Experiences to Gift This Holiday Season

by Audrey Lee

Thinking of gift ideas for the loved ones in your life can be a hard task, especially when they are at an age that is hard to buy for. Younger kids are happy with the brightly colored toys and games waiting for them under the tree while pre-teens, teens and young adults can sometimes be hard to please with material items. This year, try gifting experiences.

When you hear “gifting experiences” you may think lavish vacations with over-the-top excursions. This does not have to be the case. Giving someone the gift of an experience can be affordable and can become a bonding experience with someone you only get to see a couple times a year.

If you know your nieces or nephews are going on vacation somewhere, speak with their parents on paying for a special, unique excursion for them. This could be zip lining through a forest, snorkeling in a cave, a guided tour to an ancient temple or anything unique to the area they are visiting. Check with their parents first to make sure they can fit it into their itineraries.

Money can be an issue so, if that idea is too expensive, try thinking of something more local the person may enjoy. Try getting tickets to an upcoming concert of their favorite musician, or a Broadway show. If the event is in the future, don’t worry about it. Having something to look forward to will continue the excitement after the holidays are over.

Plan a night to take them out to an escape room, hatchet throwing, Top Golf or the trampoline park to have fun while being active physically and mentally. For older recipients, try taking them to a wine tasting, enroll in a cooking class or take them on a pub crawl in the nearest city. For eager learners, pay for a month of music lessons or for their favorite exercise class, like kickboxing or yoga.

For inexpensive gifts everyone can afford, simply gift your time. Spending quality time with someone is truly the only gift you can give that you cannot buy. Plan a day to visit a park, have a picnic, grab coffee, enjoy ice cream, window shop in a cute town or cook them dinner. Try choosing parks, stores, and restaurants outside of the normal places you visit to make a new adventure out of it.

Giving the gift of an experience, learning opportunity or quality time is a better gift than material items.