50 Ways to Give Experiences Instead of Stuff this Year
If you still have some shopping left to do, why not consider gifting an experience?
Chances are that whomever you are buying for already has a home filled with lots of wonderful things (the average American home has over 300,000 items in it).
Americans own twice as many things as we did 50 years ago. But the interesting thing is that, even with more things, Americans do not report to be any happier. In fact, 54% of us now report feeling overwhelmed by clutter and 78% of us say we have no idea how to manage it!
While stuff can make us happy temporarily, research shows that experiences contribute to lasting happiness.
The work of researcher Thomas Gilovich at Cornell University has found that people tend to get less happier with material purchases over time, and more happy with experiences. Gilovich concludes that this is because people adapt to physical things, so even the nicest car or newest phone soon become commonplace, while memories tend to get fonder over time.
“Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods,” Gilovich explains. “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.”
So if gifting experiences leads to increased happiness without contributing to America’s clutter problem, then it’s a win-win.
Here are 50 ideas “experience based” gift ideas that you can give (even last minute):
Memberships
Zoo membership
Museum membership
Gym membership
Batting cage membership
Science Center membership
Rock Climbing membership
Jump gym membership
Orchestra membership
Online courses (Click on the links to check them out if interested!).
Declutter your home course
Feeding toddlers course (This is what I’m asking for this year!)
Financial peace courses
CrossFit courses
Course on How to be the best version of yourself
Mindfulness courses
Intuitive eating course
Motherhood course
Peaceful parenting course
Course on Teaching kids to cook real food
Course on How to shoot a basketball
Leadership courses
Classes/Lessons
Painting classes
Pottery classes
Language lessons
Music lessons
Golf lessons
Tennis lessons
Dance lessons (Flamenco, Salsa, Swing)
Sessions with a personal trainer
Cooking classes
Ski lessons
Skydiving lessons
Scuba lessons
Tickets
Concert tickets
Tickets to see a motivational speaker
Tickets to see a comedian
Tickets to a sporting event (NFL, NBA, NHL)
Movie tickets
Tickets to a brewery tour
Tickets to an escape room
Theme park tickets
Tickets to a wine tasting event
Theater tickets
Gift certificates/ gift cards
Favorite restaurant
Ice cream parlor
Coffee shop
Massage
Acupuncture
Home cleaning service
Babysitting service
Laundry pick up service
Let’s not load our loved ones down with more stuff (especially if they’re in that overwhelmed 54%!). Give the gift of experiences and help make this Christmas a happier, more memorable one.