43 Experience Gifts That Will Make You Everyone’s Favorite Person

Inside: These experience gift ideas will make you a hero with your loved ones. Instead of collecting dust, these will inspire treasured memories.

The holidays are upon us, and that means three unfortunate things:

1. Every company you’ve ever come in contact with is bombarding you with holiday gift guides and end-of-year sales.
2. Those same companies must be targeting your kids’ eyeballs too because you can’t go out in public without hearing this somewhere between 1 and 72 times: “I want to add that to my wish list too!”
3. If you’ll have family visiting for the holidays, you may actually have to buckle down for the first time in months (years?) and clean your baseboards.

I can’t help you with your baseboards, but I can help you with the onslaught of not-so-polite requests to buy more, more, more stuff this holiday season.

Because here’s the dirty little secret about Christmas gifts every parent has learned the hard way: That Hatchimal you tracked down on eBay for five times the retail value? Less than one month from the moment your child rips open the bright, shiny wrapping and lights up with a smile so big that you assure yourself it was totally worth it, that blasted toy will be sitting on a shelf or in a corner or under a bed, collecting dust. Your kid won’t even play with it once a week, let alone every day.

This isn’t something wrong with your child. They aren’t ungrateful or greedy. This is just human nature.

Here’s Why

If someone showered you with every gadget or trinket you had a fleeting desire to own, you wouldn’t fully appreciate all those gifts either.

Whether we like it or not, the truth is that after a while, the human brain gets used to new stuff. The official term is adaptation, and it means that when we’re exposed to something on a regular basis, we adapt to it. And when we get used to new stuff, it becomes as notable and interesting as the wallpaper you see in your home every day. In other words, not at all notable or interesting.

Still, we get wrapped up in the promise of that moment of seeing our child open a gift they’ve coveted. Because that smile! A million watts bright. When else do they smile that big?

Related: This Is the Best Way to Politely Request No Christmas Gifts This Year

What We’re Missing

You know what else would make my kids smile that big? If they sat down to the dinner table, and in front of them, I set a plate piled high with Snickers, Kit Kats, and Milky Ways.

Giving my kids more, more, more stuff for the holidays or birthdays is not unlike giving them junk food for dinner. Sure, it’ll make my kid light up with sheer joy in the moment, but deep down I know it’s not the best thing for them.

To be clear, I’m not going all Grinch on you here. Go ahead and get your kid an awesome toy or two for Christmas! But remember that the more toys we get them, the less they’ll appreciate any of them. (See also: wallpaper.)

Related: A Sweet Way to Guarantee Your Kid Has an Attitude of Gratitude {Printable}

Why Experience Gifts Make the Best Gifts

Think of all those toys and gadgets on your kid’s wish list as junk food. They’re fun for a bit, but the novelty will wear off and your child will be left feeling empty.

What’ll really stick with your child is an experience gift. In the same way that a regular diet of healthy food will stick to your kid’s ribs and give them the nourishment they need, an experience gift will build memories and stick with them for the rest of their life.

But it’s not just our kids who crave experience gifts in a junk food world. We need them, too.

Related: 4 Gifts for Christmas: How to Make Your Family Happy With Less

We Are Not Immune

We get lured in by the Black Friday deals on a big-screen TV (that’s just a couple inches bigger than the one we already have), the latest and greatest iPhone (that looks a lot like the last one), and the pretty new red Keurig (that works exactly the same as the black one already sitting on our kitchen counter).

Myself included. When the Kindle Fire first came out, I dropped hints to my husband with the delicate finesse of dropping an anchor off a cruise ship. Because the TV ads and the big banner every time I visited Amazon? They got to me. I knew I’d use that fancy new Kindle every day, and it would be awesome.

On Christmas morning when I opened that Kindle Fire under the tree, my smile might have outshone my daughter’s.

But then. I tried reading on it in bed at night, and it was kind of heavy to hold up. I’m used to the iPhone, so the new-to-me user interface felt kind of clunky. That Kindle Fire I was so sure I wanted sat in my nightstand drawer. For weeks. Then months.

In fact, I’m embarrassed to admit that it’s still there. I haven’t touched it in years, and it’s just taking up space in a drawer.

