any of these ideas stand out to you? Don’t forget to take a look at 2019’s Literary Gift Guide for more ideas and let me know what literary items were your favorite in the comments!
Thanks for reading,
Madison
Love the typewriter pen pot!! This has given me so many ideas for bookish friends, thanks for compiling them all!!
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed the post!! Thank you for commenting! 🙂