From Christmas to Kwanzaa, Hanukkah to New Years, and birthdays scattered throughout, the winter months always bring with them the gift giving season. If any of these special occasions have you searching for the perfect gift for your child, consider giving the gift of camp at Camp Tall Timbers this summer! We’re sure the gift of camp is going to bring a smile to your child’s face because the best gifts really aren’t objects at all— they’re experiences. It’s not just us saying it; there’s a significant amount of scientific research backing up the fact that humans form richer, stronger memories tied to adventures and experiences compared to memories attributed to material objects.
A Gift that Keeps on Giving
For starters material goods break and wither over time, while the memories and friendships made at camp can last a lifetime. With that being the case, the gift of camp truly is a gift that keeps on giving for your child. What’s most exciting is that this isn’t just a one-off gift, it’s the beginning of something much greater than that. The aforementioned scientific research conducted by Thomas Gilovich with the Cornell Department of Psychology, concludes that people may think about future experiences in more abstract ways, which actually makes them seem more significant and more gratifying. As we enter the height of the harsh winter months, we think it is especially important to give your child something great to look forward to. What better way to beat the cold than to daydream of warm days out on the lake or horseback riding in the summer sunshine!
An Experience Entirely Unique to your Child
Some of Gilovich’s earlier studies show that another reason that experiences are a better purchase for attaining happiness is that people are less likely to compare their experience to someone else’s. Looking at it from a different angle helps to demonstrate why this is the case. Would you rather have a higher salary that is lower than that of your peers, or a lower salary that is higher than your peers? Though this is a fairly subjective question, researchers found that the large majority of people would choose to have a lower salary that is higher in comparison to their peers. This is because of the way humans are hardwired to think. We are predisposed to compare our material possessions to others in order to determine our own relative worth or value. For kids, it can be the same story with Holiday presents. Kids are very likely to compare their gifts to others, with material gifts like bikes or new game systems constantly being flaunted for superiority. Conversely, researchers found the opposite was true for experiences with most people opting to take more vacation time even if it was lower than what their peers received. This shows that experiences can’t be compared from one person to another and thus actually have more innate value. Your child’s camp experience will be completely unique to them. It will carry its own value that is so special to them that it cannot possibly be diminished through the usual tactic of comparisons that happens with material gifts.
Sharing the Gift of Camp at Camp Tall Timbers
Even though each child’s camp experience is entirely unique, it doesn’t mean that the gift of camp is something to consider exclusively for your child. For many with a strong sense of community, giving season goes beyond gifts just for family. Recommend the gift of camp to friends, neighbors, fellow PTA parents, and anyone else you know who can brighten their child’s life with the gift of camp.
Whether you plan on sharing the gift of camp with your own family or others close to you, Camp Tall Timbers is here to answer all of your questions along the way to ensure that every camper has the best experience possible. For questions, please contact us at (301) 874-0111 or email us at [email protected] so that we can help you provide memories to last a lifetime this holiday season.