Books: Gifts that keep on giving!

A birthday gift just before Christmas

We've just celebrated a traditional Christmas in our family. The day started with church and the celebration of Jesus' birth, then our family got together for the sharing of gifts, play (especially the kids) and lots of talk. It was a wonderful day with much joy and happiness.

One thing I noticed was that books are certainly not dead in our family. We gave Kindles to our eldest daughter and our son-in-law, and books of varied kinds to adults and children. And each time there was delight.

A Kindle, books in an instant

I managed to receive four wonderful books (all in paper form), including 'Oranges & Sunshine', the story of Margaret Humphries' fight to reveal the transportation of 150,000 orphans from England to Australia in the 19th century. I also received some historical fiction (Conn Iggulden's 'Empire of Silver'), a book about writers of fantasy ('The Wand in the Word') and Geoffrey Blainey's 'A Short History of Christianity').

Of course, books don't just give once, they keep on giving. They can be re-read to learn new things, or remember old things. You can also revisit a story that has already given us joy, emotional experiences, new knowledge, inspiration, challenge and insights into the human condition. Books, whether paper or electronic, can also serve as a vehicle to other places, times and experiences. Yes, books just keep on giving.

Sam loved his book to help him make paper planes

After lunch some play.

Our youngest family member at play

And then we all had some exercise