Let’s get festive! Do you have a literature lover in your life? A reader? A music lover? Do you dread coming up with Christmas gift ideas? Are you on the hunt for some inspiration? Look no further. I absolutely love the run up to Christmas and picking presents is part of the fun. I firmly believe that a nice present does not have to be awfully expensive. The best kind of present is one that shows how well you know someone.

So let’s dive in. This is my 2022 Literature Lover Inspired Gift Guide.

Books.

This may seem like a really obvious suggestion, but if you have an avid reader in your life then books make for a fantastic gift. Getting someone a book can be more creative than it sounds. For starters, there are so many different kinds of books. Hardcovers, paperbacks, clothbound editions, illustrated editions, signed copies, etc.

Personally I love a clothbound book. They look absolutely beautiful on my bookshelf and I am so delighted with my growing collection. If you know that someone has a book that they love, and you see a clothbound edition, I think this is a great gift because it shows that you know them well. You know their favourite book, and now they have a special edition of it, one that you picked out. It makes for a lovely collector’s item.

You can also get personalised books. Personalised books are a great gift idea if you ask me, for children and for adults. A personalised book is created specifically for the person you are gifting it to. You can create a personal story. When I was young, I received a personalised version of Beauty and the Beast. I was absolutely enchanted because as I was reading, I realised that the girl in the story shared my name, and not only that, but she looked like me too! My Mam still talks about how excited I was. I think this is a really sweet idea, especially if you are thinking of getting a book for a younger reader.

Speaking of childhood memories, nothing is quite like a little touch of nostalgia. So why not purchase someone’s favourite childhood book? I absolutely loved A Little Princess by Frances Hodges Burnett when I was younger and one of my favourite presents I received when I got older was a hardback edition of a story that I loved so much.

Similarly, last Christmas I received stunning, Victorian inspired covered editions of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. These two books look wonderful on my shelf. The books we read in childhood can have such a lasting impression on us. Some stories stay with us forever. I think that opening a present and finding a unique edition of a book you’ve always loved is a lovely moment. So I’d highly recommend this idea if you’re buying a book for a book lover, especially for a book lover who appears to have every book already!

Before I move on, I will say that I think that if you’re really stuck for a gift idea, a book voucher can be a great option. Giving a book lover a voucher for a book shop means that they can go in and browse (and we all know that a day spent in a book shop is a book lover’s dream) and buy what they want.

I know that some people dislike giving vouchers as it can seem impersonal. I understand that. I too only turn to vouchers as a last resort, however I have never been unhappy when I received a voucher myself as it allowed me to go and pick something for myself. So a voucher or perhaps even a kindle gift card could be an idea that works for you.

Movie Inspired Gifts

I know we live in an age of streaming services, but I am an avid movie lover and I love getting a boxset.

I know many people who still enjoy collecting DVD’s. I still collect DVD’s and I have many boxsets that I love and watch very often. Streaming services are great, but owning a copy of a show or a movie that you love is still special in my opinion. Some people are natural collector’s and DVD’s can have special extras such as behind-the-scenes features or director’s commentaries. Sometimes DVD’s contain deleted scenes too. So in my opinion, there are still plenty of reasons to grab a boxset. One day we will watch DVD’s and call it “having a vintage movie night.”

Another movie inspired idea is taking someone to a movie. Sometimes cinemas show screenings of classic movies.

Recently I went to see Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the Light House cinema in Dublin. I love that movie. It was a brilliant night out. We went for dinner and then had drinks afterwards. So if you want to give someone an experience, keep an eye out for screenings. If you see a movie that they love is being shown, grab a ticket and make a night of it. It can be great fun.

Another idea that is similar to this is looking into cinema cards. Some cinemas have memberships, and depending on how expensive it is, you could sign someone up so if they are an avid movie watcher, they can go to see as many movies as they like.

Movie prints and posters make for great gifts. Again, this is a gift idea that shows someone that you know them well. If you know their favourite movie, why not look around and see if there are any posters or prints that you think would look fantastic framed?

This is something that I did myself recently. I bought a print of the cover of one of the first movies that my boyfriend and I watched together, a movie that we both love, and I bought a frame for it and it looks great if I do say so myself.

It does not have to be a movie cover, you could look around and find a print of a certain scene or a famous quote. If you know someone’s favourite quote, then I’d suggest looking it up as you can very often find prints of quotes, especially if the quote is popular.

