Experience ex·pe·ri·ence n, v, - Something that happens and affects how you feel.

Many of our Christmas pasts are forever frozen in our mind, right? Well, maybe not all of them, but at least half? Maybe a third? For those who celebrate it, Christmas is pretty much the most exciting day of the year! Truly a day of celebration!! So why are the memories of this day easily forgotten? We know we had fun; however, fun doesn’t always mean memorable.

Turn Christmas Into A Lifelong Memory.

Not Just An Annual Event.

Family and friends combined with the continuous filtering of food and fun should make this annual festivity a permanent memory. To eat and be merry!! The savory late morning nibbles stumble into a full-fledged feast then handfuls of snacking occurs til sunset. Intertwine this indulgence with gift shaking, paper tearing; 5 endorphine exploding seconds of marvelous wonder! We really do look forward to it all year long, even though it does escape our minds for a few months. It’s the 12 month hoopla that guarantees a prize at the end! The minute we are in it, we remember the fun, but the holiday itself gets lost in our memory bank once January arrives. It’s easy to see how Christmas becomes a blurrrr and it can quickly slip away.

Give Memories, Not Things.

Christmas means many different things to different people. It’s not a cookie cutter holiday. Well, I guess it actually is :-). For all the unique reasons we celebrate Christmas there is a familiar theme actively occurring. No matter how expensive the gift or tremendous the meal, the day itself is forgettable. That’s right, less impressionable than it should be. To support my point, let's think back to the Christmas of 2020. Can you remember Covid Christmas? I bet almost everyone will answer “yes!” The reason Covid Christmas is memorable is due to the fact an event occurred, but not any event! An out of the ordinary event plunged in heightening our state of emotion! Although not a positive event, it did shake our emotions. Studies have shown that heightened states of emotion can facilitate learning and memory. A majority of learning takes place in the form of emotional learning. A memory will be stronger when it is emotionally attached to a significant object or impressionable action.

The memories of Christmas 2020 were shaped from an emotionally negative occurrence. Luckily we can change that into a lesson and alter things going forward. A positive charged experience can also have the same effect. Don’t get me wrong, I love tangible gifts! There is something wonderful about asking for a gift and voila it appears! Nonetheless positive based experience gifts build connections and those connections build memories. Emotion is a state of mind. Our cognition is very much influenced by emotional experiences and those experiences can linger in our minds for a lifetime.

Gifts Satisfy The Moment, Experiences Satisfy Many Future Moments

When we think back to our childhood Christmas memories, I don’t think we necessarily remember the tangible gifts we received. It’s the unexpectancies, the involvements, the bursts of quirky events not found under a tree. Our senses hold great power over creating long term memories. Some of those forgotten memories can easily be ignited through one of our senses. Like the smell of a particular dessert or the sound of a bygone song. Memories forever stored, but never really gone.

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THE CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE PLAN

Ways To Use The Senses This Christmas To Inscribe Long-term Memories.

• SIGHT - DECORATE THE TABLE IN A FUNNY THEME

What has been the running theme in your family this year? Maybe an event earlier in the year that created quite the laugh? If nothing crosses your mind then leave it up to the kids! Allow the kids to pick a holiday table theme and let them go at it! Perhaps each family

member thinks of one crazy idea. Those ideas collected and one randomly selected. The conversation at the Christmas table will be anything but quiet!!

• SMELL/TASTE - CREATE A SIDE DISH OR DESSERT FROM SCRATCH

It’s time to play the home version of the Food Network’s most popular show Chopped! Each family member selects a random ingredient. Shoot for 8 to 10 items. All those ingredients have to come together to make one dish! There is absolutely zero chance this memory will be lost forever. It’s fun and there is a good chance these new ingredients will build a new following. Even better, a curiosity will unfold in a budding chef!

• SOUND - BUILD YOUR OWN BAND

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There is a high probability there are a few professional instruments lying around your home. Add to those some homemade instruments, too! Pringle shaker cans, plastic water bottle maracas, coffee can drums and paper plate tambourines are just a few. After dinner, plan a jam session! No master musicians required! Maybe you don’t have a musical family. After this event you will! This may inspire many more music nights throughout the year!

• TOUCH - PAINT ROCKS

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Yes, some people in your family may hit the brakes on this idea. Not everyone loves art. Nonetheless this is one of those family moments that just keeps on giving. Set up a paint table with rocks already primed. Then a lot of the busy work is behind everyone. You’ll have more time to just relax within the silliness. Keep in mind, after a few years of doing this you’ll then have the chance to bring out a Christmas box with ALL the painted rocks from the past! Lay the collection out on the table, then sit back and watch the magic appear right in front of your eyes. Everyone will pounce to chime in!! Touch can produce detailed lasting memories that will amaze you! You may find you are not only reminiscing about the designs on the rocks, but also actually remembering conversations you had while painting the rocks in past years. These rocks will create detailed durable memories for years to come.

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An Official Gift Can Still Be An Experience

No Worries! Still wanting the peaceful feel of ribbon trapped around a box holding onto dear life! The festive fiasco shall be saved! We all love it! In that case an experience gift is still possible! An experience gift is essentially gifting someone with a life experience. It’s a gift and adventure all in one! Below is a list of experience gifts capable of generating a smile.

Here's How To Wrap Up An Experience:

Balloon ride

Zoo membership

Cooking class

Clay/Pottery Lessons

Massage/Spa

Sailboat tour

Music classes

Symphony/Theater/Concert Tickets

Sports related experience

Video celebrity video message

Online Masterclass

Cabin/Treehouse Getaway

Meal/Wine/Dessert subscription box

Personalized photo shoot

Food tour

Live streaming remote fitness classes

Classic car rental

City scavenger hunt weekend getaway

Create your own fantasy picnic

Historical documents by mail & podcast

Sentimental custom made return labels

Helicopter ride

A trip to the farm

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NON-EXPERIENCE GIFT IDEAS: :-) HaHa

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THANK YOU!!

With sincere appreciation I want to thank everyone for supporting my blog this year.

I am so grateful to be with you one full year.

Wishing everyone a safe and festive holiday season!

Season Greetings & Happy New Year from my family to yours!

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Work Cited:

CellPressNews, Staff. “How Emotionally Charged Events Leave Their Mark on Memory.” EurekAlert!, https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/478677.

Staff, Writer. “Why Emotionally Charged Events Are so Memorable.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 7 Oct. 2007, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071004121045.htm.

Tsompanidi, Sara. “The Extraordinary Relation between Our Senses and Our Memories.” Medium, The Startup, 24 Jan. 2020, https://medium.com/swlh/the-extraordinary-relation-between-our-senses-and-our-memories-eb48be7ee136.

Photo Credits:

https://elementaryartfun.blogspot.com/2012/12/making-trees.html

https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/kid-made-drum-set-kazoo-easy-indoor-craft.html

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/littlemillecc/2020/06/04/homemade-musical-instruments/

https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-gift-boxes-prank-o/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

https://www.pinterest.com/painted rocks