1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to give gifts that last. Many thoughtful 4 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 1: gifts can be enjoyed long after Christmas has passed. Done right, 5 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,599 Speaker 1: you can give gifts that create a little less waste 6 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: and promise a little more enjoyment that people can look 7 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: forward to for a while to come. I have five kids, 8 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:48,279 Speaker 1: so let's be honest. Christmas at my house features a 9 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: lot of plastic and packaging. It is inevitable. Many toys 10 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: are a lot of fun. I embrace it, but especially 11 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: the kids have gotten older, I have encouraged them to 12 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: think more broadly about gifts. Maybe the folks in your 13 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: life would like a little less waste and clutter too. 14 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,960 Speaker 1: If so, here are some categories you might like to explore. 15 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: One option experiences. One of my kids has often asked 16 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: for theater tickets for Christmas or his birthday. As a result, 17 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: we've seen The Lion King, Wicked and Harry Potter and 18 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: the Cursed Child on Broadway. Those were all memorable ways 19 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: to spend time, and he got to look forward to 20 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,680 Speaker 1: them from the time he found out he was going 21 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: to the time when the curtain rose. A trip to 22 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: an amusement park or a concert or something else like 23 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: that might also be a great gift. You get the 24 00:01:55,040 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: experience and the time with each other. I often suggest 25 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: that young families ask grandparents for memberships to local attractions. 26 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: Get an annual aquarium pass from one set of grandparents 27 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: and a children's museum membership from the other, and you 28 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: will have somewhere to go every rainy weekend for the 29 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: next year. That can buy a lot more fun than 30 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: almost any toy, and unlike a great many toys, those 31 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: places will be a different experience every time. Speaking of time, 32 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: that is another great option too. Do you have someone 33 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: in your life who doesn't have a whole lot of 34 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: time for themselves, Offering to take over for a little 35 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: while could be a more lasting gift than a sweater. 36 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: I have sometimes given my husband the gift of letting 37 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: him take a weekend away to go skiing, an activity 38 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: he loves to do. I don't need to book the trip, 39 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: I just need to give him permission to skip out 40 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:05,959 Speaker 1: on family responsibilities, fly to a mountain and spend two 41 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: days skiing without worrying whether a kid is cold and 42 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: needs another hot chocolate. In a recent episode, I suggested 43 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: giving people subscriptions to newspapers or magazines as a way 44 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,640 Speaker 1: to give a gift that keeps going. Someone can enjoy 45 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 1: a new issue of The Economist or Architectural Digest or 46 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: People magazine or whatever the person would like just as 47 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: much in July as the week after Christmas. And to 48 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: be totally honest, money lasts two. There are ways to 49 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: dress it up, but everyone loves a Christmas bonus for 50 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: the precise reason that it can be used on whatever 51 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: the person wants when they want. It can be spent 52 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: on something that will perk their spirits up in the future, 53 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 1: or saved to help build wealth over time. So as 54 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 1: you are planning your Christmas list, think about presents that 55 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: won't just be enjoyed right at Christmas. It is fun 56 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: to stretch out the fun. It's one way to feel 57 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: festive all year long. In the meantime, This is Laura. 58 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:24,280 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the moose of 59 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 60 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 61 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at 62 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod. That's B the number four, then Breakfast 63 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: p O D. You can also shoot me an email 64 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com that 65 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,559 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks 66 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 1: so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before 67 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. 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