Following this idea, I’m a big fan of mugs. I am a big tea and coffee drinker, as are most people that I know. I own quite a few Disney mugs, as well as personalised ones. I’ve also given people personalised mugs before and they have always been well received. You can order a mug with a movie quote or even a book quote.

I think a really nice idea is putting together a few things that you know someone else will use.

For example, one of my friends is an avid reader, and she also loves herbal teas. So I ordered a personalised mug, it had a quote on it from a book that she absolutely loved. I got her a personalised bookmark to go along with it, and I picked up a box of her favourite herbal teas. I put them all together and she was delighted. It is an idea that does not have to cost too much, and it does not take too long to put together, but it is a thoughtful present.

Stationary & Accessories.

Another literature inspired gift idea that won’t drain your bank account is to get someone some stationary.

If you know someone who loves to write, or journal, then perhaps a nice idea would be to get them a new notebook and some lovely pens. Some notebooks can be quite expensive. You can get leather-bound notebooks. I’ve received one before, and it is absolutely beautiful. I use it all the time, but you don’t have to go with such an expensive option. You can find perfectly lovely notebooks that don’t cost too much. Pens can be lovely too, especially if someone enjoys handwriting. I believe that handwriting can almost be called an art form now as these days nearly everything is typed.

There are so many different kinds of pens. You can get pen sets, pens can be engraved etc.

A lovely idea could be to get someone a notebook and a set of pens, and maybe even a box of writing prompts.

Moving on to accessories, bookmarks make great stocking stuffers. Avid readers can never have too many bookmarks.

I have stainless steel bookmarks, I have resin bookmarks, I have Alice in Wonderland inspired bookmarks. I have personalised bookmarks. I have so many, and I use all of them. You don’t have to use them for just books, you can keep tabs on notes and journals too. So if you’re getting book inspired gifts and want to grab something for the stocking, grab a bookmark.

Accessories don’t have to be for just books. You can get all kinds of accessories. You could look into getting someone a keyboard for their desk, a phone case, a desk organiser. There are many options.

Phone cases can be a great idea. Many people get new phones for Christmas and every phone needs a case. You can get so many different kinds of cases from so many different places. You can even get movie or book inspired phone cases. So this could be another idea for a stocking stuffer.

Another idea, although this could be a more expensive idea, is to look into getting someone a bookcase.

If you know a book lover, then you’ll know how easily a room can become cluttered with books, books, books everywhere. A bookshelf or even a book trolley could make for a great gift, especially if you are trying to organise your living space.

My last literature accessory suggestion is to get the book lover in your life their very own book embosser.

A book embosser is a tool used to put an emblem on a book without damaging it. It is a great way for a book collector to identify their books as theirs. It adds a personal touch to one’s collection.

Music Inspired Gifts.

It is hard to find someone who does not like music at all. I don’t talk enough about how much I love music. I studied music in school. I attended singing lessons for years. I was always a member of the choir and I’ve participated in many amateur productions. Music is something that I love, it is something that I am passionate about, and there are so many music inspired gifts that could be perfect for the music lover in your life.

Vinyls can be pricey, but I know so many people who collect vinyls. Getting someone a vinyl or two, particularly if you know that they are a collector, could be an idea to consider.

Over the years I’ve received different scores and songbooks and I’ve always been delighted by them.

If you know a singer or someone who enjoys musical theatre, then I’d suggest getting them a score from their favourite show. Again, this is personal, it shows how well you know them and it also shows that you support their interests.

I mentioned prints already, but prints don’t just have to be from books and movies. You can get lovely prints that are inspired by music. You can find great prints of sound waves, different prints of scores or of lyrics, if you look around you might find prints of famous album covers or of different artists.

Another idea that could be perfect for a music lover, depending on how much you can spend, is a pair of headphones.

There are so many tech gifts that could be perfect for a music lover, amps, speakers, mics, but these are items that would definitely be more expensive. If money is no object, then instruments or instrument accessories are great gift ideas to think about.

I mentioned earlier that taking someone to a movie could be a great idea, concert tickets are another great idea, but again, concert tickets can be very expensive. Sometimes theatres will show movies and an orchestra will play the movie’s score. This is a great idea for a movie lover and for a music lover. I saw a screening of Blade Runner in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and it was amazing to watch the movie while the score was played by incredible musicians. It was a perfect night out. If you see that there is going to be an event like this going on in a theatre near you, getting tickets for someone if you can would be a great gift to give.

