Tools, Tips, and Technology for Giving and Receiving Experiential Gifts

This holiday season, New Dream has embarked on a pilot campaign to promote experiential gift giving and receiving as a way to increase happiness and well-being. We’ve created a variety of resources to help make giving and receiving experiential gifts easy and fun.

Check out our resources below, and be inspired!

• Research linking experiences to happiness and well-being
• Personal, unique, and fun experiential gift ideas
• Sample experiential wishlist (note the calendar function to help schedule experiential gifts)
• Useful language to help you share your experiential wishlist:  Dear family and friends, Every year around this time, I get asked what I want or need for the winter holidays. I found this cool website called SoKind to help me list and share what I want. This year, I am requesting experiences rather than “stuff,” as research shows that spending time with friends and family and out in nature increases happiness and well-being. Please don’t feel obligated to get me anything off the wishlist, but think of it as a starting point to learn more about my hobbies and interests. You should make a list of activities, too – and share it with me! Maybe this will be a new tradition??? Sincerely, [your name]

• Sample experiential gift checklist:
  • For example, giving a culinary experience:
    • Recipe: Indian Aloo Gobi
    • Shopping list:
      • Spices: coriander, ginger, garlic, cumin seed, salt, garam masala
      • Vegetables: 1 onion, 1 head of cauliflower, 3 potatoes, 2 cans of tomatoes, 1 green chili
      • Naan bread
    • Music playlist
    • Flowers for the table: red roses, yellow marigolds, prickly xanthiums