Related: 30 Heartfelt Homemade Christmas Gifts Anyone Can Make

The Ultimate List of the Best Experience Gift Ideas

Gifts of stuff are junk food. And junk food is definitely fun as a sometimes treat.

But gifts of experience will fill you up and stick with you. Same goes for your spouse, your kids, and your Aunt Susan who’s had 60+ years of getting gifts of stuff.

To help myself fight my own default mode of “more, more, more” this and future holiday seasons, for the past few years, I’ve been gathering this list of the best experience gift ideas. Not the experience gifts that will make your loved ones roll their eyes. But the experience gifts they’ll adore. Today, I’m sharing this massive list of ideas for experience presents with you. These gift ideas are perfect for every occasion, from Christmas gift experiences to birthday experiences and everything in between.

If you know of another experience gift idea that belongs on this list, let me know in the comments and I’ll keep this guide updated to be a resource for all of us. (You may have also heard these referred to as activity gifts, unstuff gifts, or in the case of kids – non-toy gifts.)

This guide may not keep our kids’ wish lists from growing at an alarming rate, and it won’t help you get out of cleaning your baseboards before family visits, but it will help you come up with gift ideas that your loved ones will appreciate – long after you tuck the last ornament back into storage for next year.

Experience Gift Ideas for Kids and Families

In this section, you’ll find the best family experience gift ideas. Whether you’re looking for a experiences for the whole family or experience gifts for kids, these gifts are way more meaningful than anything store-bought.

For more experience gift ideas for kids, check out The Most Meaningful Gifts for Kids Who Have Everything and 110+ Experience Gifts for Kids That Will Make Your Child Happier and Cut Clutter.

1. Send a monthly box of fun. You can find a monthly subscription box for just about anything nowadays, from art projects to science experiments. And even though you’re technically gifting a subscription box to the kids, parents benefit too because you’re helping keep the kids busy with a new project once a month! Here are a few of the most popular subscription boxes for kids:
   • Kiwi Crates^† – These monthly hands-on projects are perfect for curious kids, kids who love science, creative kids, kids who love to tinker, and more…in other words, every kid. We received this as a gift last year, and my kids run to the mailbox on the day it’s due to arrive every month. From toddlers to preschoolers and grade schoolers to tweens and beyond, these boxes come custom tailored for every age group. To get your first Kiwi Crate subscription box for $4.95, click here and use the coupon code GIFT. (Ages 0-18)
   • Little Passports – Every month, kids get a letter from fictional pen pals who travel the world, learning about other cultures along the way. Kids receive a passport and wall map to help them follow along, as well as fun activities, souvenirs from each month’s destination, and more. (Ages 3-13)
   • Alltruists – This is the subscription box that delivers a fun experience for kids while helping them make a real impact in the world. Each box features a different theme and guides your child to engage with real-world issues in positive, meaningful ways. Some of our favorites were the oceans kit, the shelter pets kit, and the migratory birds kit—the kids turned the subscription box itself into a bird feeder! You can also get bundles like the Animal Lover Bundle, the Love Our Planet Bundle, and more. (Ages 6-12)

   How to Wrap It: Print a flyer about the subscription and add a note about when they can expect their first box.

^† This site is reader-supported. When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

