Comments on: Experiences Make Us Happier Than Things, Research Says

By: Alison

Alison — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:15:58 +0000

MM,
Lots of Christmases and birthdays lying ahead for your child to get gifts of experience from you!
Warm wishes to your family.

By: MM

MM — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:05:25 +0000

My wife and I considered giving our 12-yr-old gift certificates to the bowling alley, the zoo, fun park, etc. for Christmas, stuff he could do all year. I kind of wish we would have now.

By: Jen Bennett

Jen Bennett — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:27:35 +0000

My cousin one year planned a trip for her family. They woke up Christmas morning, and under the tree was one present each – a suitcase packed for a Florida vacation. They put the suitcases in the car and headed for the airport and Disney World. They still talk about that Christmas as the best ever. No stuff. Only memories.

By: Jen Bennett

Jen Bennett — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:22:05 +0000

Another year I made memories with memorabilia.. My oldest son, now 22, had loved Simon and Garfunkle when he was about 10 or 11. The next one was a Beatles guy, and the third an Eagles fan. The baby loved the Wallace and Grommit shorts. I got a signed S&G album – yes, and album – on ebay, and framed it up. I got buttons that were all the Beatles album covers, and put those in a shadow box together with a pick-guard signed by Paul and Ringo. A signed drum head by the Eagles, and the pack and go W&G with all the figures completed the list. I don’t know or care whether the signatures are authentic or not; the boys simply love that they can look at these things, and keep the memories. Another year I got Elton John tickets for all of us plus dates – a huge expense for one evening, but 5 years later, when EG comes on in the grocery store or whatnot, the smiles and memories of that evening begin anew. None of us were even huge EG fans – I just thought that they should experience a concert by a legend verses a newbie, and it was, indeed, a cut above and an amazing night.

By: Jen Bennett

Jen Bennett — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:07:47 +0000

I have 4 boys, now ages 22,21,18 and 8. A couple of years ago, the older boys said that “(we) never get any toys! (the little guy) gets all the fun toys…” So I bought them toys. Toys they’d loved and lost – Discontinued legos, that I scoured ebay and yard sales and craigs list for; toys their cousin had that we’d never been able to afford – the Star Wars ship, the Darth Mal sword that had been twice the price as the regular sound and lights sword, and thus not justifable, and antique wind-up toys that made me laugh, and I knew they’d like. Sure enough, the memories of the fun they’d had with the toys (whether at our house or friends’) brought joy and fun to Christmas Day, and now those things have a place of honor in their homes and rooms, and await the day their own (still in the future) boys can play with them.

By: Crafty Green poet

Crafty Green poet — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:59:02 +0000

I agree! I have more than enough stuff and I love the idea of giving experiences as gifts.