This Christmas invest in experiences, not things!

More Experiences, Less Stuff! Present Guide

This year when you think about the kinds of things you can do to make yourselves happy, think about not investing in material things, rather a shared experience as a gift.. Why?

Well, first of all, it doesn't make us as happy as we think. We think if we have the new designer bag or our kid gets everything on their Christmas list its going to make us super, super happy, but in hindsight, it doesn't. It doesn't in part because it sticks around. It's the same bag or toy day in, day out, they end up sticking around and that means we get bored with them. There’s a wonderful quip by the psychologist Dan Gilbert, who explains” Part of us believe that the new car is better because it lasts longer. But in fact, that's the worst thing about the new car. It will stay around to disappoint you” Experiences however aren’t going to stick around, you don’t have time to get used to them, and even before the experience the anticipation of it actually makes us happy. They build relationships, and long after this 'thing' has evaporated away and you still have that stuff that you bought, you have the shared experience to talk about together long into the future. Your kids won't remember the plastic toy they got from grandma, but they'll long remember the first musical she took them to or the cubby house they built with dad. Especially when loved ones are gone, they will treasure that Build A Bear or story book with Grandpa's voice in it.

Don’t get me wrong … I love giving presents, wrapping them and I really enjoy the hunt to give the perfect gift to a family member or friend. Still, the mum in me, I dread the 'aftermath' the paper and toys all over the floor, all the space taken up hoarding toys they haven't played with for 3 months and the constant complaining from the kids about having to clean up their toys they've left after a play (Nurf bullets are the worst.... just saying!)

Experiences are more sustainable, better for the planet, they're better to tell people about and make you more interesting than talking about your new outfit. They are also so much better than material stuff for gifts as they are less susceptible to social comparison. It's harder for your kids to compare her camping trip to a friends but very easy to compare her toy she got for Christmas to her friends. Bonus to helping the planet-you don’t have to find a place to store experiences except in your memory, and maybe in a photo book!

Studies have found that giving your kid too many toys can actually make them less happy as too many toys can be distracting and overwhelming to children, and those that had fewer toys and no electronics especially, but had parents who spent more time with them, did better in school and in many areas of social and emotional development. They also showed increased gratitude and generosity.

This year try the rule of 4. If you're like me, I collaborate with my family ideas for what to get so there are never unwanted gifts putting a strain on the planet that is only going to collect dust and not be utilised. For every 4 presents your kids will receive divide them into these groups.

A gift of "WANT" something they had their heart is set on that you know will be used (in my kids case it was a Nintendo Switch from mum and dad... man how often we played 'Mario Party' together as a family)

A gift of "NEED" we value experiences so things like movie tickets or an adventure park ticket.

A gift of "WEAR" you won't have to worry about buying clothes all year if you assign shoes or a jacket to a family member.

A gift of "READ" the library is often the best place to go to for your common story books and you save room without them taking up room on the shelves, but my kids do get different kind of books as a gift. Each year, I keep a folder on my desktop for each child and throughout the year add pictures from our trips, birthdays, and other fun memories. At the end of the year, I compile each child’s photos into a hardcover photo book that I print through a photo service. My gift to my grandma and mum is always a shared experience together like a dinner cruise and a photo calendar made with all the grandkids and special dates. I love the a kids book about..'books as they are great bed time books that promote open discussion and insight, and I also make my nephews, nieces and friends kids these awesome custom story books from Wonderbly like 'That's My Cake' (its a winner for siblings) and Hooray Heros 'Merry Christmas '-Sibling Book . These are my favourite types of gifts to give as it helps them relive and remember everything we did as a family that year, and the sibling story books are so much at bedtime (not only can you save time doing story time together but they get to get involved remembering their lines) .

Even if you’ve already purchased gifts for this year, consider adding some experiences as well or slowly transitioning to more experience-based gifts over time. The family bonding time and memories are so worth it!

Merry Christmas

xB

Some gift ideas for experiences