Contrary to what you might assume, psychology has shown that the best present is time spent with the people you care about. Objects last longer, but the pleasure they give starts fading the moment they are unwrapped. The opposite happens with experiences, which grow on you as the memory settles.
If you want to get the present right this year, read on, because here are five experiences that beat anything you could wrap.
A trip to the cinema, but not the usual one
Yelmo’s newer screens are a particular experience for children: a large slide down one side, ball pools, cushions instead of seats — all of it built so that one- to thirteen-year-olds watch a film on their own terms. A simple present, and one that works on adults too. Buy the popcorn, pick the film.
A musical to lift the afternoon
There is nothing like putting music to life. If somebody around you loves musicals, that is your present sorted. Nothing quite matches a couple of hours of music and dancing wrapped around a good story. The Lion King, Anastasia, Beauty and the Beast — there is something for everyone.
A surprise experience
Top of the list this year is GoRandom. It is a present for whoever you give it to and, since you do not know either, for you as well. Pick the day, the time and the level of adrenaline, and GoRandom takes care of the rest.
Dinner somewhere you have not eaten before
They say the way to somebody’s heart is through their stomach, so book dinner at a restaurant serving something they have not tried. Friends or partner, it works.
A trip somewhere new
This last one takes a good deal of planning, but done properly it leaves a memory that lasts. Work out which destination suits the person you are surprising and start on the detail.
