I know it seems early, and I always used to hate it when shops started bleating on about Christmas when summer was barely over, but as a retailer (of sorts!), I now realise why they have to. Maybe not all of them…but some Christmas things need preparation.
Every year we offer an Advent Calendar of Books: 24 individually wrapped books, one to open each day up to Christmas Eve. We tailor them to specific requests, and can do them for any age – last year we did one for a gentleman in his 80s and one for a baby who wasn’t born when his mother ordered the calendar, and most age groups in between! We charge £12 for children up to 12, £15 for 13-15 and £25 for 16 and over (adults), which reflects the differences in price we usually charge for the books. These are a bargain though! You can tell us the gender of your children, their reading ability, anything really, and within reason we will try to meet requests – each one is done to order. You can do a shared one, and we will wrap books for different ages in different paper so that each child knows which is theirs. For adults, we intend them to be fiction only, but we might be able to accommodate some non-fiction calendars, it just depends what we have in stock at any one time, as all our books are donated. We get loads of fiction and children’s books, so are confident about providing good things in those categories! Just email me for any more info or to place an order.
They are lovely because they have real substance, you have the excitement of opening an actual gift each day, and there’s no temptation to rip the back off and steal all the chocolate! (Not that we had chocolate ones when I was growing up – the books bring back some of the magic, I think!) It’s something that builds excitement leading up to Christmas but in a way that helps to satisfy it too! A present every day – who doesn’t want that?
But grown-ups also treat themselves, and while 24 novels might seem a lot, it will keep you going for a bit! Or you can share them with friends.
In short, it is something intended to add to the magic of Christmas – which I adore! – and to give those you love lots of books with an element of surprise.
We can post them out, though obviously P&P is extra – let me know if you’d like that, and I can let you know postage costs. For little children it’s not too bad, as the books are thin and light, but as they parcels get bulkier, the price of postage goes up.
So – if you want an Advent calendar with a difference, one with real substance and magic, some extra fun at Christmas – do send me an email. You can collect at your convenience, and pay on collection, but the more time we have to get them ready, the better.
The Tree House Second-hand Bookshop 