I can remember vividly the year I got my own SLR camera for Christmas, but mostly I have vague memories of the gifts I opened as a child. A few stand out, but mostly, I couldn’t tell you what I got. What I do remember are the things our family did together and I hope those are the things our son remembers as well.
Though sometimes I find myself giving things as gifts, I prefer giving (and receiving) experiences. I find they’re usually more personal and memorable than most things I would normally give.
Experiences
Family memberships make a great year-long gift. Here are a few field trip friendly memberships ideas:
- NEW Zoo
- GBASO
- Neville Public Museum
- Children’s Museum
- Heritage Hill State Park
- Kroc Center
- YMCA
- YWCA
- Green Bay Botanical Gardens
- Building for Kids
- Hazelwood Historic House
- Izaac Walton League
Gift cards, lessons, or tickets for performances and art also make thoughtful experience gifts:
- Weidner Center
- Resch Center
- Meyer Theater
- Ice skating at De Pere Ice Arena, Cornerstone Community Center, or the Ameriprise Ice Rink at CityDeck
- Kayaking or biking with Expedition Addicts
- Bike rentals- Broken Spoke on CityDeck
- The Art Garage
- Paint, Pottery and Bead It
- Roller skating at Rola-Rena or St. Mary’s
- Movie Theaters
- Green Room Lounge
- NWTC Artisan workshops
- Painting events like Paint Nite, Pinot’s Palette, Palette and Pub, and Wine & Canvas
- Packers Hall of Fame/Stadium Tour
- Skyzone
- Badger Sports Park
- Tickets to games: Bullfrogs, Packers, Brewers, Timber Rattlers, Gamblers…name a sport, they’re playing it somewhere in Northeast Wisconsin.
- Sir Bounce-a-Lot’s
- Bowling at one of several area bowling alleys
- Titletown Brewery Tour
- Wine tastings at Captain’s Walk Winery
Day Trips and Time Spent Together
Make handmade certificates for things like:
- A day to be spent together at Barkhausen on a naturalist-led hike or doing one of their special events
- A family day trip to Door County
- A day where one of your children decides what the family does all day
- If you’re the parent of several children, a special activity for just the two of you
- Use your imagination!
Food & Gas
- Giving gift cards to local restaurants and gas stations is another way to support adventurers. Not having to worry about prepping healthy home cooked meals, means more time to explore or spend time together as family and gas cards mean more miles to each adventure.
- Invite a friend or relative to a special meal. Food and time spent together make a good gift.
Homemade
Make something!
- Make a thoughtful and personalized gift yourself
- Have your kids and/or yourself make something to give at a Home Depot workshop
- Attend a Brown County Library craft program and make something to give
- Paint your masterpiece at a painting class (see links above)
- Drop in to craft store classes to create a unique gift
Things
If you must give THINGS, here are some of my favorite local places to find unique and personal gifts:
- Neville Museum gift shop
- Heritage Hill gift shop
- Oneida Museum gift shop
- The Art Garage
- Shops On Broadway
- Wildlife Sanctuary gift shop
- Bike shops like Broken Spoke, The Bike Hub, and Stadium Bike
- Local art shows
- Gnome Games
- Readers Loft
Good quality gear makes great gifts, too:
- Green Baybeez baby gear
- Cycling gear (see bike shops above)
- Camping gear
- Rain gear
- First aid supplies (not joking)
Giving experiences shouldn’t be limited to the holiday season. Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries…they’re all perfect occasions to treat someone to an experience. This year for our son’s birthday instead of a pile of toys our son would play with a few times and then forget, we gave him a Best Friend Binge. An evening with his BFF at the Kroc Center swimming and playing in the gym, followed by watching Jurassic Park at home and a sleepover. Then bowling after breakfast and the rest of the day hanging out together. He loved it. It’s not the first time his main gift has been a special day with a friend and it won’t be the last.
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