5 Gifts that Give Your Family Quality Time All Year

What makes the holiday season so special? Regardless of what you celebrate, the holidays give us the chance to spend quality time with family and friends. But, once the shopping is done, the gifts are unwrapped, and everyone goes back to their regular routines, that quality time with family can get lost again. This year, instead of “things”, buy your loved ones gifts that bring you together to create memories and make those special times last!

Whether your family is large or small, here are some gift ideas that last longer than the holiday season and give everyone something to look forward to:

1. Plan a Vacation- Escape to someplace tropical for the winter, go to a theme park, visit relatives in another state, go skiing up north, check out an indoor waterpark hotel, rent a houseboat, go camping, or plan a staycation where you visit local sites as a tourist. Regardless of what you do, commit to disconnecting from work, school, activities, and other obligations to focus on having fun and making memories as a family.
2. Annual Membership- Memberships to zoos, museums, recreation centers, aquariums, planetariums, science centers, amusement parks, etc. give you family fun year-round! Most memberships come with free daily entry along with other perks like special events for the holidays.
3. Season Tickets- Does your family root for a favorite sports team? Do you love live theatre events? Season tickets are a great way to guarantee family time or date nights! Each date is known well in-advance, and to make the events even more fun, you can plan picnics, tailgating, or dinner at new restaurants.
4. Monthly Subscription Boxes- These days, there are monthly subscription boxes for any interest! You can choose hands-on activities to do together like crafting, science experiments, cooking, baking, board games, gardening, or shared interests like reading, sports, toys, clothing, puzzles, makeup, and more. Everyone will be excited to unbox together each month and to try out all of the new offerings!
5. Start a New Tradition- Some of your children’s best memories will cost nothing at all. Start a new tradition that includes the whole family. Make one-day-a-week traditions like technology free day, movie night, baking day, kids’ cooking day, fort-building night, picnic dinner (either on the floor or outdoors), dance party, going for a family walk/bike ride, or game night. Or, maybe a monthly tradition of doing community service at soup kitchen, cleaning up a park, gathering clothing and toys for donation, helping an elderly neighbor, or visiting and reading at a nursing home.

In today’s society, everyone is so busy. It can be hard to make time for family and get everyone’s schedules in-sync. Investing the time, money, and effort in these types of gifts during the holidays help everyone plan in advance to be together and give everyone something to look forward to all year!

Buying vacations, memberships, season tickets, subscription boxes, and other long-term gifts can exceed your monthly budget. If you would like more information on OUR Credit Union’s Holiday Wishes Loan Special, visit https://www.ourcuonline.org/personal-loans or call 248-549-3838.