As people get older, many people no longer want “stuff.” After all, over the years, things accumulate, and it can get pretty overwhelming. It makes things difficult during the holidays when you want to give a gift to someone, but they are adamant that they don’t need (or want) anything.
Enter the gift of experience.
Giving experiences is a great gift alternative that enables people to be generous with family and friends, without adding to the stacks of stuff that so many are looking to downsize!
And the gift of experience hardly needs to be limited to those who are older! Gifts of experience are a great gift for any age – especially children! It’s a marvelous way to instill the importance of making memories with loved ones versus a toy that will be played with and eventually forgotten.
Gifts of experience can include some of the ideas listed below.
No-Cost Experience Gifts:
- A family picnic.Gifts don’t have to cost a fortune, and experiences are no different. A commitment to spend time at a home-cooked family picnic or reunion is a great promise that the recipient will look forward to.
- Wrap up a map to a new hiking trail along with a few brochures of scenic trails and interesting sight-seeing brochure.Schedule the date and make a memory.
$ Experiences:
- Ice-skating or roller-skating. Embrace their inner child and revisit a favorite pastime!
- Bowling anyone? Book a lane, and enjoy some laughs!
- Other ideas include batting cages or driving ranges; arcades; a lecture; or movie tickets.
$$ Experiences:
- Mani/Pedi/Massage. Depending on the spa package selected, this could go up to a more expensive experience, but who wouldn’t love to get a gift of pampering? It doesn’t always have to be expensive to indulge!
- Concert or theatre tickets. If a favorite band or show is coming to town, tickets make the perfect gift!
- Zookeeper for a day… Many natural conservatories offer a behind-the-scenes experience tour that takes a trip to the zoo to the next level!
- Escape room. These are fun, interactive, and challenging experiences that would be fun for the whole family to enjoy.
- Dance lessons. Sign them up for shag lessons or ballroom dancing! A great way to meet new people and have fun!
- Sign them up for a class they are interested in…anything from gardening, to how to paint, how to cook, or how to play the piano… the possibilities are endless!
- A fun photo shoot – whether with family, or something a little more risqué like boudoir…a photo shoot is a great experience that leaves memories for them to look back on!
- Other ideas include wine tasting; minor-league game tickets; rock climbing; laser tag.
Experiences of a Lifetime:
- Tandem sky-diving (or indoor skydiving)… give them a gift that will make them soar… literally!
- Hot air balloon ride… Another idea that would make the recipient float on air! A scenic hot air balloon ride would give a whole new view of the world!
- A cruise or dream vacation… Whether it’s a trip to Disney; a European tour; or a cruise around the world – the whole world is waiting to be discovered!
- Other ideas include season tickets to a favorite professional team; backstage passes to a favorite musician or band; flying lessons.
For the person on your lists who already has it all, consider giving them something they won’t forget: a memorable experience.