Cider Monday returns to bookstores this December

Last year, various independent bookstores celebrated Cider Monday as a fun twist on the online retailing bonanza Cyber Monday. This year, some bookstores say they'll be bringing it back.

If you’re actually outdoors on what is known as “Cyber Monday” – the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend when many online retailers offer tempting deals – and are looking for a beverage to warm you up, you might want to try ducking into an independent bookstore.

Dec. 1 will feature the return of “Cider Monday,” which was celebrated last year at various independent businesses, including bookstores. Participating shops offer free cups of the apple beverage to shoppers. According to industry newsletter Shelf Awareness, New Hampshire bookstores Toadstool Bookshops was the origin of the idea. There are Toadstool locations in Peterborough, Keene, and Milford.

“Cider Monday is a direct and delicious assault on the Monday after Thanksgiving known as the infamous Cyber Monday,” Toadstool staff wrote on their site this year. “It’s simple, be in your store that Monday to greet everyone with some cider and a heartfelt thanks for shopping locally.”

Last year, as we reported, bookstores from all over New England joined in. This year, Phoenix Books of Essex Junction, Vt. has created a Facebook event for Cider Monday this year, as has Waterbury, Vt.’s Bridgeside Books. We’ll see what other stores celebrate this year.