What do you get for the person that has everything?
What’s an equally great gift for the person who has next to nothing?
Easy. How about the gift of time?
One Christmas, an acquaintance of ours gave her children a piece of paper emblazoned with the words, “The Gift of Time.” Each kid got to pick an activity to do with just Mom and Dad. For example, one of the girls elected to go to a theatrical production of RENT.
I guarantee those memories made will last longer than some gadget that could have been gifted instead, destined to be sold at a garage sale sometime down the line. Every time I clean the house, I’m reminded that it would be a whole lot easier if we just had less stuff.
We always encourage friends and family to contribute toward experiences for our kids. A number of them pitched in towards private swimming lessons for Lucy when she was younger. She loved it! She looked forward to her swim time every week, and I couldn’t believe how much her confidence grew in the time since she first began. I don’t know of many toys that fit that bill.
A few years ago, we helped Lucy cross something off her Bucket List: horseback riding. An hour-long stroll through the woods on the back of her favorite animal (besides a cheetah!) really made an impression. Check out her letter to Santa to see what was on the top of her Christmas list that year.
Nowadays she earns money feeding and caring for horses, and leases one of her own!
We live in a society that is stuff rich and time-poor. Time is the most valuable thing we have. It’s more in demand than Cabbage Patch Kids or Tickle Me Elmo dolls ever were.
Experiences last long after a toy gets broken or outgrown. And the gift of time — the kind that is generous, unrestricted, and free of distraction — is as fitting a present for kids as it is for spouses, parents, neighbors, employees, and the neighbor lady across the street.
Babysit for some busy parents so they can enjoy a dinner and a movie NOT rated ‘G.”
Take a friend on a surprise adventure that includes a delicious lunch and a spa visit.
Join the widow across the street when she walks her dogs and offer company and conversation.
At the end of our lives, we will not spend time taking inventory of all the stuff we collected. No, we will be reflecting on the scenes we created, the experiences that took our breath away, and the memories we made spending time with the people we love.
There’s nothing wrong with giving a meaningful, thoughtful gift that the recipient can hold and treasure. But if you’re stuck trying to find the perfect something for a certain somebody, a little time is all you need.
Wise words. When taking our son, age 4 or 5 (not the one you know) to a child psychologist for anger issues, we were told to use that old saw, a reward system. We had a hard time figuring out what he could want that he didn’t already have. The therapist said, “Your time.” So that was the deal: 15 minutes of UNDIVIDED attention from the parent. We thought we spent a lot of time with him, but when measuring time with the child with no distractions, 15 minutes was a surprising amount of time. (I’m happy to say, this guy grew up to be a very laid back, easy-going person, thank you God! And now, we wouldn’t mind 15 minutes of HIS undivided attention HA!)
For my 50th birthday, my husband gave me a 30 minute, mile high hang gliding experience. It fulfilled my lifelong dream of flying (or as close to it as I’ll ever get).
Super cool. Not sure if I;m brave enough for that, but I bet it was amazing!!