There seems to be a lot of different approaches to giving gifts for Christmas. There’s the four gift rule: something to wear, something to read, something they want, something they need. There’s the free-for-all. There’s the “Santa gifts” and “Mom and Dad gifts.” And then, there’s the gift of experiences.
I recently came across an article that boasted “150 NON-TOY Gifts.” Intrigued, I decided to check it out. I mean, what non-toy gifts ARE there that my five-year-old would actually enjoy? Enter: the gift of experiences. Basically, instead of giving things, you gift your child experiences instead.
I really like this concept (have I mentioned I’m a minimalist?). In fact, I like this concept SO much, I decided to create a wish list of my own.
In case you’re wondering what experiences this mom would like to be gifted this year, here’s a wishlist:
- The experience of drinking her coffee or eating her food while it’s still warm, preferably well above room temperature.
- The experience of wandering the aisles of Target without hearing “can we leave yet?” or “can I get…” or frantically looking for your child who took off running because you were checking out an eye shadow palette for 2 seconds too long.
- The experience of listening to my 90’s playlist or audiobook in the car without the accompaniment of heavy sighs or whining.
- The experience of preparing one dish for a dinner and everyone enjoying it. Macaroni and cheese not included.
- The experience of not having to make a decision about where to go to out to eat or
whether or not we should order take out. - The experience of going to the bathroom or taking a shower or getting ready without hearing “Mom! Mom! Mommy! Mommy!” on the other side of the door.
- The experience of going to sleep and/or waking up at the exact time we want to.
- The experience of sitting down to read a book and drink a cup of coffee (or wine) without a small child climbing on us.
- The experience of getting out the house on time because everyone has everything they need when we get in the car, the first time.
- The experience of walking through the house, from Point A to Point B, without feeling the compulsion to tidy along the way.
- The experience of having a phone conversation without having to randomly answer a question or yell or bribe a small child to quiet down because I’m on the phone.
- The experience of sitting down to watch a TV show or movie and NOT falling asleep because you actually, finally decided to sit down.
Now, most of this is all in good fun, and I am truly blessed to have the gift of experiencing motherhood every day. But, I’m still curious.
