#98... Give experiential or edible gifts

It was my wonderful husband's birthday this week, and it's hard to buy gifts for him. Asked what he wants for his birthday, he usually doesn't have much to say, because he's quite content with life. This year, though, I gave him a new pair of slippers because his old ones were getting pretty thin, and I made him a nice meal -- herbed breaded chicken, wild rice and steamed vegetables, and homemade, birthday apple pie, complete with candles. He was pleased.

We human beings have a natural compulsion to want to do special things for our loved ones to mark special occasions. Unfortunately, that compulsion has been corrupted by market forces that brainwash us to believe that we must buy special things... often things that our loved ones don't really need, and that perhaps our earth's limited resources can no longer afford. Most of us have too much "stuff" in our homes, too many clothes in our closets, too many books on our shelves, etc.

That's why tickets to a play or concert, or special food and drink are such excellent gift suggestions. We all love to eat certain things, and most of us enjoy live entertainment. Among our family's favourite gifts have been tickets to a local theatre that featured some former Cirque de Soleil stars, and a full day canoe trip down the North Saskatchewan River. In my books, fair trade chocolate is a great present for any occasion (it's usually grown by organic farmers, too, so it's not depleting the earth so much, and it's often tastier than non-fair trade).

I'd like to suggest that the best gifts are the ones that don't collect dust or break down with age, but delight our tastebuds, or live in our memories for a lifetime. If you have time to leave a note, I'd love to hear about your favourite experiential or edible gift...

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

The gift of experience...

My girlfriend and I were commiserating yesterday about how much we hate shopping, especially when it comes to certain people for whom it is hard to find the right gift. She was stumped by her mother-in-law, who isn't one for "stuff" (and Cathy's not into giving "stuff" either). So I suggested an "experience." You know... a ticket to something, an activity or a show, something that her mother-in-law might enjoy but wouldn't necessarily think to do for herself. Cathy found a great gift online -- tickets to a dinner theatre. What made it even better was that she didn't have to leave her home in BC to get a wonderful Calgary present.

My favourite gifts for the past two years came from my parents. Two years ago, they gave us tickets to see Aga Boom, a troupe of clowns (once members of Cirque du Soleil) who played at the community theatre in Sherwood Park. We still talk about that evening and how hard we all laughed at the chaotic, messy and totally participatory ending of the show. And last year, we received the gift of a canoe trip from Devon (west of Edmonton) to Edmonton. We went in August, and what a wonderful day it was!

There are multitudes of experiences that can be given as gifts. Think massages, foot rubs, a trip to an art gallery or museum, a nice dinner... use your imagination. Some experiences don't even have to cost a penny. My husband gave our girls the gift of teaching them to play his old "Risk" game one Christmas. Experiences, especially good ones, can stay with us longer than almost any single "thing" because things tend to wear out faster than great memories...