The gift of reading

It's Christmas time again...a time of joy, family, friends, gifts. Yes, even when we try to keep it simple we still get caught up in the cleaning, the decorating and the gifting...especially if we have kids.  We often spend hours on end trolling stores, surfing the internet, pondering the best gift to give to a child.  Here is a simple suggestion: give the gift of reading.

There has been a lot said recently about the reduction in reading among today's youth.  As a child I recall not only reading voraciously, but being surrounded by avid readers.  Of course back then we didn't have all the distractions of 24/7 on demand television and video games at our finger tips.  We read for entertainment, and for some of us it was our only source of escapist entertainment. And it was fun.

Let us instill that kind of joy in a chld today.  As you contemplate gifts for children this year consider a book.  It can be a paper book or an ebook or a giftcard to a bookstore. If you can afford the pricier e-readers go for it. But even more important than the book is the love of reading that can be instilled by an adult with a passion for books.  So for this Christmas, read a book with a child.  Reading with a child can make stories come alive.  It can instill in them a passion that keeps growing.  If every adult do this for one child, we can once again have a generation of readers.

From one reader (and writer) to another I wish you a very merry Christmas and a bright and prosperous New Year.