The Gift of Experience: Christmas Presents That Won't Take Up Space in Your House

Every time I go to shopping, whether to a bricks and mortar store or online, it seems that I am tempted by some new and adorable must have toy, and at this time of year it is even worse.  It is so hard to resist purchasing that one more thing that will cause a little one's eyes to light up on Christmas.  My oldest nephew is seven, but has a December birthday will be turning eight shortly.   For many of the years of his life, he was an only child, as well as the only grandchild/nephew on my side of the family.  We all loved to spoil to him, and I think his mom and dad, and he too, were starting to get overwhelmed by the influx of gifts that were coming into their home for him during the month of December.  There was just no way that one toddler could  play with so many things at once.  Around the time that he was in pre-school, I started to buy him one large, combined birthday and Christmas gift, coupled with a small gift to open on his actual birthday.  This cut down on some of toy clutter, and also meant that I could purchase a larger, more "big ticket item".  To some degree it worked well, but there was still so much stuff.

The year of his fifth birthday, it occurred to me that what I remember most clearly from my childhood is not the tangible gifts I received (I can maybe recall two or three special Christmas presents I received growing up), but the special moments and experiences that I had with family and loved ones.  I started to look for a gift that I could him that would fill his mind with memories, rather than his house with toys.  It has been a perfect solution for our family.  He, and who ever has the experience with him (sometimes it's been me, and sometimes it's mom or dad) have treasured both the experience itself, and the time we had together.  there is definitely a place for toys and other things, but if you are looking to give the gift of an experience to a child in your life, here are a few options to consider:

• A season's pass to  a local science centre, child friendly museum, zoo, or similar venue.  In Calgary, options include the Calgary Zoo, the Glenbow Museum, Telus Spark, and Heritage Park
• Tickets to a local children's theatre production or concert.  We are fortunate to have several wonderful children's theatre companies in Calgary, including StoryBook Theatre, The Loose Moose Company Theatre for Kids, and Stage West for Kids.  We have been regularly attending the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra's Symphony Sundays for Kids, and have had a wonderful experience each time.
• A season's pass, or a punch pass, to a local play centre
• A punch pass to a local pool, recreation centre, or skating rink
• A trip to a summer camp: There are great options from day camps to overnight camps, including half day camps for preschoolers.  One year, my nephew's gift was a week of science camp at the University of Calgary
• A sleepover at the zoo, museum, or science centre in your area.  We had a fantastic time during our night at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.  
• A behind the scenes tour of the zoo, or somewhere similar.  My nephew still talks about how incredible it was to get to give an elephant a bath during his elephant experience at the Calgary Zoo
• A series of art, drama, dance, sport, cooking, or music lessons.  There are options available for a wide variety of age ranges, including babies.  Our friends at Absolute Dance, for example, offer parented dance classes for tots as young as 18 months, and Epicurious Kids Cookery hosts parented cooking classes for kids three and up.
• A gift certificate to the movies (you can even make it a "date", and go out for dinner before, or for ice-cream after)
• Gift certificates to a local ski hill
• A date with you to go out for dinner, see a movie etc, see a sports game etc
• A small gift to open (such as a book or puzzle), combined with a contribution to the child's RESP or other education fund 
• A gift certificate for family photos, or photo books. This is a particularly good option for an infant 

I would love to hear your suggestions for gifts of experience as well!