
Christmas shopping has changed so much since I was a kid. We used to have to make a special trip to the mall, parents would have to divide and conquer with siblings shopping for each other, sneak things into the carts at the grocery stores, or make late night runs after the kids went to bed. Now we have wonderful resources that make shopping so much more accessible; we wait until the kids go to bed to sit down and click our way through their Christmas Lists; the packages are delivered right to our doorstep without a second thought.
Since shopping has changed so much over the past view years, I’ve really learned, as my own children get older, to value the gift of experience. The past few years, instead of giving them one big present from Mommy and Daddy, we have booked a trip. Here’s why we’ve done it that way: It gives them something to look forward to. I think sometimes we can all feel a little disappointed by gift giving holidays. The excitement builds for so many days (especially now when Christmas seeps into the stores by September) and then it’s over in a few moments. By gifting travel, whether the trip is 3 months away or 9 months, the gift receiver has a new date they’re looking forward to. In a way it extends the joy of the holidays. You’re gifting memories, not things
If you’re a parent, you know that a child’s interest in a specific toy can be fleeting. They may build up this particular toy in their mind as the coolest thing ever, they play with it for an hour then it’s old news. By gifting travel, we’re gifting memories that last our children a lifetime.
If we’re gifting a trip, I bet you’re wondering what we put under the tree. Well, it depends on what we are gifting. The year we gave them a week-long stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge in Walt Disney World (a huge splurge, but 100% worth the price), we gave them a pair of Mickey Ears with a cheetah print bow, a stuffed giraffe and a booklet about the hotel. Last year we gifted a 7-day cruise so their present under the tree was passport covers and a simple note saying, “we’re going on a cruise”!
If you’re interested in gifting travel for the holidays make sure you reach out to your preferred Carry on the Magic agent to start planning today!
Comments