2. Make a donation to sponsor an animal. Most local zoos, aquariums, and animal sanctuaries allow you to donate in this way. Then you can plan a visit to the zoo and pretend to find the animal you sponsored. You can talk about how your donation went towards feeding the animal, getting medicine for when it’s sick, or cleaning the poo out of its enclosure.
   How to Wrap It: Some zoos will send you a certificate about the animal you sponsored, or you can make one yourself. As another idea, you can give your little one a miniature stuffed animal along with the certificate, like this cute sea otter, tiger, or panda.
3. Cover a gift membership to a children’s museum. This is a great gift the family can use year-round, and it may just save the parents’ sanity on a rainy day! If you don’t have a children’s museum in your area, try gifting a membership or tickets to a nature center, an indoor rock climbing gym, a trampoline center, or a bouncy house center.
   How to Wrap It: Print the museum memberships or a certificate from the museum and wrap that.
4. Send the kids mail. Find a fun kids’ magazine and gift a subscription. The kids will love getting mail addressed just to them, and they’ll be building their reading skills without even realizing it. The experience of getting a surprise in the mail once a month keeps this non-toy gift from becoming wallpaper. Plus, most kids’ magazines include activity and craft ideas for kids. And after the kids are done reading, they can pass the magazine along to a friend. A few ideas for you: Highlights, Ranger Rick Jr, New Moon Girls, or anything in the Cricket magazine family like Ladybug for 3- to 6-year-olds, Cricket for 9- to 14-year-olds, and more.
   How to Wrap It: Pick up the current issue in a local bookstore and wrap that, then when they open the gift let them know they’ll get a new one in the mail every month.
5. Get a good conversation going. How many of us rush through meals with our families, not stopping to enjoy the time with our loved ones? Turn a spare mason jar into a conversation jar by filling it with these family conversation starters. Your loved one can keep the jar on the dinner table and pull out a new question every night to have memorable conversations with their family. And the best part of these conversation starters for families is that they’ll get you more than the dreaded one-word answer.
   How to Wrap It: Download this set of family conversation starter cards, and drop them all in a spare mason jar.

Available for a limited time: If you prefer a printed set of these family conversation starters, you can get your printed set here.

6. Show kids the world. If you travel on a regular basis, make a promise to send a postcard to the child from every place you visit. Even if you just pick up a postcard from the airport on a layover and drop it in the mail before you catch your next flight, you’ll make that kid’s day when they get your postcard in the mail. If they have a map or globe at home, they can find where you visited on the map for a bonus geography lesson (sneaky!). As a companion non-toy gift, you can give the child a scrapbook where they can collect all the postcards you’ll be sending. Just remember to keep stamps in your carry-on luggage at all times!
   How to Wrap It: Gift a map or a globe so the child can follow along with your travels, like this dry-erase world map decal (or this U.S. map decal if that works better). Or include a scrapbook where they can collect the postcards, like this adorable adventure book modeled after the (also adorable) movie Up.
7. Put together a family movie night in a box. Grab your favorite family DVD off your shelf, like Shrek or The Goonies, or give an Amazon gift card for $5 so they can rent one. Then add some popcorn (our favorite is this maple kettle corn), soda or juice, and a cozy blanket for everyone to snuggle up under. (Note: I’m totally NOT suggesting you make that blanket yourself, but if you’re feeling adventurous there’s always arm-knitting?)
   How to Wrap It: Find a spare basket, fill it with the movie night supplies, and wrap it all in one fell swoop.
8. Invite the child on a hike or a nature walk scavenger hunt. This works great when you need to walk off a big Christmas dinner and the kids are feeling cooped up.
   How to Wrap It: Print a scavenger hunt map, add a note explaining that you’ll take the child exploring, and wrap it up. To take it one step further, you can gift an annual membership to a local nature center.
9. Give kids an excuse to play in the dirt. Kids love playing in the dirt, so you might as well get some veggies out of the deal and give them everything they need to start a garden.
   How to Wrap It: Give the little one a few packets of seeds so they can start a family garden. If you like this idea but you have a black thumb (hello, that’s me!), here’s the all-in-one garden starter package we used and loved.
10. Fill a basket with supplies. Find a fun kids’ activity, craft, or art project, then fill a basket with all the supplies the kids will need.
    How to Wrap It: Put together a basket with everything they’ll need, plus the instructions printed out. Or you can just gather random supplies you already have around the house, like washi tape, festive stickers, and colorful Sharpies, and throw in a brand new sketch book like this mixed media journal. (Check out this former art teacher’s recommendations for what every art gift basket needs!)
11. Make a play dough gift set. Check out the instructions here. You’ll just need homemade dough and accessories like toothpicks and buttons. (If my zero-craftiness self can make homemade dough, you totally can!)
    How to Wrap It: Find a spare basket or box and fill it with the play dough and assorted goodies. If you don’t have any accessories to throw in, you can get a set of fun play dough tools like this six-piece set. My toddler and preschooler use this set every time we bust out the play dough.
12. Plan a camping trip. Kids love this one, even if it’s just camping in your backyard or setting up a tent in your living room. The fresh air and quality time (and s’mores) will be an experience your little one will remember. If they don’t have a tent yet, here’s the 4-person tent we got for our living room camping adventures – it’s affordable and has great reviews.
    How to Wrap It: Fill a box with everything they’ll need for their camping adventure, from all the fixings for s’mores to a portable camp light.
13. Go to an impressive park. If the family has a fourth grader, you can get the little one and their immediate family a free annual pass to all national parks in the U.S.
    How to Wrap It: Print the annual pass and wrap that.
14. Take them on a trip. Plan a visit to a local amusement park, theme park, water park, bowling alley, mini golf course, arcade, or skating rink. Or go all out and gift a vacation to travel somewhere fun for the whole family. To be fair, that’s a pricey gift, but to put it in perspective, you can add up what you were planning to spend on physical gifts for everyone in the family. You may find that the cost of a vacation isn’t too far off, especially if you plan a road trip to somewhere nearby or your trip is a downtown staycation adventure with one night in a hotel. Remember that the gift of a vacation is something that your loved ones will remember for years, whereas the latest gadget or toy will quickly fade into the background and be forgotten. It’s just human nature! (Side note: On our bucket list is a train ride to somewhere fun, so that’s another travel option that could be fun for a family.)
    How to Wrap It: Type up the travel itinerary, print it, and wrap that. Or you can put together a slideshow of photos from the destination and flip through photos until they catch onto what the gift is!
15. Open the door to important conversations. From moms to little ones, this mother-daughter journal or this journal for mothers and sons will give you a magical way to get your kid to open up about what’s going on so you can stay connected. You take turns writing in this journal, and in the process, you find out what’s weighing on your little one’s heart. This non-toy gift will definitely end up being a gift for both of you! From dads to little ones, check out this father-daughter journal or this journal for dads and sons.
    How to Wrap It: Just wrap the journal. Easy peasy!

