Gift an Experience

Today is Day 7 of my Happiness Hacks series.

In my gift giving over the past several years, I’ve focused on experiential gifts more than material ones, because, I think, they’re so much more fun to give AND to receive.

Today I’m heading on a road trip to a women’s conference. I gave this trip as a birthday gift back in February to a dear friend, and now we get to go! We’ll have precious time together – which seems to be the hardest thing to find with friends these days. And we’ll get to enjoy some inspiration and reflection, too.

The fun thing about an experiential gift is that it brings lots of smaller happiness boosts. Thinking about it, gifting it, seeing it on the calendar, and now actually going – are all happiness boosts for both of us. Often, the anticipation of something (like a trip) is a big part of why it makes us feel good.

I think the gift of time – even when there’s little or no cost – is the best gift of all. Dropping by a meal so that a friend doesn’t need to cook, watching kids so they can have a break, or doing an errand that helps out — all of these simple acts of service are such amazing gifts.

Here are some other experiential gifts that have been really fun to give (and participate in, too):

• Paint Nite
• Massage
• Pedicure
• Concert Tickets (our kids’ big Christmas gifts the past few years have been tickets to concerts they really want to attend)

What experiential gifts have you given that have been home runs?

This post is part of my 31 Days of Happiness Hacks series
for the Write 31 Days Challenge.
Thank you for reading!