For the last several years – since my cousins (and then I) started having kids, I think – we’ve drawn names for Christmas gifts. Don’t tell, but I cheat. I try to peek at the names before I draw them and if that doesn’t work, I trade with my brother.

That’s how I make sure Annalyn gets to give her cousin Sophie a present each year!

This year, though, we’ve decided to do a white elephant gift card exchange. It will be easier and, depending on how the game part of this exchange goes, could be a lot of fun. Annalyn is not convinced.

She’s upset she doesn’t get to shop for the Perfect Present to give her cousin – and keeps asking for reassurance that it’s only that one side of the family doing the gift card thing.

Poor kid. Practical isn’t anywhere on her Christmas list! But it is definitely on mine (and some of my family members). But sometimes practical gift-giving can still be fun. Case in point? Pre-ordering books.

[I know, I know. THE BOOK again! But not just MY book. Okay? Read on…]

5 Reasons You Should Give Pre-Ordered Books This Christmas

1. It shows you’re on the cutting edge. Yeah, that’s right. I’m saying books are cool! But seriously, giving a friend or family member a book THAT ISN’T EVEN OUT YET shows that you are in the know, that you have the inside scoop – and you want to share it with your loved one!

2. Shopping is done in a snap. Click, click, click – and done! Just like that, you can go to your favorite online bookstore, order the book, and voila! Your shopping is done! A lot of online stores will even wrap your gift or include a personal note with it. Easy peasy!

3. You get the best price. When you pre-order a book on Amazon, you get a pre-order price guarantee. If Amazon lowers the book’s price before its release date, you will receive the lowest price. Sweet!

4. You don’t have to wrap it. If you are one of those people who finds herself standing at the table in the middle of the night, staring at an odd-sized piece of wrapping paper with bleary eyes and wondering if any of those math classes you’ve blocked from memory taught the trick for making the last piece of paper fit around the last gift, then a pre-ordered book is the perfect gift for you to give!

And if you are a person who enjoys wrapping – or can’t stomach the idea of showing up empty-handed, then pre-ordering Choose Joy is still a great idea for you. Because we’ve created two postcards for you to download and give your loved ones, letting them know a copy of the book is coming their way soon! You can download two designs here:

Choose Joy Gift Postcard – Joy to the World
Choose Joy Gift Postcard – Tidings of Comfort & Joy

Oh, and though I’ll confess that Choose Joy is the 2016 book I’m most excited about, quite a few others are coming soon, too. You might be interested in some of these books coming in January:

Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy by Alli Worthington
Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch
Hope for the Weary Mom Devotional by Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin
Thin Ice (Men of Valor) by Irene Hannon
Cold Shot (Chesapeake Valor) by Dani Pettrey
Breakdown (Alex Delaware) by Jonathan Kellerman
Truth or Die by James Patterson (and Howard Roughan)

5. You might get a gift of your own. Remember, if you pre-order Choose Joy you’ll receive a free print, as well as a discussion guide to accompany the book, AND you’ll be entered into a drawing for a custom Lisa Leonard necklace. [Get the details about these gifts here.] So, really, pre-ordering a book to give someone else can be win-win for both of you!

I know that Alli Worthington is offering a free guide to accompany her book as well, and Kristen Welch is offering a free Global Family Kit when you pre-order her book.

Pre-ordering books for Christmas gifts works for me!

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