16. Ask awesome questions. This Q&A a Day book for kids gives you one question a day for three years, and you can record your kids’ answers to have an amazing snapshot of the funny, touching, and just plain weird stuff they’ve said over the years. This is similar to the journals for parents and their kids, but it’s a way to involve the whole family in a fun conversation every night at bedtime.
    How to Wrap It: Wrap the Q&A a Day book with a note that suggests using it every night at dinner or bedtime.
17. Give a personalized coupon book. Little ones love coupons they can use to cash in on fun experiences throughout the year. This is my favorite experience gift idea, so I designed a free printable set of coupons for you. Get the coupons so you can share them with a child in your life. By the way, you should know that as I was designing this set of coupons, my oldest daughter Abby peeked over my shoulder and asked, “What are you doing?” I explained the idea of the coupon book, then added some examples to get the point across: “Like you could use this coupon to pick anything you want for dinner one night, or this one to take a mother-daughter mental health day off school and work, or this one to bake any dessert together…” She said: “Wow. That’s all I want for Christmas! Just that.”
    How to Wrap It: Use a hole-punch on the coupons, then bind them with a pretty ribbon or a binder ring. Wrap the coupon book in a small box, and you’re done!
18. Plan a family game night. Pick a date, print out an invitation, and put all the electronic devices away for a night and just have fun. As a companion gift for this experience gift, pick out a new board game or card game your family will love and make a game night basket with potato chips, soda or juice, and the new game. We have a wide range of ages in our family, so our favorite board games for all ages are Sleeping Queens, Outfoxed!, Sushi Go, and Castle Panic. If you’re looking for the best games for a big group, here are our top picks for family game night.
    How to Wrap It: Put together an invitation for game night, then print that and add in all the supplies like a new game, snacks, and drinks.

Limited time: 10% off game orders $50+ with code HAPPY10, 15% off $100+ with HAPPY15, and 20% off $200+ with HAPPY20. Plus free shipping!

