It’s the most materialistic time of the year, but the hap-happiest season doesn’t have to be all about giving or getting more stuff.
Researchers have concluded that materialistic people aren’t as happy as their peers, as The Wall Street Journal reported last year. One 1992 study found that “more-materialistic people feel less satisfied both with their lives as a whole and with the amount of fun and enjoyment they get out of day-to-day life,” as The Journal put it.
And people are consciously choosing to lead more experience-driven lives. Another study, from Eventbite, found that the money that consumers spend on live experiences and events as a share of their total spending has jumped 70 percent since 1987. “People want to experience more and to live a more experiential life,” the study says. That’s true across all ages, but especially for millennials, studies have found.
Holiday Gift Guide: 11 Unique ‘Experiences’
So why not offer your friends and loved ones a gift that delivers more fun and enjoyment? A new survey from Travelzoo found that 80 percent of Americans would prefer to receive an experience rather than a material gift.
The 1,372 respondents to Travelzoo’s online survey ranked candlelit dinners, weekend excursions, concert tickets and spa days much higher than comparable physical gifts. For example:
- 83 percent of respondents chose a spa day over a luxury fragrance
- 81 percent of respondents chose concert tickets over an iTunes gift card
- 78 percent of respondents chose a weekend getaway over 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets
- 72 percent chose a romantic dinner over a Cuisinart Mixer
From the survey, it’s clear people find that experiences are much more valuable and memorable than any material product. Not only do they carry lasting memories, but they’re a way of bringing loved ones together.
Click here to see 10 experiences that your loved ones would appreciate for the holidays.