Speaking of tickets, I love getting theatre tickets. My birthday is in spring and I’ve already been told that I will be receiving tickets to see Blood Brothers when it returns to the Bord Gáis in 2023. I cannot wait. Last Christmas, I bought my Mam tickets to see Beauty and the Beast in the Bord Gáis. She was delighted. We cannot wait to see the show.

Stay tuned, as there will be another #theatretrip discussion about this show coming soon on Katelovesliterature.com.

Theatre tickets can be expensive, so this is not always an option, but prices do vary depending on what seats you choose so it never hurts to look and see if this is an option for you. A musical theatre fan would be delighted to get tickets to go and see a show that they love. The same can be said for drama lovers, play tickets can be less expensive than musical theatre tickets as straight plays are often performed in smaller venues.

A night out at the Christmas panto can be great fun. I firmly believe in leaning into the magic and fun of the evening. A trip to the panto can be a great present for kids. So keep an eye out for tickets, because sometimes the price can be just right and tickets are always a great gift.

Theatre Inspired Gifts.

I am a theatre lover through and through.

I love speech and drama.

If you know someone who enjoys drama or studies drama, a great gift idea could be to get them a copy of a script.

There are some beautiful editions of scripts. Sometimes you can find collections of plays in the one book.

I’ve found some great scripts in places like Eason.

Similar to cinema memberships, some theatres have memberships. Membership packages can be expensive, but if you attend the theatre often or you are shopping for someone who does, looking into memberships could be a good idea.

There are also much more affordable theatre inspired gifts ideas that you can look into, like getting a theatre lover a binder for their programmes.

You could also look online and see if you can find a collector’s item playbill or programme.

I have a programme from the Gaiety Theatre that is from the 19th century. It is amazing to have a piece of literary history in my house. It is a moment in time, captured forever.

You can also get theatre inspired t-shirts and bags, mugs and notebooks. There are plenty of things that you can find for the thespian in your life.

Household Items Inspired by Literature.

You would be amazed at how many things you can get that are in some way inspired by literature.

I love presents that can encourage new interests. Something that I enjoy is learning how to make different cocktails, and last year a friend got me a recipe book of cocktails from movies. It is a really cool gift and it is so much fun to say I’m making a James Bond inspired martini. When I was in London in May, I went to Shakespeare’s Globe and while I was there I found a fantastic book of Shakespeare inspired cocktail recipes.

If you know that someone enjoys cooking or baking, or making drinks, then have a look around and see if you can find a movie inspired recipe book. It is a great gift to give a movie lover, and it also gives someone who enjoys making things a whole new set of recipes to explore.

Coffee table books are another great idea. You can find some beautiful display books that can add the finishing touch to someone’s front room. There are some fantastic books about the art of film, about different classic films, about different authors and their lives, about art etc. These books are usually big and sturdy, and as well as being very informative about a certain topic, they are also great visual pieces for the home.

Would you believe that you can also find candles inspired by books? There are some great candles and I find that Etsy is a great place to browse. A candle that smells like pages of a new book is a candle that I would have burning everyday.

Speaking of scents, perfume can be a wonderful present, and there are scents inspired by that gorgeous scent that is the smell of a brand new book. There are so many different scents, some are musky like a leather-bound books, some scents are warm and cozy and they evoke feelings of sitting by a warm fire with a good book. So I’d say that perfume can be a great gift, as it is also a very personal present. A perfume can make you think of a certain moment or a certain person and perfume can be a way to bottle a memory so I always think it is a lovely present.

You can always add a personal touch to nearly every gift. For example, a piece of jewellery can be engraved with a saying or a quote, which adds a literary touch to a piece that is going to be worn all the time.

There are so many ways to add a touch of literature to your Christmas gifts this year. Books, bookmarks, boxsets, personalised items, tickets, and so much more. You can find different gifts all for different prices so no matter what your price range is, you will find something that the gift getter is sure to love!

I hope you’ve found my 2022 Literature Lover Inspired Gift Guide helpful. I hope you’ve found some inspiration. Enjoy the festive season and enjoy gift getting and gift giving. Ho Ho Ho!