Canadian Gift Guide

Yay for gift cards as economy-stimulating enablers to spend money beyond the actual value of said gift card. I’m referring to the plethora of gift cards I collected over the holidays, which I’m reluctantly now spending. Last night I was perusing a book store, with one book (Boardwalk Empire) and one notebook (for work) in hand, when I stumbled upon a pretty book called Listography. As it turns out, ‘listography’ (lower case intended) is an online site where you can tap in lists to guide your life – past, present, and future.

The creators of said website, have also launched a series of book, the original of which I’m now in possession of, filling in lists of ‘American Cities I’ve Visited’, ‘My Biggest Acts of Kindness’, and ‘Things I’d Like To Do Before I Die’ (hello bucket list!). Each page features PLENTY of room to write out your thoughts, while the opposing page features a hand-drawn pencil crayon-type picture that corresponds to the list at hand.

But wait, there’s more! You can snap up the latest generic list book, ‘My Future Listography’ to cast some light into your hopes and dreams for the future. Or you can delve into a specific subject, such as love, friends, or music. If you know a budding writer, get them the kids version so they track their favourite things as they grow up.

These are a cool idea, in the same vein as the ‘Keel’s Simple Diary‘ books I talked about awhile ago. It requires a pretty minimal investment of soul-searching, it’s interactive, and it’s fun to look at years down the line. It’s something for yourself (aka the person you’re giving it to) but it’s also fun and thoughtful. You can find the books online at Canada’s major book eTailers – Amazon and Chapters – or take a look at your local bookstore / Urban Outfitters. On Amazon, they weirdly range in price from $12 (kids) to $20 (my future lists), all of which are perfectly acceptable birthday or thank you gift price ranges.