A Kindle might just be the best gift you can buy for book-loving parents. Here are some important tips and considerations to help make the process totally painless.

Why a Kindle?

Every year, when we ask my dad what he wants for his birthday, he says the same thing: Socks and hankies. When we press him for something a little more adventurous, his stock response is, ‘By having my family here, I already have everything I want.’ Goodness, he’s a wonderful role-model. But, of course, friggen impossible to buy presents for.

The Kindle 2 was one of the best gifts I ever bought my dad. It’s not another thingamabob that sits around in the garage next to the massaging chair; he uses it every single day. It’s brought him incredible convenience and he’s discovered some excellent books because of it. It’s become one of his most indispensable tools and he loves the thing. 

Since then, I’ve recommended the Kindle as a gift for friends’ parents as well, of various ages and levels of tech-comfort, and it’s always a hit. Kindles make great gifts for parents because:

• They are very simple and intuitive to use
• They have a clearly defined function and do that one thing well
• It makes buying books incredibly simple – it’s a great help if they struggle with mobility and going out to buy books can be, literally, a pain
• Amazon eBooks are relatively affordable
• It’s not a touch-screen
• You can buy it with built-in 3G so it’s ready to use out the box
• If your parents are starting to struggle with their sight, it has features to help them
• They can carry hundreds of books on them at any one time: great for vacations
• They can still sit outside and catch some sun whilst they read

Of course, a Kindle has none of the flash and pizzazz of a tablet, but overall it’s a fantastically functional device. Trust me - you’ll buy one for your parents and then proceed to ‘borrow’ it repeatedly for your own use.

Sounds Great! How Do I Get One?

Try to put in your Kindle order at least 3 weeks before the time you want to give it to them. They usually arrive very quickly but don’t take the chance.

Step by step instructions on buying the Kindle

Step 1: Go to Amazon and select which version you want. Get one with built-in 3G, unless your parents have WiFi at home. The larger Kindle DX is great for users with low vision.

Step 2: Now, below the shopping cart box, there’s a second little box. Follow the link saying that you are outside the U.S. and need to see information specific to your country. Select ‘South Africa’ from the dropdown that pops up.

Step 3: This will take you to the SA Kindle page. Add the Kindle to your shopping cart as usual, select ‘This will be a gift’, choose from the accessories that are suggested and proceed to checkout.

A note on accessories: a cover is usually a good idea; some come with built-in reading lights. 

Step 4: Sign in or create an Amazon account. Choose where you want the Kindle shipped to (your address or your parent’s address). Pay, and wait for delivery!

Some Things to Keep in Mind

Your mum/dad might not look immediately excited when they first see the Kindle. Don’t be downheartened: you don’t really ‘get’ why a Kindle is so awesome until you start using it. Explain what it is, let them play with it for a couple of days and they’ll fall in love with it, I promise.

You might want to get the Kindle delivered a little early so that you can pre-load it with some books they’ll like before you give it to them.

This helps ease the learning curve at the beginning and gives them something immediate and tangible they can get excited about, even if they don’t immediately get the point of the device.

The Kindle doesn’t come with a wall-plug charger by default, only a USB cable. This can be an issue if your parent doesn’t have a household computer, or doesn’t like to leave theirs on at night. Unfortunately, Amazon can be a bit stickly about letting you order a charger, so you might need to contact your local PC distributor to help you get hold of one.

If your parent is PC savvy, help them to set up an eBook library programme like Calibre. This is a great way to store, sort and convert ebooks. It’s also great to show them services like Feedbooks, an online database of thousands of free ebooks available for download in a number of formats, including Kindle. 

Finally

Buying gadgets for other people is always risky: it’s an expensive mistake if you get it totally wrong and it ends up just gathering dust. But the Kindle, for my dad, has become one of his most useful, favourite tools and it warms my heart every time I see him using it.

Maybe it’s just the thing you’ve been looking for to surprise a loved one this year, if you can’t stand the idea of more socks and hankies.

Have you bought a parent a Kindle? How did it go? Let us know in the comments.