I don’t ask for much over the holidays as far as gifts go. In reality, I have everything I want—and then some. But if you asked me what sort of holiday gifts I’d love to find beneath our tree this year, here’s a sampling:
1) Printed photobooks of my mini poodle Charlie. No one loves you like your dog. I’d pay good money for a book that includes pictures of Charlie chronicling his (good) life with the Danas.
2) Exquisite holiday cards. Never a fan of e-holiday greetings, I am capable of tackling the postman to get holiday cards all month long. Send me the real McCoy, please. Nothing moves me like letterpress, BTW.
3) Signed books by authors I admire. Novelists such as J. M. Coetzee or Julian Barnes. Industry geniuses like Frank Romano or Dr. Joe Webb. Local columnists like Brian McGrory or Dan Shaughnessy. I want their books to display on my bookshelves. Treasured trophies, every one.
4) Hardbound cookbooks. Last Christmas I was given “Flour” by Joanne Chang. Such fabulous recipes from her Flour Bakery Café in Boston! Holy moly. What could top that one?
5) Gift cards to favorite retailers. Even a $5 coffee card to Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts makes me happy. Those little guys get tucked in my wallet untill I’m ready to treat myself. I like giving them, too.
6) Subscriptions to favorite magazines. This one’s harder, since I treat myself to great magazines all year long. But surely there are one or two more I’d love, but hesitate to splurge on. What a great gift!
We’re a pretty “with-it” household, don’t get me wrong. We have Macs galore, including two iPads. Plus, we have one Kindle, three smartphones and digital subscriptions to a variety of publications. Yet nothing takes the place of print completely. I dare you to find one person who wouldn’t love getting a book as a gift.
What about you? Is something printed on your wish list this season?
- Places:
- Boston
Long regarded as a print buyer expert and trade writer, Margie Dana launched a new business as a marketing communications strategist with a specialty in printing and print buying. She is as comfortable working in social media as she is in traditional media, and now she’s on a mission to help clients build customer communities through carefully crafted content. Dana was the producer of the annual Print & Media Conference.
Although she has exited the event business, Dana is still publishing her Print Tips newsletter each week. For more details and to sign up for her newsletter and marketing blog, visit www.margiedana.com