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| This could be you. |
It's that time of year when we have barely gotten through the Halloween hoopla and are now force fed the Christmas season well before we are mentally prepared to deal with it. We haven't even reached Thanksgiving yet and the malls are offering pictures with Santa Claus! The toy catalogs have come out and the stress of buying that perfect gift for our family and friends is soaring high and occupying our waking ( and sometimes slumber) days with the never ending question, " What do I get him/ her/ them for Christmas?" Are we really in the "spirit" to lay down money on gifts that may or may not ever get used or if they do, they get used throughout the holiday season and then get shoved aside to make room for more wishes and wants? Don't get me wrong, here, I'm no Scrooge and I do love Christmas and the holiday season. I really think, however, that material givings are way over rated and at the end of any year, we do not look back and say, "That was the best Christmas ever when Grandma gave me that set of pot holders." And, as parents, we may even curse ourselves for purchasing the super deluxe mega pack of Legos that we are now finding in every nook and cranny of our homes as well as perhaps in the dog doo in the back yard.
Where am I going with this, you may ask? We all know, and some of us deny the fact that the joy of material possessions is fleeting and relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I challenge you to think about giving the gift of experiences over material goods. I've spoken to so many parents who really would rather scrap the whole idea of Christmas gifts for their kids because, "they already have way to many things" and just take a family trip. I propose this as an idea in your holiday gift giving regime. Think about how much money you spend on items for families and friends in the name of the "holiday spirit." Think about how much money it costs to entertain, to purchase all of the latest and greatest decorations to fill your house with the spirit of Christmas. If you write it all down, you'll find that you probably spend thousands of dollars when it's all said and done. "But we can't afford a family vacation right now" you may say. To this, I say, " Yes you can." We all throw away money on insignificant ( however, it may seem significant at the time) purchases, it's true. Save your pennies (literally, because they do add up!) and get saving for a family trip. Your kids and family will not fall apart if there are not oodles of gifts under the tree at Christmas. How about presenting your family vacation to the kids on Christmas day as their big gift! We've all see funny videos about kids who go crazy over Christmas gifts and I guarantee, that if you present a fun -filled family vacation to say Costa Rica or even Disney World, that your kids will jump and scream and shout! And if you capture it on video and post it to You Tube, your family could be know world wide for it's great Christmas gift giving idea! That was a total stretch ...kind of. :)
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| How fun does this look??? |
A family vacation is an excellent way to inspire your children and show them a whole new world exists. Giving the gift of travel is the best investment into your family as well as into yourself. They will always remember the trip you took to Disney World or to Peru or to wherever you choose to go. A family vacation is the perfect way to connect as a family and to create memories that will last a lifetime not to mention, it's a great place to capture super amazing photos to share with friends and family as well as for you to pour over down the road when you are feeling sentimental and sappy. In the dark days of winter, your friends will be cursing those legos they bought and then later found in the dog poop or they will be scrambling to find missing parts to their kids big toy they bought them to stop the temper tantrum of a distraught 4 year old while you and your family are zip lining through the rain forest, snorkeling in the Caribbean sea and having amazing adventures. I guarantee your friends will say, "Dammit, why didn't we just book a family trip??"
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| OR, this could be you. |
Rally up the troops folks! Talk to your friends and family and plan a Christmas vacation together. Skip the material gifts and get excited and inspired to reconnect, relax and enjoy yourselves like you really want to. Skip the crowds at the shopping malls and let Viva la Vida Travel book your next Christmas present for you. Imagine how great you'll feel knowing that 1.) your Christmas shopping is done and 2.) you have something very exciting to look forward to in the dead of winter and 3.) your children will love this gift more than anything you could have ever wrapped up for them.
Viva la Vida ~
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| Travel with your family! |
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