Why You Should Give the Gift of Experience

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It’s that time of year again: the season of giving. The season of cookies and milk, nice vs. naughty lists, decorated trees and wrapped presents. Or depending on your amount of holiday cheer, busy parking lots, jam-packed shopping malls, over-priced purchases and over-flowing stockings. Whether you’re Team Santa or Team Scrooge, Christmas is all about finding the perfect gift for that special someone.

Typically, the holiday hunt consists of three rounds: browsing, buying and returning. For those wanting to get ahead of the rush, whether choosing to start by window-shopping or online-scrolling, browsing is good for getting ideas and comparing prices. While the next round is likely to be a simple exchange (easy, peasy, winter sneezy), shoppers might run into trouble. Depending on the price tag, popularity or size of the present, the following is possible: needing to hold-off on buying, failing to find the top pick or lacking the space to store it. And in some cases, even with the effort of browsing and buying, the present is just a bust.

This year, take a break from the hunt and think outside of the box. Before hitting the mall to look for the next best thing, here are the top reasons to give the gift of experience.

No way to double up

Forget the standard toys, clothes and jewelry, giving the gift of experience means having the chance to get creative and stand-out from other gift-givers. The change in tradition is all about making memories, instead of a mountain of mess. It’s about sticking to one big surprise, instead of ticking off a long list of Christmas wishes – many of which eventually end up in the ‘stuff around the house’ category.

Less hassle

Whether the experience is a concert, sporting event or theatre performance, buying tickets online is as simple as cart, card, and click. Leave your car at home, and steer clear of the holiday crowds.

More fun

For those on a budget, spend a day out-and-about. Keep it local and take your pick: hit the beach, go for a hike, swap shoes for skates, make a furry friend at the zoo, check out the aquarium or head to the drive-in. For those looking to provide a lasting experience, enter your little ones into swimming lessons or a sports camp and provide your big ones with an annual pass of their liking. Regardless of the activity, share some laughs and spend some quality time with family and friends. Getting up and getting out together is always more fun than sitting around the tree.

Forget the paper, the ribbons, and the bows

Generally speaking, gift-wrapping is the worst. And many holiday-goers (too many to count) tie for being the worst at it. By giving the gift of experience, skip your visit to the gift-wrapping station and wave buh-bye to Santa’s helpers. All you need is a pen, a card and a heart-warming note.

That smile though

While most of us shop ’til we drop expecting something in return, some of us give the goods with something else in mind: making that special someone smile. Be sure to earn an ear-to-ear with a gift like no other.

Are you giving the gift of experience this year? Tell us about it by tagging @BeMakeful on social.