4,687 families purchased this game after reading this post…

$14 from Amazon* $14 from our family shop * Price at time of publishing

Sleeping Queens

    
“My daughter and I love Sleeping Queens! It teaches them math without them even realizing it – or me, for that matter. I remember my daughter laid down a sequence that was like 1 + 3 + 5 = 9, and I thought ‘How did you know that…?’ Then I realized she just figured it out from doing math in the game. So cool to watch her learn right before my eyes.” – Ann

19. Puzzle it out. Pick out an awesome puzzle the family can do together, like one from our favorite puzzle company Ravensburger or this epic 18,000-piece puzzle. Bet you they won’t forget the experience of solving that puzzle together! Or if you have puzzles sitting in your game closet, you can always re-gift them to another family.
    How to Wrap It: Wrap the puzzle, and that’s it!
20. Capture their joy together. Purchase a session with a family photographer as a gift to a family in your life. Or if you’re a skilled photographer yourself, offer to take an afternoon at the park with them to snap a few shots. We had a family session soon after our middle child was born, and I’m so incredibly happy we have a record of that time together as a family! It wasn’t in the budget after our next child was born, so I can attest that this would be a much-appreciated gift.
    How to Wrap It: Type up a page that says something like “good for one session with a family photographer.”
21. Give back together. Setting up a volunteer activity the whole family can do together can be an amazing gift. Not only will you be giving the family an experience they’ll remember, but you’ll be fostering the kids’ budding compassion and empathy for others in need. You can volunteer at a local food pantry to sort food donations, help out at a soup kitchen preparing or serving food, visit an assisted living facility or nursing home to bring some much needed joy into the residents’ lives, deliver meals through a program like Meals on Wheels, make a meal to serve to families at a local Ronald McDonald House, leave food and notes of encouragement for families with babies in the NICU, or put together care packages of food and essentials like a toothbrush to hand out to the homeless living on the streets of your town.
    How to Wrap It: Put together an event invitation in your word processing app, then print that and wrap it.

Related: The Most Meaningful Gifts for Kids Who Have Everything

Experience Gifts for Everyone

1. Send a monthly surprise. Don’t you love that experience of getting something unexpected in the mail? A monthly subscription box can make the perfect experience gift, as long as you focus on boxes that deliver an experience rather than just more stuff to collect dust. For example, one of my favorite gifts I ever received was this fun coffee subscription box where I got to sample a wide variety of roasts and find a new favorite. Kind of like a beer or wine tasting – but with coffee and delivered straight to your door. (Or if your loved one prefers tea, they also have a tea-of-the-month club that I can personally recommend.) As another option, I’ve tested out several different book subscription boxes, and my absolute favorite is The Book Drop because it’s run by an independent bookstore where they lovingly hand-pick unique books every month.
   How to Wrap It: Print a flyer about the subscription and add a note about when they can expect their first box.
2. Cover the membership fee at a local performing arts theater. Most theaters will give their members perks like free tickets or priority seating. If you like that idea but a full membership isn’t the right fit, get tickets to a show like a play, a musical, or a dance performance. If you gift tickets to little ones, this may be their first experience attending a performing arts show, so make a date of it!
   How to Wrap It: Print the theater’s schedule for that season, or wrap individual tickets if you went that route.
3. Get a gift certificate for a local movie theater. You can let your loved one pick out a movie they want to see, then set a date to go together.
   How to Wrap It: Print the current movie schedule for the theater, or wrap the gift certificate.
4. Give tickets. Does your loved one have a favorite sport like basketball or baseball? Do they love live music? Or stand-up comedy? Get tickets to a special event they’ll love, from a sporting event to a concert.
   How to Wrap It: Slide the concert tickets (or any kind of tickets) in a festive envelope, or wrap them in a big cardboard box to throw your loved one for a loop.
5. Offer to teach a skill you have. The skill you teach could be a foreign language, how to play an instrument, or the secret to handling temper tantrums like a ninja mom.
   How to Wrap It: Whip up a “coupon” in a word processing app that says something like, “This coupon is good for guitar lessons from me every Sunday afternoon in January!”

5. Make a coupon or certificate for a gift of your time. Include coupons for a night of babysitting or weekend of petsitting, a car wash, a month of cleaning the cat’s litterbox (okay, maybe just one week of that). Or as another option, you can give coupons for special treats like one morning of sleeping in, a day off from cooking dinner (for whomever the usual chef is in the house), breakfast in bed, and more. These printable ticket-style coupons are pretty cute (the coupons are free, but you can use the special discount code shown in the image above to get 20% off everything else in their store!). Or as another option, these are blank so you can write in your own gift. For kids, try this free printable coupon book for kids I made for my kids. (Spoiler alert: They loved it!)
   How to Wrap It: Use a hole-punch on the coupons, then bind them with a pretty ribbon or a binder ring. Wrap the coupon book in a small box, and you’re good to go!

