Buying A Kindle As A Christmas Gift Guide
Written by Graeme
One gift that SHOULD be popular come Christmas time is the Kindle, or a similar e-reader. Rather than list them all we’ll just be mentioning the Kindle in this article – which we personally feel is the best e-reader, having tested multiple e-readers out over the years.
Of course if you’re reading this article, then you’re sitting there wondering “Should I Buy a Kindle as a Christmas Gift?”.
More than likely – the person you are considering buying the Kindle for is a book lover, correct? They read lots of books and they possibly own lots of books. Most likely an older person such as a parent or grandparent.
You’ve probably even broached the subject with them a few times, and they’ve shown little to no interest in the Kindle. They “just like books better”. They “like the feel of books”. They “like being able to read anywhere.” or a bunch of other excuses.
The question is should you but this person a Kindle as a Christmas gift?
The answer is yes.
Before we get into WHAT Kindle to buy, let’s explain exactly why the Kindle is the perfect Christmas gift – even for that person who is vehemently opposed to the idea of them.
Your gift recipient has been reading books all their life. Even if they’re not always opposed to change – it’s quite scary to break a lifetime habit like that. They probably also have a lot of fond memories of their books. They’ll remember the books their parents read to them, or the feeling of discovering a particular new author. They’ll even associate books with certain parts of their life.
Hell – I can’t even eat chips and curry sauce anymore without immediately thinking of The Firm, because I remember reading that book for the first time while eating that meal. Weird association, right? But every time I break out The Firm, I need to get myself that exact meal.
People are not really opposed to e-readers; they’re just of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Not really seeming the cheaper costs, the convenience factor etc. Believe me the first time they travel with a Kindle in their backpack rather than 10 hardcover novels in their suitcase, they’ll be thanking you!
I’ve personally bought over 50 people a Kindle in the last 2 years. And the majority of them? Book readers all their life. Hated the idea of it. Yet they’ve fallen in love with them. Hell, my mom loved her weekly ritual of going up to the library and getting a new book. Every Monday without fail – she’d get a new book at the library, read it and have it finished and ready to return on the Monday.
She’s scared of technology. The only way she knows how to access Facebook is by googling it. And the only reason she knows how to google, is because it’s set as her homepage. Remove that? And she’s lost. I remember seeing her face when I bought her an e-reader – I bought her a Kobo. It was the fakest smile you’ve ever seen in your life. Hell she still hasn’t got the name right – that was over a year ago, and she still calls it a “Kibble” – a crossover between a Kobo and a Kindle I guess?
But she loves it. She’s tapping away at the touchscreen and she adapted so fast to it. So don’t worry – the people you are buying it for will love it.
What Kindle To Buy As A Christmas Gift?
So we’ve decided we’re getting a Kindle as a christmas gift. Now what one to buy? First – always buy on Amazon. It’s their product and you’ll get the best deals and warranty and so on.
There are a lot of Kindles on option – here is a list of all the Kindles at Amazon.
You have to use the K.I.S.S. Concept – Keep It Simple Stupid!
It might be tempting to go nuts and get a Kindle Fire etc – but that will just overwhelm your gift recipient. Trust me. I’ve bought tablets for people in the past who would fall into this category. 6 months down the road it’s still full of the stock apps and barely used. You’re buying it for them to READ.
I’ll be honest – my personal favourite is the one that is NOT a touchscreen. That’s my own personal opinion – I like to eat while I read, and it’s nice not having to worry about my finger smudging up the screen. That’s the one listed as just “Kindle, 6″ E Ink Display”, on this page.
If you want to go touch-screen however, I’d highly recommend going with the Kindle Paperwhite. This comes with a built-in light and is really sick. I just wish there was a non touch-screen one for myself, but yes the Kindle Paperwhite is probably the best Christmas gift you can buy.
Now Force It Down Their Throat:
Buying the Kindle is only step one. You need to go a bit further honestly – you need to force them to use it.
What I’ve did is find out what book they are reading when I am giving them the Kindle. Then I buy them that book. Upon opening the gift, I take the Kindle off them, find out what page they were on, find the appropriate section in the Kindle, and tell them to read the rest of the book on the Kindle.
Then you sit back and wait 5 minutes and laugh when they are hooked, and all their technological fears disappear.
Of course you don’t HAVE to do this – but you should try and eliminate as much of the setup process as possible for them. It’s best when they simply open it up and are able to start reading immediately.
Kindle Gift Accessories:
If you want to buy some accessories – well, Amazon has a ton.
The only thing I would personally recommend is the cover. If you head to the Kindle page you will see the Onyx cover. That’s a solid one which I have. You may want to get one off eBay as they are cheaper, but I found the clasp on the one I bought broke very easily, and I ended up getting a cover from Amazon.
Whew – that’s it. If you have any questions about e-readers then feel free to comment below. And please – if you use my advice and buy someone a Kindle for Christmas – come back here and let us know how it worked out!
Now head on over to Amazon and get that Kindle Paperwhite. It’ll be the best Christmas gift they’ve ever recieved.
I think it’s very unfortunate that you choose to only talk about Kindle. In the UK, you cannot get library books on a Kindle, and are restricted to purchasing only from Amazon. I have a Kobo, which gives me complete freedom of choice, and, in my opinion, is the equal of a Kindle in its capabilities.