1000 Flowers for the Planet - #277 Gift an Experience

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #277 Gift an Experience

How many gifts do you buy every year? Many people buy enormous quantities and spend huge dollars at Christmas, but there’s also family birthdays, kids birthdays, mothers’ day, fathers’ day, anniversaries, bridal showers, weddings, engagements, baby showers, baby arrival, work colleagues leaving, house warmings, religious ceremonies … It’s quite a list. And for all of these things we buy stuff, particularly at Christmas when children are overwhelmed with gifts.

In the end, what is it all? It’s stuff. Just stuff. Sometimes gifts are thought through well and are very useful or much needed but more and more these days our gifts are just stuff purchased to fulfil that social need to be able to say ‘we did the right thing’ but giving someone ‘something’. How many of us still have all the stuff we’ve been gifted over the years? That question might be worth thinking about.

This Flower suggestion is to change stuff for experiences. Instead of buying a useless object that may not be required, gift someone a memory, something they can go and do or be a part of. Examples would be: theatre tickets; a voucher to go ten pin bowling or play mini golf; sky diving; hot air ballooning; zoo entry; two tickets to a movie; tickets to the football or any other sporting event; entry to a special art exhibition; membership to a club; introductory dancing lessons; a short course in cooking. The list goes on.

When you look back on your life do you say, “Remember that food processor John and Sue bought us” or do you say “Remember that amazing hot air balloon ride John and Sue sent us on”? Life is about experiences, not about stuff. Next time you head out to buy a present, find an experience to give.