WEBVTT - Give gifts that last

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to give gifts that last. Many thoughtful

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<v Speaker 1>gifts can be enjoyed long after Christmas has passed. Done right,

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<v Speaker 1>you can give gifts that create a little less waste

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<v Speaker 1>and promise a little more enjoyment that people can look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to for a while to come. I have five kids,

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<v Speaker 1>so let's be honest. Christmas at my house features a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of plastic and packaging. It is inevitable. Many toys

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<v Speaker 1>are a lot of fun. I embrace it, but especially

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<v Speaker 1>the kids have gotten older, I have encouraged them to

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<v Speaker 1>think more broadly about gifts. Maybe the folks in your

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<v Speaker 1>life would like a little less waste and clutter too.

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<v Speaker 1>If so, here are some categories you might like to explore.

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<v Speaker 1>One option experiences. One of my kids has often asked

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<v Speaker 1>for theater tickets for Christmas or his birthday. As a result,

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<v Speaker 1>we've seen The Lion King, Wicked and Harry Potter and

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<v Speaker 1>the Cursed Child on Broadway. Those were all memorable ways

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<v Speaker 1>to spend time, and he got to look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>them from the time he found out he was going

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<v Speaker 1>to the time when the curtain rose. A trip to

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<v Speaker 1>an amusement park or a concert or something else like

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<v Speaker 1>that might also be a great gift. You get the

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<v Speaker 1>experience and the time with each other. I often suggest

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<v Speaker 1>that young families ask grandparents for memberships to local attractions.

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<v Speaker 1>Get an annual aquarium pass from one set of grandparents

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<v Speaker 1>and a children's museum membership from the other, and you

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<v Speaker 1>will have somewhere to go every rainy weekend for the

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<v Speaker 1>next year. That can buy a lot more fun than

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<v Speaker 1>almost any toy, and unlike a great many toys, those

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<v Speaker 1>places will be a different experience every time. Speaking of time,

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<v Speaker 1>that is another great option too. Do you have someone

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<v Speaker 1>in your life who doesn't have a whole lot of

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<v Speaker 1>time for themselves, Offering to take over for a little

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<v Speaker 1>while could be a more lasting gift than a sweater.

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<v Speaker 1>I have sometimes given my husband the gift of letting

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<v Speaker 1>him take a weekend away to go skiing, an activity

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<v Speaker 1>he loves to do. I don't need to book the trip,

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<v Speaker 1>I just need to give him permission to skip out

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<v Speaker 1>on family responsibilities, fly to a mountain and spend two

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<v Speaker 1>days skiing without worrying whether a kid is cold and

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<v Speaker 1>needs another hot chocolate. In a recent episode, I suggested

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<v Speaker 1>giving people subscriptions to newspapers or magazines as a way

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<v Speaker 1>to give a gift that keeps going. Someone can enjoy

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<v Speaker 1>a new issue of The Economist or Architectural Digest or

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<v Speaker 1>People magazine or whatever the person would like just as

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<v Speaker 1>much in July as the week after Christmas. And to

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<v Speaker 1>be totally honest, money lasts two. There are ways to

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<v Speaker 1>dress it up, but everyone loves a Christmas bonus for

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<v Speaker 1>the precise reason that it can be used on whatever

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<v Speaker 1>the person wants when they want. It can be spent

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<v Speaker 1>on something that will perk their spirits up in the future,

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<v Speaker 1>or saved to help build wealth over time. So as

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<v Speaker 1>you are planning your Christmas list, think about presents that

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<v Speaker 1>won't just be enjoyed right at Christmas. It is fun

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<v Speaker 1>to stretch out the fun. It's one way to feel

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<v Speaker 1>festive all year long. In the meantime, This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the moose of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod. That's B the number four, then Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>p O D. You can also shoot me an email

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<v Speaker 1>at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com that

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For more

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