Is my family cheap…or are we deep?
Both, I’m thinking.
At gift giving times—birthdays, Christmas, Arbor Day, etc.—my family often opts for presents involving experiences. Not that we aren’t fond of stuff. We love stuff, and judging by the amount we’ve accumulated over the years, stuff loves us. I think it’s just that years of near-poverty and my own phobic response to clutter have rendered us open to more creative options.
For example, coupons. Not the kind you clip out of the paper—that would approach a level of pathetic cheapiosity for which even I am unprepared. Just imagine that in your stocking:
“Oh, hey…fifty cents off on a can of tuna…and two-for-one Easy Cheese…thanks Honey!”
No, I’m talking about coupons for around-the-house services, like meal prep or bed making. These are great, particularly if you spend the time to think about what would really please the person you’re giving to. Over the years I have received (and given) coupons covering things from lunch making to house cleaning to a complaint-free day. They’re fantastic, if you remember to use them.
There’s the rub with receiving couponage—you have to remember to use them. I have sometimes tucked a coupon away, thinking to save it for the perfect occasion, only to lose track of it and find it in a drawer four months later. Which brings up another good point about giving a coupon. If it’s going to have an expiration date—which I heartily suggest—print it clearly on the front. Printing an expiration date in microfont on the back of the paper is only asking for angst later. Trust me.
Experience gifts aren’t only about saving money…which is good, because they sometimes cost more than you ever would have spent on something you wrap. No, this is about serving the person you love, about sharing time together in a way that you know the givee will enjoy. For example, this year I announced that, for my birthday, I wanted Cathy, Alec, and Carissa to each plan a day for the two of us to spend together. As a result, I get time with my people—a picnic in the mountains with my bride, roller skating with my daughter, and a painful adventure with my boy.
I just had my day with Alec. He took me quadding. We drove out to the desert, rented off-road death machines (he paid, of course), and learned that, just like life, off-roading is harder than it looks. Frankly, I don’t know why they bother putting a steering mechanism on those machines; it’s obviously just for looks. Overall, I was pretty impressive; I only fell off three times, and sustained no injuries that I couldn’t hide from Cathy. Alec seemed to have a more stable machine than I did. This was something I had never done, had always wanted to do, and will now take many days to recover from.
Fun in the sun…and the dirt
Sheer joy.
The thing is, a gift like this is harder to pull off than just picking up a gift card to Stuffmart. It involves time, which always seems to be in such short supply. It involves thought, and insight, and effort.
Totally worth it.
So, what about you? See that “comment” space at the bottom of the page? What say we make use of it? Just answer this question: What is the best, most creative, most thoughtful gift you have ever received, or given? Impress me, and you get to see yourself in print.
That’s my gift to you.
Better than a Stuffmart card.
