We have multiple copies of our children’s Christmas Wish List items floating around the house. The Reality Moms Hot Holiday Gift Guide is open on the computer, the iPad and on one kid’s phone. Their lists are made, items are starred, circled, and highlighted…just in case I didn’t notice the star and circle. We typically chose one or two things off their lists and then, well, then we chose time.
“Time?” you ask. Time. In the form of experiences.
One year we loaded up the car top carrier in secret (no small feat mind you) with snowboard gear for six and drove to Iowa for Christmas. On Christmas Eve just before bed, we had the children open one package. In the package was a card telling them that at 3 AM the next morning we were heading to Colorado for Christmas snowboarding.
We made family time together a gift that year for the first time and have tried to continue that tradition in one form or another each year. We’ve done movie and theater tickets, a trip to a professional sporting event, and a concert experience including dinner in the city at a place of their choosing. One year we did “A Day with Mom” and “A Day with Dad” for each child. Those days varied based on the child, but one was as simple as spending the day in town and going to the library–just the two of us.
This year, I’m voting for the ”A Day at the Indoor Trampoline Park” or a snowboard lesson for me and a kiddo. (One that I’m not teaching–but attending–maybe we could work on terrain park basics or heck–maybe we could even, dare I say it, SKI?)
The best thing we can give our children is our time. Whether it’s working with them to build the amazing Circuit Blox Radio from the Reality Moms Hot Holiday Gift Guide or time having hot chocolate at our favorite local coffee shop, the gift of time is something our children need. Being present in the moment is one of the best experiences we can give our children.
Haven’t checked out the Gift Guide yet? It’s the go-to for all the hottest gifts for 2018.
