We'd love your feedback. Send us a message. The shops are shouting buy more, but we’re making a different case: skip the shiny book junk and choose stories that actually get read. Come with me and walk through the holiday aisles together and call out the biggest traps - gimmicky bundles, flimsy movie tie-ins, lazy age-badged anthologies and swap them for books with staying power and more meaningful bookish gifts.If you’re craving ease over excess, you’re in good company here.A few things we touch on today: • skipping gimmicky bundles that add plastic, not story• steering clear of movie tie-ins and lazy anthologies• smarter alternatives for middle grade and seasonal reads• age-appropriate comics and graphic novels that land• choosing engaging, well-designed nonfiction over coffee-table tomes• why annuals and activity books are risky gifts unless you know the child• ditching weak booklights for practical, lasting accessories• tech picks that stretch budgets: subscriptions, audiobooks, headphones• how to gift adults without awkward self-help misfires• choosing a slower, calmer Christmas that puts people before purchasesFeel free to DM me on Instagram for recommendations because recommending books to you will be like giving me a gift this Christmas. Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder. Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.