We’re getting into the season of giving, which always seems to arrive hand-in-hand with reminders of how quickly time is passing: only so many shopping days left until the holiday! The old year ends, and the new begins. There’s no quick and easy way to completely transform the way you spend your time or to make more of it. Still, this year I’m trying to think about time itself as a gift, both for myself and as something to give to others.
When my siblings and I were young, there was a time when the handmade “coupon book” was a popular gift to give your parents – one coupon good for a certain chore, or a family game night, or a thousand hugs, etc. Not only were they budget-friendly, they were also meaningful. Each coupon was a promised gift of time to share something together or to offer a service when needed. Here are a few ways the library can help you give the gift of time this year.
Plan an adventure: When a person you love has everything already, a shared experience focused on their passions can be a great gift. Our range of museum passes can offer something for just about every interest, and many passes offer admission for multiple people (check the details for each pass before booking). If the outdoors is calling, our adventure backpacks for kids and adults can answer. The included guides, binoculars, compass, and more give you an insider’s view of the natural world around you, and we have versions for both adults and kids so everyone can join in the fun.
Learn a new skill: Some of my family members like to get together for occasional “crafternoons” where we hang out, drink lots of tea, and work on craft projects of various kinds. If you and a loved one have shared interests, offer time where you can develop those interests together. For a range of artistic pursuits, Creativebug offers step-by-step tutorials as well as project inspiration. If you’re interested in a long-term shared experience, consider using Mango and our other language learning materials to start or brush up on a language together. For more technical skills, there’s also a huge library of courses on LinkedIn Learning. If spending in-person time isn’t an option, these skills could result in a handmade gift instead.
Give back together: Volunteering together lets you share the gift of time and pass it on to others all at once. If you’ve built up your skills in knitting or crochet, consider participating in our annual Knit for Others drive, where we collect handmade hats, gloves, scarves, and other items to be distributed to community members in need.
Share the gift of books: I couldn’t let a post go by without mentioning the books, which we at the library think are always the best thing to share. Whether you read a book together as a buddy read or in a book club, or just spend some time together reading, we can help you find the right book. Use our PPL BookMatch service to get personalized suggestions. We also hope you’ll join us on December 10 for our Book Flood, where library staff members will share recommendations of recent titles they enjoyed and think would make great gifts.
Again, there’s no magical way to gain more time, but I am hopeful that we can find ways to spend our time in ways that are more meaningful than frantic. Use these ideas as a starting point to find options that work for you, and let us know if we can help you get started with the library’s resources.
Photo by Takahiro Sakamoto on Unsplash