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Giving the Gift of Time

It seems like more and more people are trying to live more minimalistic lifestyles. Or they are at least trying to cut down on clutter. There seems to be a huge shift in focusing more on spending time together instead of focusing on things. Giving the gift of time seems to be the perfect gift for anyone.

Here are some great gift ideas for Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Birthday’s, Anniversary’s, etc. The perfect gifts of time, not things.

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Give Experiences not Things:

Go on a vacation together

My all time favorite family vacation is a Disney Vacation. If you choose Disney, you can get the best deals with Get Away Today. Remember to use my code for $10 off of a package deal. Here are some great ways to surprise your kids with a fun Disney trip. If Disney’s not your thing, you can always find amazing landmarks to visit.

12 pre-planned activities

Instead of giving the gift of 12 pre-planned dates, change it to 12 pre-planned activities for your kids or entire family. This way, you will have something fun planned to do together each month throughout the year. You can choose to add big activities, or you can do inexpensive things like hiking, going sledding and drinking hot chocolate, or watching a free movie in the park during the summer.

All you need to do is download and add your own activities to the free editable forms, print, and even customize with any colored paper or envelopes and you’re set!

Take an Educational field trip

Whether it’s nearby or a bigger trip, go somewhere that will add to your child’s education. Check into the curriculum your child will be learning during the school year this year or even next. Plan a trip that will enhance your child’s knowledge on the subject. This doesn’t have to be limited to kids, it can be a fun way for adults to also expand their horizon and learn something new. 🙂

Go on a Staycation

If you want to get out of the house, but do something more low-key, you can always vacation somewhere local. Hang out at a nearby hotel while ordering room service and swimming. Play tourist for the day in your own city. Visit local tourist attractions and see your city in a new way. Or even go on a fun road trip.

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Buy a National Parks pass

Visit as many National Parks as you can throughout the year. Limit this to nearby parks or travel across the United States. You can even purchase a National Park Passport or make your own National Park passport and make it a goal to check off as many parks as you can. Check out this National Geographic Guide to the National Parks in the US for help planning your trip.

Buy a yearly membership to a local theme park or museum

Find somewhere that everyone loves to visit. Buy an annual membership and you’ll be able to go as often as you want.

Help someone in need

Volunteer your time to help others with things that they don’t have time to do themselves. It will save them time and possibly money and they’ll probably appreciate the effort.  You may also want to check out many of the suggestions in this post for similar ideas: What do single mom’s really want?

What are your favorite gifts of time that you have given or received?