A Different Kind of Gift

I mentioned this briefly during my Christmas recap, but I wanted to tell you more about it! (I know, Christmas is over, but you can file away this idea for next year or even consider it for a mid-year gift!)

We can probably all agree that the majority of kids are overrun with toys and stuff. Maybe you know some such kids. Maybe they live in your house!

Since we don't have kids, this is obviously not a problem that directly affects us, but we have heard rumors of it from friends and family. Their homes are overrun with stuff and they're not quite sure how to fix the issue.

Ryan and I decided that this year, we didn't want to present more things for our nieces and nephews, but we wanted to find a way to gift them experiences or something of a memory-making nature. I actually talked about that in a blog post last fall and you all had some great ideas for non-stuff gifts. We researched a number of things and kept getting stuck on the budget issue. To gift some memberships or experiences would have been incredibly expensive when multiplied by up to three kids per household.

Then I ran across an idea that seemed like a great fit for this year. It stuck out to me because of the alphabetical dates we had been doing all year. We loved the way those dates gave us a reason to spend purposeful time together and pushed us to try experiences we might not otherwise think to pursue.

I found the Year of Family Date Night Activities on the Dating Divas website, and I loved it! The premise of this package is that you purchase a download which gives you all the instructions and printables you need to have a unique family-oriented date every month for a full year. The package also includes links to six bonus dates in case one of the suggested ideas doesn't fit your family (or you're just having so much fun that you want to do even more). You simply print the package, put it in a binder, and gift it!

In full disclosure, I will tell you that this is an ink-heavy project. The printables are all extremely colorful, and you'll go through a decent amount of ink (especially if you're printing multiple copies, as I was). But we get our ink online at a pretty inexpensive price, so it wasn't too horrible.

Want to see the gift?

This is a look at the outside of the binder, complete with a cover page! :)

There's a page in the front for each family member to sign as a promise to work together for a year of great dates.

Cover pages for each month, too. (You can already tell why I like this so much, can't you?)

The January date is based on superheroes (which Ryan's brother's family LOVES, so I was pretty excited they would get to lead with this date). This is what I mean about some of the pages being ink-intensive, but I think it's worth it! This also shows that you do have to contribute some of your own materials - in this case, the movies - but most additives would be things most households would either already have or could rent/purchase relatively inexpensively.

Sometimes the date requires that one or more printables be available to each participant. February's "Cupid's Café" date included these little menus, so I made sure to print enough copies for each family member to have his or her own! (I didn't have to do that too often.)

Scavenger hunt clues...

Some dates involve doing things for others, which I also really liked. I know some of our friends and family are trying to teach their kids to have a heart for others, so I liked the inclusion of dates that focused on serving and blessing others. (And no, this does not mean throwing eggs.)

A few more ink-heavy pages, but doesn't a glow stick themed family fun night sound exciting?

Some dates add fun twists to routine ideas. This one adds some spunk to an ordinary mini-golf date.

All the instructions for a fun water game date.

The back-to-school date includes keepsakes. (And hopefully a way to make going back to school a little bit more fun.)

Another date that focuses outward and gives kids a chance to think of people to encourage and bless.

Each month's date includes full instructions and a list of additional materials needed to complete the adventures.

A good old fashioned game of charades!

And some gingerbread competitions to round out the year!

And the additional ideas...

We made three of these and put a note in the front, explaining to Ryan's siblings why we chose to do a family gift instead of little "stuff" gifts for each child. We told them we hoped they would grow closer together as a family while getting to do fun things together all throughout the year.

Whether you're looking for a gift to give or something for your own family to do together, I think this little packet is a great investment!