The Gift Of Experience.

December 14, 2012 by bfm | 3 Comments

Ok, ok, I hear you complaining about this time of year and how much STUFF you already have and now how much more STUFF you are bringing in.  Its overwhelming.  If you are reading this blog, I can 100 percent say that you have everything you need in your life and your children’s lives.  I also get that Christmas is a time when children deserve the experience of gifts and all the hoopla that goes with it.  Ripping into gifts, throwing paper in the air, playing with a  toy for five minutes before loosing interest and moving on.  The story is older than Jesus himself.

Living on STX, the things I wanted to purchase for friends and family were out of my price range and I detested plastic crap from China on the shelves at KFart.  I always try to make the gifts meaningful and reflect the recipients personality…I try.  That, combined with on-line shopping and shipping deadlines made holiday shopping from St. Croix one big PITA.  So, a few years ago I started giving “Experiences”.  I gave family gifts of things I knew they could use AND enjoy.  Gift certificates to favorite restaurants, Amy’s Ice Cream, the movie theatre…. and TA DA!  That was EASY!!

SOOOOOOOOOOO, here are some Experience Gift Ideas, from me, to you:

1.  Local Ice Creamery Ice Cream Gift Certificates: kids will love them and parents will love throwing the kids in the care for random ice cream outings at no cost to them.

2.  Movie Gift Cards: people of all ages will enjoy a free show and take advantage of it because it’s already paid for.  Better yet, when giving movie gift cards to parents, include a note letting them know you’ll take care of the kids (or payfor a sitter…)

3. Museum Membership: the list of museums is endless in my area and yours, too. Adults can foster an old infatuation with art, kids can enjoy countess events with member  priviledges at children’s museums, etc.  Those new to your town might enjoy a history museum, eh?

4.  Park Memberships: Granted, most parks don’t charge, but what about season passes to an amusement park or better yet, create your own membership pass to a friend’s favorite park “Good For Five Park Dates” or something corny like that.

5. PAINTBALL! I have imagined our entire family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, getting it all out with some friendly fire and teamwork skills. Oh ya.  Can’t you just see it?

6.  Favorite Restaurant Gift Card or certificate: More often than not, dinner is not planned.  The feeling of relief that comes over an exhausted parent at the end of the day when they reach for the gift card to take the entire family out to dinner; or maybe they save it for a special occasion.  Either way, they will all enjoy it. (Looks like Brad & Angie got a sitter, huh? That was sweet of someone to give them a gift card to Olive Garden so they could have a kid free dinner.)

7.  Live Theatre Performance: Many area theatres offer buy-in-advance options.  Again, this is something that a family or couple may not go do on their own, but given that it is already paid for, might make for a most memorable evening. I’m part of the “I Think Going To The Theatre Is A Cool Date With My Husband Club”.  My husband, not so much, but he would do it for me.

8.  Car Washes: Yes.  A certain MeMaw recently requested that I wash her car.  If she doesn’t have the time, what makes her think I do?  But, I would GLADLY hand over a gift certificate for a super-duper car wash extravaganza.  Groupon makes this even easier and cheaper.  One for me, one for you. {holla moms!}

9.  Wholesale Club Membership: I usually tag along with friends and family to the clubs on their time, which usually does not coincide with my meal planning, but I make it work because they are doing me a favor.  If you have a club tag-a-long, maybe this would be the PERFECT gift. (hint hint) Just an FYI, Costco pays their employees better and provide higher quality produce and products all around.  Just sayin….

10. Time: reach deep into your brain and think what you could really use more of.  Everyone wants more time.  More quiet time, more time with their kids, more time doing the things they enjoy.  Get crafty and make some old-fashioned coupons good for time.  Time of taking the kids from the parents for romance, time for parents away from the kids for and afternoon of pure spoiling with out the watchful eye of the parents.  You get the idea. (wow, this is a great idea!!! I sure wish someone reading this gets this for ME!…and I even have something up my sleeve for a very handsome, bearded fisherman)

At the end of the day, these gifts don’t get shoved in the corner, they don’t get donated to charity, they don’t get broken.  They get saved and the recipients look forward to using them, unlike the snow man smoking a cigar cookie jar I gifted to the thrift store in St. Croix.

And please, don’t get me wrong, my kids will get PLENTY of noise makers, tiny pieces, gifts that require more participation on our part than you can shake a stick at and all around fun, useless STUFF, but we try t keep it to a minimum. Because of that, I try to be considerate of other’s lives and what they want and don’t want in their homes.

I truly hope that each and every one of you realizes that you already have it all.  That you are responsible for your own happiness and no THING is going to make you happier.  That with acquiring new things, means taking on responsibly of ownership and taking care of that new THING.

From the days of spending Christmas on the beach in beautiful St. Croix, to being surrounded by tons of family on a who knows what kind of weather day in Texas, I want to wish all of you the Merriest of Christmases and I hope you get exactly what you want.

xoxo
bfm

{oh, and go ahead and clean out those closets and rooms now of unwanted toys & clothes to make room for the new.  My bestie just did this and she said it felt AMAZING!)

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