I have been reading about how a gift of an experience reaps more rewards than a material gift. That makes sense to me. I have always felt awkward receiving gifts. It’s not that I don’t like them; it’s just that I so rarely need anything anymore. Instead, I really like the idea of doing something together. So for my birthday this year we splurged and my husband and I got an experience: good Rolling Stones tickets. We had so much fun, just the two of us. We bellied up to a local bar for dinner outside the stadium and met some very interesting Stones fans and shared a good time.
Once we were at the stadium and found our seats, we walked around to find some friends. We had such a good time people watching together – and there was a lot to watch! Then, just as the Stones came on and we were walking back to our seats, (which were good) we saw some better empty seats and thought – oh we will just duck in here for the first song. We would have left if someone came to say we were in their seats. Well, we stayed there for the whole concert. We never sat down. We danced the whole night and had the best time. I am so glad we went and have that memory to share. I really can’t think of a better gift!
So for Father’s Day this year we gave my husband an experience also. Our two girls and I took him on a bike ride to Belle Isle in Detroit. Our city is coming back, slowly but surely. It was a great day for a bike ride and the four of us explored the city next door as hometown tourists. We felt lucky to have our girls home this summer and be able to do this before they go on to grad school. We looked forward to the bike ride and had a great time and now have a good memory to relive any time we want to. So, if you are thinking about giving a gift, think about giving an experience that will last a lifetime.
Learn more about the science of why an experience is more enjoyable than a gift here: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/buy-experiences/381132/
