I’ve been a mom now for almost exactly six years. My youngest is three and a half, and for about four of those six years with my oldest, he was flooded with birthday gifts! And I mean like open the flood gates flooded! It was too much! And I knew it was, but that was all I knew growing up… My mom isn’t a one and done kind of person, she buys ten of everything. So, presents? That is another story.
A little over a year ago when I first started this minimalism journey, I had the hardest time deciding what to buy my kids for their birthdays. I am way more intentional with what I buy, so that makes it really hard to just buy things to buy them, for the sake of having gifts! So Chris and I decided that we would take a little weekend trip for their birthdays and buy them a couple little things instead!
This year for Axel’s third birthday, we all went up to Chicago! I had a photo session up there, so we decided to just make a trip out of it. Chris and I actually went to Chicago right after our wedding about five years ago with Cash, so this made it even more special to us! We got to show Cash and Axel all the things that we did that weekend we went, and they thought that was really fun!
Chicago has so much to do! From museums to shopping, Chicago hotdogs and popcorn, and Navy pier to see the entire city from the famous Ferris wheel! All of which we tried our best to fit in while visiting!
Making birthdays about experiences is so special! I will forever remember more from these little trips than I ever will from watching my kids open toy after toy. And I bet you they will too! That toy is soon forgotten, but amazing memories like these aren’t….
Do you like gifting experiences for special holidays and birthdays? How do your children feel about it? My kids surprisingly have never wanted many toys instead, but I did start them young. That makes a huge difference…
