Give Experience, Not Things

Let's talk gifts. In my family, there are two times of year that seem to be filled [excessively] with birthdays, anniversaries, and special events: May and November/December. I love giving gifts. The look on someone's face when you give them the perfect gift brings my life so much joy. However, if gift giving is done without much thought, it can be expensive and quite wasteful. I have many things sitting in my home that have been gifts and do not get used (I know, I know, I am working on downsizing the "stuff"). That being said, there are also many gifts I have received that are used all the time. Anyways - I digress.

As a newlywed and a fulltime student, I cannot always afford to purchase a quality, ethical, "perfect" gift. I am an avid maker so I will often give something practical such as this macrame bag. However, I have started to shift towards experience gifts. With this, I am giving memories and moments instead of things (i.e., future landfill).

I can't write about my mom without showing her off ;)

Sometimes I find it challenging to find an experience gift that is "good enough." A few weeks ago my mother celebrated her birthday. I chose to take her on a coffee date and a walk by the river on the morning on her birthday as my gift to her. You see, my mom and I live two provinces apart so I do not get to see her as often as both of us would like. Leading up to her birthday, I had many doubts. My mom deserves the world and I felt my gift was insignificant compared to this. Her birthday came, and we had a lovely walk and a wonderful conversation. She later told me how much that time with me meant to her and I knew I had not let her down with the experience gift.

The point of that story is I am so accustomed to giving material items that I had a hard time giving an experience gift. I felt like it was not good enough. Yet, in a world filled with so much stuff, we are often missing out on the experiences (and often when we have the experiences we are glued to our devices and miss out anyways - but that's a topic for another time).

This is why it is so worth it to give a gift of experience. Trust me and try it. I am sure there are already some great ideas you are ruminating on, but here are a few more for those times when your brain is not quite functioning the way you would like it too - okay maybe this does not happen to you as often as it does to me, but my brain gets tired and then it will not process anything. So if you can relate to that, the rest of this post is for you.

Let's face it - exploring is fun.

Go outside and explore the area.

The neighbourhood I live in backs many walking trails as well as protected grasslands. This is perfect for exploring. I am confident that there is an area within reasonable proximity to you that you have yet to explore. It does not have to be a nature walk, sometimes people watching and observing the different types of homes/buildings in your area can be just as interesting.

Go out for a dessert or a nice meal.

This is so simple, yet so meaningful. Everyone loves free food and being able to visit with a loved one makes the experience that much better.

Tickets to a concert, festival, movie, theatre show, or any other special event.

The Tulip Festival in Abbotsford, BC.

This one can be a little more pricey, but if it is in your budget it will be well worth the expense. The other evening I went to a Shania Twain concert with my parents and it was fantastic. The concert itself was pretty good, but the laughs and smiles with my parents are what really made the experience.

Go to the spa for a facial, massage, or manicure.

A few years ago one of my girlfriends took me to the spa for my birthday. She treated me to a massage, manicure, and pedicure. Instead of adding something to my home or closet, I added a memory and I felt incredibly pampered which happens less often than I would like.

Take a class together.

This option has boundless possibilities. Are they into fitness? Go to a yoga, CrossFit, or spin class. Are they always crafting? Find a local pottery, sewing, or painting class. Do they love food? They might be the perfect person for a cooking class. Do they have so many plants and still want more? (Ahem, my mother-in-law). Go to a succulent planting class. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. You would be surprised at the variety of unique classes available.

Now it is your turn, find an experience gift that your loved one would appreciate, be bold, and go through with it. You will not regret it!