Tell me what you got for Christmas three years ago, or even tell me what you got for Christmas two years ago or last year. I bet you can’t.
But now tell me about the best vacation you had. I bet you can tell me in great detail almost all of your vacations. Where you went, who went with you, what little mishap happened along the way, what you ate, what treasures you brought home and all the amazing things you saw.
Let us now re-think the art of gift giving. Let’s imagine you gave an experience or destination and that you stuffed airline tickets in a Christmas stocking. Let’s imagine you bought mittens and put a bow on them and that you hung luggage tags from the boughs of the tree. I imagine Christmas morning; you would have German streusel and coffee, shower, get dressed and leave for the airport. And now let’s imagine that you and your loved ones arrive in Prague or Munich or Austria or London or Paris; snow is on the ground, the lights shimmer from the Christmas markets, the air is brisk and filled with music and the smells of fresh baked gingerbread… Fast forward three years from now, and let me ask the question again. Can you tell me, can you really tell me what you got for Christmas a few years ago. And I bet you can.