Experience gifts are the best for so many reasons. Concerts, sporting events, small getaways, epic vacations, special restaurant outings, trampoline park passes, museum exhibits, theater shows, comic performances, riding lessons, art classes: Not only do you get the actual experience itself, but you also get the fun of anticipating it and then the lifelong joy of new memories and stories. Experience gifts are also a gentle resistance to disposable consumerism and the clutter of endlessly more stuff. If an experience gift makes sense for your loved one, consider these five rules to ensure that your experience gift delights to the fullest extent.
1. Make your experience gift very concrete and not hypothetical.
No homemade “coupons" for future experiences, y'all. Nobody ever, ever, ever follows through on those. If you want your person to actually experience whatever experience gift you have dreamed up, make it extremely concrete. Choose a specific time and date. Actually book it. For years, my siblings and I attempted to gift our parents a special bucket-list trip to Ireland, but it always fizzled because we framed it as "tell us when you want to go and we will cover everything." We ultimately succeeded when we decided to book it for them. We even consulted their employers (who loooved being part of the surprise!) to prearrange the necessary time off work.
2. Make sure they already have what they need to enjoy your experience gift.
You want to make sure that your experience gift can be enjoyed as-is with no extra purchases or equipment required (unless you're also planning to gift those items as part of the reveal package). If you're gifting a getaway, make sure they already have the clothes required for that location and occasion. If you're gifting trampoline park passes, include those special required socks. If they need a travel bag, give or make arrangements to borrow one so all they have to do is pack it.
3. Make sure the experience gift doesn’t cause inadvertent work or stress.
This is me being utterly shocked at receiving the experience gift of a trip to Paris. I'll be honest: moments after the surprise sank in, a mental to-do list started swirling. Who's going to watch the kids? What about the dog? Who can bring in the mail? Colin had already thought through and addressed all of those needs. A major key to enjoying the experience gift is handling as many related tasks as you can. This is true not only for major trip gifts, but also experience gifts like a special dinner out. Try to prearrange all the practical logistics that your experience gift requires.
4. Consider adding space for a friend.
Most experience gifts are a million times more delightful when they're shared. When we give our kids some kind of experience gift (tickets to Monster Jam, theater performance, or a football game; trail riding reservations; a day at the nail salon), we usually include a spot for them to bring a friend. One of the best parts of our Ireland trip gift was announcing that the whole family would be going along with my parents. Relationship building is, truly, the greatest gift of any experience.
5. Consider gifting an experience in the home.
If travel and events aren't really their passion, your loved one may absolutely revel in an experience that connects to their home and daily life. Is there a small renovation or improvement project that they're always wishing would happen? See rule 1 and make it happen! One Christmas I opened a toilet and looked quizzically at Colin, who announced that he had booked a contractor to finally redo our tiny bathroom. Hallelujah! I can't tell you how much I loved that gift, from the anticipation planning to the finished project that I got to enjoy daily for years. Is there a gallery wall that needs to be framed and hung? Can you hire a bimonthly cleaning service? Would they love a lunch meal prep subscription? Pay attention to what experiences in the home could be a wonderful gift.
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