Somewhere during “not hot” season we cram Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa into about five weeks. I can only speak for those of the Hebrew persuasion, but I’m guessing the other holidays come with their own family drama, stress and at least one awkward conversation nobody wanted to have.

Thanksgiving always makes me laugh. We spend an entire day talking about how grateful we are for everything we already have, then less than twenty-four hours later we’re elbowing strangers in a store trying to buy more stuff we probably don’t need. We’ve all seen it over the years. Cabbage Patch Kids. Tickle Me Elmo. Razor Scooters. Fingerlings.

I know because I spent December of 2017 calling every toy store within driving distance asking, “Hi…do you have any Fingerlings left?” To which my husband, being my husband, immediately informed me it’s never too late for a good fingerling. I hate how much I laughed at that.

The point is, we’re a society of gift givers, but the older I get the more I think we’re shopping for the wrong things. Most gifts fall into one of two categories. They’re either completely forgettable, or they’re so awful the recipient starts wondering if you even know them at all.

Some of my favorite gifts over the years haven’t been things at all. They’ve been experiences. A Broadway show. A concert. A weekend away. A cooking class. An afternoon wandering through a museum. The “stuff” eventually ends up in a closet, a garage sale or a landfill. The memories somehow stick around.

So in the spirit of giving I’m going to give you my 20 (for 2020) ideas of Gifts of Experience for family and friends, young and old, that aren’t just for the Wintry season.  These gift ideas can be given all year round and not just for special occasions, but sometimes just because giving somebody a bad-ass gift just makes you awesome.

1) Tickets to a Show (Comedy, Theatre, Symphony, Opera)
2) Tickets to a Professional Sports Event
3) Passes to a Local Amusement Park or Local Water Park
4) Music Lessons
5) Art Lessons
6) Sports Lessons
7) Equipment for Sports: Skis, Basketball, Baseball, Helmets, Skates
8) Museum Membership
9) Zoo Membership
10) Aquarium Membership
11) Tickets to a Holiday Light Show
12) Movie Gift Cards
13) National and State Park Pass
14) A Weekend Trip Away/Vacation
15) Concert Tickets
16) Laser Tag/Escape Room/Mini Golf/Bounce Place/Indoor Skydiving
17) Pottery Painting Event/Paint Your Own Pallet Board Night
18) Family Photo Shoot
19) Baking/Cooking Class
20) Dance Lessons

Will everyone remember every gift they got this year? Probably not. But they’ll remember laughing their way through an escape room, singing at the top of their lungs at a concert or spending a Saturday learning how to make homemade pasta. Those are the kinds of gifts that last.

Here’s wishing you a happy, healthy New Year, as little family drama as possible and a whole lot more memories than Amazon boxes.

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