Guest Blog by Nancy A. Pritchard, Certified Life Mastery Consultant
The Not So Big Christmas – Day 12
Gifts of Experience/Gifts of Time
Today, we continue with the theme of giving gifts of experience rather than physical gifts. An enjoyable twist on this theme is to make the experience something that you and the recipient can enjoy together. This way, you’re able to anticipate time together with your loved one while saving yourself the strain of searching for that ‘perfect’ gift in the midst of hundreds of other holiday shoppers.
It’s a win/win for sure!
More ‘experience’ gift ideas –
*A gift certificate to a craft class for you and a favorite crafty friend
*A gift card to a preferred restaurant. My husband and I do this for each other every year. It’s never a surprise, but always one of the gifts at the top of my list!
*Theater gift cards for you and your son to see an upcoming movie together
*An afternoon of baking or cooking with Mom – you buy the ingredients
*An offer to put together a scrapbook with an older relative or friend
Consider these gifts of your time that involve no cost to you –
*Pet sitting for a neighbor who has a friendly cat and an upcoming business trip
*Complete any house cleaning service for a friend (Windows would be my choice!)
*Take Grandma out for an afternoon of shopping
*Share one of your special skills with your parents for an afternoon (Tech savvy people, I’m thinking about you!)
*Take a friend to a free concert or festival (If you live in a mid- to large-sized city, check out the list of free cultural events)
Consider these no- or low-cost gifts for the kids –
*A weekend at Camp Grandma. When my boys were young, my mother and father used to invite them to spend weekends with them throughout the year. Mom and Dad would take the kids to local parks, to the airport, and even to an amusement park once a year. My kids loved these special weekend outings!
*The once-a-month family date. From sledding and making snowmen in the winter, to picnics and miniature golf in the summer, family together time is the gift that your kids will remember. You can plan your monthly dates during Christmas week, then add these events to next year’s family calendar. That way, everyone can anticipate this special family time all year long.
*If you have children or grandchildren, consider investing in gifts designed to encourage together time for the entire family. Sleds, puzzles and board games in the winter and croquet and badminton sets in the warmer months are some favorite tried and true choices.
