Back in October, Jonny and I were talking about the holiday season. We usually come up with one big gift idea for the kids together (sometimes it’s a combined gift and sometimes it’s an individual gift) and then I will shop for the smaller gifts on my own. But we wanted an alternative to the typical Christmas plans we have.
As we got to talking, we looked at each other and decided we don’t need more “things.” We are always trying to pare down the toys and amount of “stuff” that consumes our house, so why would we go out and spend our hard-earned money on more stuff in the name of Christmas morning?
So what we came up with was gifting our family with an experience. Time together, doing something fun together. Priceless, right?
Instead of gifts under the tree this Christmas, we are taking our family on a little getaway. We have always loved when we have visited Arizona, so we’re taking our kids to Scottsdale. The weather is beautiful in the winter and the city has so many options for families, so we are taking full advantage of what the city has to offer.
To say we are a little excited is an understatement. It feels like Christmas morning and we are not even there yet.
Our hope and desire is for this gift to last longer than the Christmas morning high of tearing through the wrapping paper and the initial surprise of what’s behind it. Christmas can look however you want it to regardless of what message the media and retailers have ingrained in us, and we’re excited about the opportunity to model this for our kids.
As we were brainstorming options, here’s a short list of ideas we came up with. Maybe you and your family can try one of these sometime.
- A trip to the snow in Mammoth or Tahoe
- A stay at the Great Wolf Lodge (they have LOTS of locations!)
- A getaway to warm weather in Hawaii
- Give Christmas to a family in need
- A two-day stint at Disneyland or Disneyworld
Did you change up your Christmas traditions this year? If so, what did you try out?
xoxo,
Emily
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