This was a reader request, and I was so happy to see it come through!  I’ve been thinking a lot about experience gifts for Christmas in regards to not just my kids, but family and friends too.

The older I get the more I put stock in our experiences.  My kids, at age 4 and 6, seem to have developed that as well. While they love toys, of course, they love going and doing it seems even more.

This Christmas we are trying to do presents low key since we’re surprising them with a trip to Switzerland the day after Christmas to go skiing – and to see snow for the first time!  I really can’t believe we’re doing this, but I seized the opportunity and time off of school!  I’ve noticed for my kids, they are a lot like me, just the anticipation of a trip can be a present enough.  We plan on wrapping ski clothes up and surprising them that way on Christmas morning.  With their stockings being filled with busy items for the plane.  And one larger present from Santa!  So that’s our big “experience gift” this year.  But that had me thinking of other ideas …

I love the idea of having 12 experiences, maybe one for each month, and wrapping them up in envelopes (labeling them by month) or with a coordinating gift.  You could say they can pick one a month too – they don’t need to coordinate seasonally.  I’ve also written a post about 5 subscription boxes that are educational that would make a great gift and receiving some fun educational mail every month is an experience in a way too.

Here are a few ideas – I think the experience is gift enough, but I’ll put gift ideas to coordinate in parenthesis:

• A trip to the Zoo (wrap that up with a Jellycat)
• Spring training tickets or baseball tickets (a new baseball glove / batting tee for out back)
• A campout in the backyard.  {a tent!)
• If you are nearby in florida – a trip to Kennedy Space center {a space suit}
• a fancy tea party (one at home, or the ritz always have cute ones/ “high tea” was always a fave as a kid)
• a trip to the nail salon {some cute kid spa stuff and nail polish)
• time at a local aquarium or childrens museum – an annual pass would be great, and a lot of times they have reciprocals
• my boys love the wow in the world podcast and wild kratts on pbs kids – both have tour dates, and I am planning to get tickets when they come into town!
• a trip to Disney World (y’all knew this was coming…. I love myself some disney world)
• This is an older post, but it’s all the things I love to do on our coast with kids.  So if you’re local, it may give you ideas for experience gifts!
• The Enchant Christmas looks so much fun if you are local.  It’s in St Pete.  Worlds largest Christmas Light maze!
• a night in a hotel.  Honestly, my kids loved the lego hotel, more than legoland!
• Classes for something they are interested in – horseback riding, chess, karate, gymnastics, etc…
• nature up close (butterfly garden, ant farm, ladybug farm, hummingbird feeder}
• Do your kids have a cause that they seem to have interest and compassion for?  A gift to that charity would be special!  I’m working on a post for things our children can do every day this holiday season to help their awareness of others needs, but this is one of those items on the list.  Stay tuned!

I hope this gave you some ideas for experience gifts (:  Do you have one that’s not on this list?