My friend told me the other day she does not have a lot money to celebrate the holidays. It got me thinking about how research shows that giving and recieving experiences are more memorable and make us happier in the long run than material goods. So why not think up some great experiences that make us happier than gifting more stuff? If you are able to offer a gift and share together, it will help to build your relationship and that is the richest gift of all.
According to Elizabeth Landau of CNN, “Psychological research suggests that, in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions. That’s in part because the initial joy of acquiring a new object…fades over time as people become accustomed to seeing it every day, experts said. Experiences, on the other hand, continue to provide happiness through memories long after the event occurred.”
I would say our best family gifts have been trips; big trips and small. From getting in the car with some holiday music and cocoa to make a night of it looking at the lights around town; to going abroad. We get the good feelings of looking forward to it, and then looking back and appreciating it forever. It is experiencing new places together and spending time enjoying each other that will last.
A few ideas include -museum and zoo memberships, sports, concerts, theater tickets, cooking or crafting classes, gift certificates to movies, bowling, amusement parks, and ice-skating. Groupon is a great way to purchase a dining package or other experience. Create a 12 months jar with 12 events you can do together throughout the year. Don’t forget that you can give experiences on a limited budget too! What talent or hobby do you have that you can share? Are you a good cook? Can you paint? Look up something fun to do on Pinterest together.
Why not wrap up these experience gifts in big boxes with fancy bows to tear open on Christmas morning under the tree? They are truly the gifts that keep on giving.
(Aspiring to be a) Joy Spreader