6. Give a gift certificate for something they need anyway. Maybe your loved one has been putting off a haircut and color due to the cost. Or their vehicle is in desperate need of an oil change and a tune-up. Or they were putting away the butter when the fridge’s butter door fell down unexpectedly, popping the diamond right out of their engagement ring, but they haven’t made time or scrounged up the money to get it repaired yet. (That happened to me last week, so I can relate!) Getting something repaired isn’t technically an experience gift, but I say it counts because you’re saving them an experience they probably aren’t looking forward to – the hassle to get it repaired.
   How to Wrap It: Write a thoughtful note in a card to let your loved one know what you did.
7. Give them a clean house. This one could be a little touchy because you wouldn’t want to imply your loved one is incapable of keeping their house clean! But for many people who have trouble fitting in house cleaning on top of everything else on their plate, scheduling a house cleaning service would be a much-appreciated treat. Personally, I would be super thankful for this as a gift because now that it’s December, I can’t pass off the cobwebs as a Halloween decoration. If you’re unsure with this one, best check with someone who can do a little reconnaissance work and make sure your loved one will appreciate the gesture.
   How to Wrap It: Schedule the cleaning for when they won’t be home, then stick a big red bow on the front door before they get home.
8. Sign them up for a class. Do you have a friend who’s been talking about learning how to sew or the art of canning? Honing their photography skills? Find a class and sign them up! Even better, sign up both of you together so it’s an experience you’ll share. If this is a gift for little ones, you might try a cooking class (Raddish Kids is an online cooking club for kids with a monthly kit you receive in the mail), baking class, music lessons, jewelry-making class, knitting or sewing class, scrapbooking class, self-defense class, a session at one of those paint-your-own-pottery businesses, a yoga class, dance lessons, or anything else they’d enjoy.
   How to Wrap It: Print a flyer about the class and wrap that. To take it one step further, if they’ll need any basic supplies before class starts, pick those up for your loved one and wrap them. For example for a photography class, you might get them a fun camera strap like this pretty flower print or this gorgeous strap that looks like a scarf.
9. Make a playlist. Pick a few songs your loved one will appreciate and save them to a USB flash drive. This gift is super easy – just follow these step-by-step instructions for how to share a playlist. Then every time your loved one fires up the playlist you gifted, they’ll think of you!
   How to Wrap It: Type up a list of the songs, then wrap that with the USB drive.
10. Find a new recipe. If your loved one enjoys cooking, find an awesome new meal to try for dinner or a delicious dessert. Round up all the supplies you’ll need including ingredients and any special kitchen utensils, then work together to create something new from scratch. A cookbook makes the perfect companion to this experience gift, too. Dads might enjoy Dad’s Book of Awesome Recipes (From Sweet Candy Bacon to Cheesy Chicken Fingers, 100+ Recipes the Whole Family Will Enjoy), and I can personally vouch for every single recipe in the Baked cookbook being mouth-wateringly awesome.
    How to Wrap It: Fill a box with the ingredients for the recipe, any new kitchen utensils they’ll need, and the cookbook the recipe came from.
11. Hunt for food. What’s your loved one’s favorite food in the whole world? If it’s steak, research the absolute best restaurant for steak within a 50-mile radius and take them there. Whether they love barbecue, ice cream, or blueberry pie, find out who makes it the best, and take them on an adventure to try it out.
    How to Wrap It: Print a map to the restaurant with a big red X to mark the spot.
12. Take them on a tour. Many cities offer tours for visitors that can be fun for residents, too. From food tours to architecture tours and more, you can help your loved one see their town in a fresh way by gifting tickets to a local tour.
    How to Wrap It: Print the tour itinerary and wrap that.
13. Go wild. Has your loved one always wanted to go skydiving? Go for a hot air balloon ride? Fly a helicopter? Whatever wild goal is on their bucket list, find a way to help make it happen. Many years ago, I gifted my husband a helicopter flying lesson, and he still talks about it. And my teenager still talks about a horseback ride she was gifted when she was much younger!
    How to Wrap It: Print a flyer about the lesson or event and wrap that.

