A few weeks ago, with my beloved niece’s birthday approaching, I reached out to my sister to see what Anna wanted. She replied with a few viable options, and I almost followed through on one of them, but it just didn’t quite feel right.
The truth is, my niece has plenty of things. Toys, books, technology, clothes…she has so much stuff. Perhaps someday she’ll covet something specific or she’ll come to understand her love language, but she’s 8–she’s not quite there yet.
So I decided to try something a little different. Instead of buying a gift for Anna, I sent her enough money to buy dinner and dessert from a restaurant of her choice for her entire family.
I explained in my card that I hoped she would have fun playing hostess and treating her parents and siblings to a meal that excited her. Instead of buying her a toy that she might use a few times and then forget about, my hope is that she’ll have a memorable evening. I’ve had some wonderful dinners with friends and family in my life, so here’s a chance to share that with Anna.
Also, what kid doesn’t want to be the boss for a day? I mentioned in my note that even though the dinner is Anna’s choice, having that authority also comes with a level of responsibility for her “guests.” I try to slip in those learning moments when I can.
What do you think of this approach to a birthday gift? Have you tried anything like this?
I love it. I desperately need more ideas for gifts that are valued by my children but do not just produce more clutter. If there’s a life lesson learned in the process…all the better!
Thanks Trev! Are your kids starting to have favorite restaurants?
They do! None of them are expensive, either.
Great idea Jamey! We’ve got five nieces and we always try to buy them an experience for their birthdays rather than gifts. They don’t live near us so we usually buy them something that we can do with them too. Creating memories!