I’m tired of gift giving that just satisfies the act of giving a gift.  We all do it sometimes.  There are some people that are just generally awesome gift givers: those people that hone into what you say you need or want, and then some that are more of the gift givers motivated by some sort of obligation to give and end up giving something generic.  I think a lot of us fall in the middle, with some really thoughtful gifts for some and some less thoughtful gifts for others.

Thinking about this and gift-giving, in general, leads me to this….when I give a gift I want it to be something that is useful.  And not just in the practical sense, like socks and underwear, but more like something that is purposeful.  So in that respect, I want to give gifts that give you something more than a placeholder on a shelf, but perhaps something that provides an experience, or a memory.

On this note, I wanted to give my parents something special for their Christmas gifts.  Not something to just sit on a tabletop somewhere, or even in an attempt to not do that, instead presenting some gesture like a perishable gift or wine service, as done in the past.  This time I wanted something new.  And fresh.

So I came up with this…..for my mom I gifted her with a high tea together at a local bakery and tea shop.

For my dad, I gifted him with an outing to a gun range together.

Now in a way, these gifts may be a little selfish because I get to enjoy them as well, but I think the gift of time is one that you can never go wrong with.  What do you think?  Any other experience gifts given during this holiday season?