FAMILY blog
Give the Gift of Experiences
G ift an experience and you give an experience that
let them pick the activity. Local blogger, Christella Morris,
lasts a lifetime! As the holiday season approaches,
recently wrote a story about this very topic and said, “If
I ask that we take a step back and consider gifting
you’re in our circle of friends or family, please don’t buy
our children experiences rather than just “stuff.”
my kids presents but instead give them the gift of your
time and love. It doesn’t have to cost anything, but it’s
I will never forget the day my mom brought my sisters
really the ONLY thing they need.”
and me to see “The Nutcracker” downtown at the Warner
Theatre. The memory of the deep red theatre seats, the
magnificent ballerinas, the lights, the makeup, the artwork
and the depth of the voices is something that will never
leave me!
Sadly, in the instant gratification world of the Internet, the
things my children “need” arrive within two days thanks
to Amazon Prime. A trip to Target with my three-year-old
Thomas Gilovich states, “Our experiences are a bigger part
of ourselves than our material goods. You can really like
your material stuff. You can even think that part of your
identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless they
remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences
really are part of you. We are the sum total of our
experiences.” is never complete without a small $5 toy that breaks before
the day is over.

I couldn’t agree more. I’m truly looking forward to gifting
my children experiences (and maybe a few toys) this
I can’t tell you the hours I’ve spent sorting Legos in hopes
year. I want them to recall these moments with the same
my boys may put together an old set. We’ve even bought
lasting wonder I have when remembering my family’s
plastic bins to house individual sets and tried sorting by
“Nutcracker” adventure many years ago. Creating
color or theme, but it hasn’t made a difference! They have
memories together lasts much longer than any material
no interest in the old stuff, and still clamor for a new box. It
item ever could, so I hope you join me in making it the
scares me to think of the message I’m sending when I give
in to them, so this year I’m making a change.

In this issue of Washington FAMILY, we have put together
season of experiential gifting!
Happy holidays from our FAMILY to yours,
a Holiday Gift Guide dedicated to giving that gift of
experience! We encourage you to explore our list and
consider gifting some sewing, music, STEM or swimming
lessons. Or, you could consider taking your little one out
for a day of indoor fun at Adventure Theatre, Imagination
Stage, Shadowland Adventures, Rockin’ Jump, American
Pops or Washington Revels.

Don’t know the right experience to gift? Don’t worry! Offer
a “coupon” for a day out with your favorite little one and
6 December 2017 washingtonFAMILY.com
Julie Turco
Account Executive
Washington FAMILY Magazine
jturco@thefamilymagazine.com




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