The Best Gift
You Can Give
EXPERIENCES ARE EVERYTHING
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BY ELISHA YOUNG
rowing up, the holidays were hard for my
family. After the holiday break, I would
always return to my Chicago private school
— that I attended on a partial scholarship
— with feelings of jealousy and sadness as
I looked over and discussed all of the high
dollar and numerous gifts my classmates
received as gifts.
My family struggled financially, and the
gifts that my brother, sister and I received were limited at
best.
As time went on, I eventually started my own family
and married a great guy who grew up in a similar house-
hold. We welcomed our first (and only) child, Atlas, in the
spring of 2012. For his first few holidays, we tried to
overcome those childhood feelings by going absolutely
overboard in the gift department.
In addition to the multiple gifts we would purchase,
several family members added to the overabundance. As
the year would progress, I realized that the majority of the
presents opened became quickly discarded to live out
their days as lonely toys in a box in the corner. I knew I
wanted to provide our little one with magical, memorable
holidays — but this was clearly not the way.
After many discussions with my husband, and brain-
storming until my head hurt, I finally landed on the idea
of giving experiences as gifts. I loved the idea of how
gifting family time would be incredibly special to Atlas,
4 Eugene Weekly’s GIFT GUIDE 2018
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and how it was something we could enjoy the whole year,
rather than just two weeks in December.
At first, we started out purchasing things like a family
zoo membership, movie gift cards and little cards that
detailed our family vacation. I felt great about providing
these immersive experiences and loved how it drew us
together for family time, but I could not shake off that
feeling that I was potentially withholding something from
my little one. I kept asking myself: One day will he feel
the same way I did as a child on Christmas morning?
Last year, a few weeks before Christmas, I had the
epiphany I needed. I decided to create a scrapbook for
Atlas, so he would have something tangible to understand
exactly what we were gifting him.
I’ll admit that I am a bit “extra” when it comes to craft-
ing, so I poured my heart and soul into making a scrapbook
that was ready to go, just waiting for photos to be added.
Some of the experiences I planned to a “T,” and others I left
more vague, so he could dictate most of the planning.
Atlas opened his gift with sheer excitement, a huge
smile lighting up his face when he saw the family photo
on the cover. He excitedly turned the pages, and unfolded
12 unique activities he could do with Mom and Dad over
the next year — snow tubing at Hoodoo, a concert of his
choice, a trip to the hot springs, a trip to Lassen National
Park — and so much more. Each page was decorated, and
just waiting to have photos inserted from our adventures
as they happened.
As Atlas turned the pages, and his excitement level
grew, I knew I had made the right choice. I knew that he
would treasure these scrapbooks for years to come, and
that the format made it easy for a little guy to truly under-
stand the magnitude of the gift he was receiving.
My heart swelled with joy thinking of how fun it
would be planning the rest of these details out, the memo-
ries we would create, and the lack of abandoned toys that
would befall my house this year.
Thanks to a very large extended family, Atlas still
ends up with toys and other miscellaneous objects to clut-
ter the house after the holidays. His dad and I also still
tend to buy him one or two things as well. Like they say,
old habits die hard. This year I am getting him something
to go with the scrapbook — a Polaroid camera so he can
take his own photos for the 2019 scrapbook. That being
said, I would also be absolutely OK if all he received
under the tree was experiences, adventures and activities
of any nature.
When you gift an experience, it is so much more than
just an object — it is a gift of your love and your time. That
is the most precious gift you can give anyone in your life.
With so many options, and so many clever ways you can
present these experiences — your options are limitless, and
you can surely find the perfect present for anyone in your
life. It took me a long time to realize this, but the most
treasured gift you can give anyone in your life is a memory
they carry with them until the end of their days. ■
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