Related: 10 Unique Stocking Stuffers for Girls and Boys That Will Delight Your Kids {Printable}

Experience Gift Ideas for Couples (or From One Partner to Another)

1. Give dinner. Make your best lasagna, soup, or another dinner you can freeze, and give it to your loved one to use at a later date when they don’t feel like cooking dinner. This works great for families with small children! (Goodness knows my little family resorts to pizza way too often.) As another option, you can hire a chef to come in and cook a big meal in their home. A friend of mine once did this for a big family Christmas dinner so no one would have to worry about the food and everyone could just play games, visit, and enjoy their time together.
   How to Wrap It: No need to wrap this one. Just deliver the deliciousness!
2. Make a date night gift basket. Just fill a basket with all the essentials for a special movie night on the couch – popcorn (we love this fancy popcorn!), a romantic comedy (check out the best modern romantic comedies), plus wine or soda. A date night gift basket is the perfect gift for couples with young kids because they don’t have to worry about hiring a babysitter!
   How to Wrap It: Fill a basket with the date night goodies listed here.
3. Plan a date night out. Find a new restaurant or another fun destination to try, schedule a babysitter, and plan a surprise date night. As another idea, you can set up a tour of a local winery or brewery. How awesome would it be to have every little detail taken care of, and you just get to enjoy time with your partner?
   How to Wrap It: Make an event invitation in your word processing app with all the details, then wrap that.

Related: Donating to Charity As a Gift? 3 Cards to Make Your Loved Ones Smile {Printable}

Experience Gift Ideas for Him

1. Build something together. If he’s a dad who likes woodworking, find plans online for something he and the kids can build together as a bonding experience, then round up all the supplies they’ll need including lumber and any special tools necessary for the project. For example, the kids and Dad could build a birdhouse together. As a supplement to this gift, consider giving one of these books to keep the projects going year-round:
   • Dad’s Book of Awesome Projects: From Stilts and Super-Hero Capes to Tinker Boxes and Seesaws, 25+ Fun Do-It-Yourself Projects for Families
   • The Geek Dad’s Guide to Weekend Fun: Cool Hacks, Cutting-Edge Games, and More Awesome Projects for the Whole Family
   • Handy Dad: 25 Awesome Projects for Dads and Kids
   • Made by Dad: 67 Blueprints for Making Cool Stuff
   • Maker Dad: Lunch Box Guitars, Antigravity Jars, and 22 Other Incredibly Cool Father-Daughter DIY Projects

   How to Wrap It: Get a big box, throw in a printed set of the project instructions (or one of the books above if that’s where it’s from), and all the supplies they’ll need.

2. Take him for a spin. For guys who love cars, you can rent a fancy sports car for an hour or two so he can exercise his testosterone to its fullest potential.
   How to Wrap It: Get a miniature version of the car you rented and wrap that.

Related: 14 Father’s Day Experience Gifts Every Dad Will Love

Experience Gift Ideas for Her

1. Take away the guilt. Some women feel guilty setting up spa and salon services for themselves, so give her a guilt-free experience she’ll appreciate with a gift certificate for a massage, mani/pedi, haircut, or anything else you know she’d enjoy.
   How to Wrap It: Add a thoughtful note to the gift certificate about how much you appreciate her and how much she deserves to treat herself.
2. Schedule a home spa day. From a mom to daughter or vice versa, give a fun new shade of nail polish with a piece of paper tied to it that says, “Let’s try this one out together!” On your manicure or pedicure (or both!) date, you can even start up a girly movie like The Princess Bride in the background to make a proper spa day of it.
   How to Wrap It: Make an event invitation for your girls’ spa day and wrap that along with nail polish, a movie to watch, and anything else that would be fun. (Chocolate!)
3. Pamper the pregnant mama. If she’s expecting, cover a chiropractor visit or a prenatal massage. Not only will you give her body some much-needed relief, you may even help control the ridiculous swelling that happens during pregnancy.
   How to Wrap It: Print the gift certificate and wrap that.

Related: 16 Experience Gifts for Mother’s Day That Will Make You Mom’s Favorite

Your Turn

What’s the best experience gift idea you’ve heard of? Share in a comment below!