Everywhere we turn today, we hear about supply chain distribution concerns. This is leading to shortages of popular toys and electronics. As are many of you, I am having constant conversations about rising prices and how to manage inflation.
As we move into the holiday season, I know many are worried about making it a “good” Christmas for those you love. I think most of us agree that what we want is to spend time gathered together. We want a chance to laugh together, release some of the past year’s stresses, and feel “normal” again.
I want to suggest that you solve the shortage of gifts and increase time spent together with some strategic planning. This especially works for those in your life that you do not know what to get them because they “have everything.”
Consider purchasing experiences this season instead of a physical gift. If you still want something to put under the tree – put something that involves the experience.
The first step in making this work is determining what the person you want to provide this gift to likes. And – more importantly, if possible, might want to do, but would not or could not purchase for themselves. Also, consider if you want to do an experience together or an experience for just that individual.
We started doing this with our adult son several years ago. One year we purchased tickets to a Yankees – Red Sox game in Fenway Park to see the Yankees play in a different stadium. In 2019 we purchased tickets to a Broadway show which we are finally going to use in a couple of weeks. Lynn and Mike went to a ComiCon superhero’s convention one year.
All these experiences gave us a destination – Boston, NYC, and Baltimore. We spent time together planning the trip and the other activities at those locations. We spent a weekend of time with Mike. Rather than being a 5-minute opening the gift and moving on, it was a gift that we all were involved in for months.
Maybe you want to plan something for a more extended family? Consider renting a beach house for next summer and inviting everyone to attend. Or – purchase an activity to do locally. Consider what the recipients of this gift like to do when planning an event:
- Like craft activities? There are several local studios where you can paint a picture, create a mosaic, or make any number of craft items. There are also hundreds of videos online that you could stream and gather in your home to make that item.
- Like sports? Consider tickets to the local hockey or baseball games. Maybe you travel to see them at another stadium rather than in their home stadium. If the expense is not prohibitive, you could purchase tickets to a major league game for the sport of your choice. Maybe you purchase tickets to a sports Hall of Fame.
- Like more active activities? Take the opportunity to try a new activity. Purchase admission for a local night at the ice skating or roller-skating rink or try tubing at the local ski resort. Trampoline parks, bounce house parks, and ninja warrior courses are popping up all over the country. Maybe sign you and a partner up for a local Pilates, spinning, or similar class. Consider scheduling several family sessions with a personal trainer.
- Like day trips? Tickets to a nearby amusement park might be what you want. Tickets to a performance at a local venue – a concert, a comedian’s show, or a local play production might be the ticket. Admission to a nearby zoo or museum might appeal to some. For some families, an overnight stay in a hotel with many amenities can be a great idea.
- Like wellness activities? Think yoga, Reiki, or mindfulness classes. Maybe you purchase a subscription to an app with access to meditation guides. There are many local establishments offering classes as well as online or streaming options that you can purchase.
- Want lower cost options? Try creating the tried and true “coupon books.” Give your kids coupons for a pass to not clean their room or pass a chore to another family member. Offer your spouse a coupon to have you cook dinner or to clean the basement. Offer your spouse a coupon to spend a day doing their favorite activity while you watch the kids. Go online and create a puzzle book to give to that family member who likes word searches or crossword puzzles. Create your own make a difference day for an elderly family member – paint, do landscaping or make minor repairs that they might have to hire to get done or struggle to do themselves.
Many of the above suggestions are to gather families and spend time together. Some will work well to give to an individual to do alone. The key is to think about what the individual and/or family members might enjoy doing that they usually would not purchase for themselves.
Short on time or ideas – decide on a dollar value for your gift. Christmas morning can be spent as a family brainstorming ideas. Planning these experiences takes time and should be part of the fun.
Once you have decided what experience you want to give, you can also make it fun for the recipient. Yes, you can simply put the gift card or a certificate under the tree. Or – you can make it more of a game. You can put that gift card inside a wrapped box, inside another wrapped box, maybe doing six or seven wrapped boxes of increasing size. Make someone unwrap all of them to get to the gift. You can give a series of gifts that give hints to the experience to come. You can create a word or jigsaw puzzle that the answer is what the experience will be. If you are doing a family gift, maybe each family member gets a small gift related to that experience before you disclose what the experience is.
Holidays are often stressful. With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday upon us, planning will be vital to reducing your stress levels. Are you already more stressed this year because of concerns about COVID – who is vaccinated and who is not, is that cough or sniffles, a cold, allergies, the flu, or COVID? Are you overworked because of an understaffed work environment? Is there a concern about money because of the rising costs of necessities? For several, the inability to get items or an increased concern about timely delivery adds to the stress of holidays.
I hope some of the suggestions above can help reduce your stress around making this a “good” holiday season. The time spent creating or planning these experiences can provide a feel-good hit several times over, in addition to seeing the “gift” opened on the holiday itself.
Today, we wish you Happy Thanksgiving. We also want to be among those that wish you a Happy Holiday Season!! And – the financial planner in me also wants to ask that you do not create financial burdens for yourself that will add to your stress. Create those experiences that you can enjoy in the months to come.