That camping trip your family still talks about? Science says it’s worth more than any toy under the tree.
Families with children are expected to spend $743 on average this year on Christmas gifts.
That’s a $33 increase compared to last year for households with children, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey — and many of those families have already started spending.
But how many of those gifts you purchase will be remembered a year from now?
According to one viral Instagram video shared by Andrea Dahms, a mother of two in Southern California, a good family vacation might be the gift that keeps on giving this holiday season.
READ MORE: Mark Consuelos shared his Christmas gift idea for his kids — then immediately regretted it
“The question is: Name three gifts that you got for Christmas last year,” Dahms asked her 13-year-old daughter, Brinley, in a Nov. 10 Instagram video.
Brinley’s response has parents everywhere changing their approach to Christmas gift giving.
“Last year? Um… Like, from you guys?” she ponders. “I don’t remember.”
Dahms then asked her daughter, “Where did we take our family vacation this year?” She replied without hesitation.
“Lake Tahoe,” Brinley said.
“They need your presence more than your presents,” Dahms wrote in the caption. “We are considering taking a trip this Christmas break instead of exchanging gifts. Would love your ideas!”
In an interview with TODAY.com, published Nov. 26., Dahms said that her daughter’s response was a simple reminder of what’s most important during the holiday season.
“I don’t want parents to stress over gifts like I sometimes have,” she said. “It’s OK if the presents aren’t perfect, or even if if they can’t remember them later. What matters is the time you spend together.”
Dahms’ video sparks Christmas gifts debate among parents
When Dahms posted her video to Instagram, she didn’t expect it to go as viral as it did.
The video has accumulated more than 200,000 likes over the past three weeks as parents took to the comment section to share their opinions about Dahms’ Christmas shopping discovery.
“Yes!! They want memories not things! I keep trying to tell my husband to let’s normalize going on vacation for Christmas and skip the gifts!!” one parent, who agreed with Dahms, wrote.
READ MORE: Jessie James Decker explains her ‘last-minute’ approach to Christmas shopping as a mom of four
Another mom added that she “needed this reminder” of choosing presence over presents.
“This made me sob. In a week, I will be losing my full time job and I was so stressed out after seeing the big extravagant gifts on social media that I’m “supposed” to buy for my toddlers,” the mother commented.
Others were quick to disagree with Dahms and credited their kids with having a good memory bank.
- “My daughter named off 3 gifts right away. Experiences are great, but gifts can be too. Depends on the kid.”
- “If you asked my daughter the same question she could name you 15 gift she got for Christmas last year. Ha! Girl has a memory like you wouldn’t believe!”
- “Depends. I have fond memories with my Nintendo DS and my Playstation 3 on Christmas.”
- “It depends on the person. Gift giving is how I show love.. it’s not always a negative to do presents or about materialism.”
Some parents even gave Dahms some ideas for how to make gift-giving more memorable.
“We give our kids 4 gifts. Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read,” one parent commented.
According to the NRF, the top gifts this holiday season include “gift cards (50%), clothing or accessories (46%), books and other media (27%), personal care or beauty items (23%) and electronics (22%).”
For Dahms, she’s looking to get extra creative with her newfound appreciation for togetherness.
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“We’re talking about doing a scavenger hunt on Christmas Day that gives clues to a trip, or maybe a long weekend in a cabin,” she told TODAY. “The focus is on being together.”
