Create fun Christmas vouchers for your family

Create Christmas Experience Vouchers

Stuck for what to get your kids for Christmas this year?

Do they already have the latest gadgets and ‘must have’s’?

Or maybe money’s a bit tight and you need to find something great for not a lot of cash.

Last Christmas I didn’t have a clue what to give my teen and tween boys. When they were younger it was so easy to buy lots of small stuff plus one big ‘star’ gift. It gave them the excitement of seeing a load of presents under the tree and the fun of unwrapping them all.

But what do you get older kids who’ve outgrown toys, have plenty of games and certainly don’t need any more gadgets?

I put my thinking cap on and came up with an idea….  I wasn’t 100% sure if it would go down well, but I had a pretty good feeling about it.

Christmas experience vouchers they could redeem for a whole variety of things!

I started making a list of what each of them would consider a real treat, then I got to making them. I created the fun designs online (try Canva for loads of templates) and then printed them out and wrapped them all individually so they’d still have the fun of unwrapping them all. Here are a few examples:

bedroomchangehoopsbackrubbreakfastfamilygamegoals

tennis

clear

I can’t begin to describe how excited they both were as they unwrapped each one on Christmas morning!

Whew!

And of course the STAR gift was a date with yours truly:

clear
mum

My younger son redeemed his for a day with me at the amusement park. It’s a good thing I love roller coasters! My older son redeemed his for a lovely day in town, eating in a fancy Thai restaurant, then off for ice creams and strolling around. My sons make pretty hot dates. 😉

At the end of the day, most kids would rather have quality time with you than anything else.

Every year I send out this My Dream December 2-page worksheet to my lovely newsletter subscribers and every year I get so many heart-felt thank you’s. This tool helps you to identify what really matters to you over the holiday season. It’s my free gift to you!

Christmas planning

website cover - life wheel new

Have you got the FREE & FABULOUS Project Me Life Wheel® yet?  It’ll quickly show you where you’re currently out of balance so you know what needs your focus FIRST.

Enter your first name and email address below:

You will also receive the Project Me newsletter to keep you motivated and inspired in all areas of your life.
I won't bombard you or share your details with anyone - promise.

23 Comments

  1. Kristy on December 1, 2014 at 7:45 PM

    I absolutely adore this idea Kelly. I’m definitely doing this for Mr 4. I;m offering him a “Mummy Date” and an “Ice-Cream Date with Dadda.”

    • Kelly Pietrangeli on December 1, 2014 at 8:50 PM

      Yay! He’s going to love thst kind of special one on one time with each of you Kristy

  2. Catarina on December 1, 2014 at 9:31 PM

    I love this idea! Will definitely use it as soon as my little T-Rex is old enough to understand the concept of a voucher! 🙂

    • Kelly Pietrangeli on December 2, 2014 at 9:12 AM

      Ha ha! Yes Catarina, it’s definitely one to store in your back pocket for when he’s much older! When they’re little they just want presents and to be honest, because I NEVER buy my kids anything unless it’s their birthday or Christmas, it means I used to have endless ideas stored up throughout the year for gifts. (Books, games, puzzles, DVDs, toys…) It’s only now that they’re older that I’m finally stuck for ideas.

  3. Suzie Douglas on December 4, 2014 at 1:00 AM

    Kelly, what a brilliant idea! I love how thoughtful these gifts are, and I honestly do believe that one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids, especially in a large family, is your dedicated time. This is a great way of making sure this happens.

    I think it could easily be tailored to younger kids too – with things like ‘face painting with Mummy’.And you could really have some fun if you were feeling brave. What about: ‘choose Mummy’s outfit top to toe one Saturday’ – if you’re feeling brave?! (I think you may have to add some terms and conditions to this one!) Thanks for sharing this xxx Suzie

    • Kelly Pietrangeli on December 4, 2014 at 9:39 AM

      LOVE those extra ideas Suzie! Yes, it’s all about having a good old brainstorm on paper about all of the things that would wind your kids binder 🙂

      Choosing the outfit idea cracked me up!! Please do it – and send photos!!!

  4. Kara {Our Whole Village} on December 4, 2014 at 4:54 AM

    Love this!!! Definitely making some of these for D. The little guy is still too young. Not sure what I’ll do though thinking about the following: special dates with mom, dad and mom & dad together (no little brother allowed) and dessert for dinner. I need a few more ideas still…

    • Kelly Pietrangeli on December 4, 2014 at 9:46 AM

      Once you put your thinking cap on – and grab a notebook to capture any ideas, it’ll come to you Kara!

      A board game of their choice? A backrub with oils and soothing music by candlelight? A bubble bath with you? A Friday night disco – everyone gets dressed up, flashing lights, music, party food? Movie night with popcorn any movie THEY choose with no grumbling from you! A bike ride – just the two of you? Breakfast in bed?

      Another great thing about these vouchers is, you’ll discover what they REALLY loved the most and you’ll now have a great reward / treat up your sleeve for the future too 🙂

      • Kara {Our Whole Village} on December 7, 2014 at 5:09 PM

        Great ideas! Thanks. I’m just finishing them now. We added cooking with Dad and baking with Mom. Dinner of her choice. A movie night. Love the disco night idea. Adding that for my last one.

        • Kelly Pietrangeli on December 7, 2014 at 6:47 PM

          Love those extra ideas Kara! And I want to see pics of the disco night 🙂

  5. Maxine on December 7, 2014 at 6:59 PM

    I’m SO HAPPY I saw this just now on the Facebook page of Dr. Laura Markham of Aha! Parenting! I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of what to get my nieces and nephew for Christmas. I know they would love a date with me. I will have a fun day out with each of them. I am so excited and want to thank you for explaining so well how to make them like you did. They look so nice!

    • Kelly Pietrangeli on December 8, 2014 at 11:54 AM

      You’re very welcome Maxine. Just think of me as Santa’s Little Helper 😉

      I’m so happy you found this via Dr. Laura. She’s amazing and I’m thrilled she’s shared this with her audience.

  6. Seana Turner on December 8, 2014 at 2:31 PM

    I love these! They are in perfect keeping with my latest blog post, talking about how to give gifts to kids that give kids something to look forward to AND keep the clutter to a minimum. Great that you give a tangible tutorial on how to make them:)

    • Kelly Pietrangeli on December 8, 2014 at 4:14 PM

      I’d love to see you post Seana – link it here 🙂

  7. Helen Butler on December 9, 2014 at 11:30 PM

    I love this idea Kelly! Besides the fact it’s a wonderful way to connect with our children it’s also a very clutter-free way of giving a heart-felt gift to someone. And you know I love that!!

    • Kelly Pietrangeli on December 10, 2014 at 8:09 AM

      Helen – as the Queen of Clutter-Free living, I’m happy it gets your thumbs up! 🙂 xx

  8. How to Create Last Minute Christmas Vouchers on December 10, 2014 at 12:51 PM

    […] This post first appeared on Kelly’s site Project Me! […]

  9. Nuala on January 13, 2015 at 11:30 AM

    I love these and did all the members in our little family one for christmas,

    My OH – Got a date with yours truly
    My daugther – Got a Girlie Day with me
    My Son – got a day at the farm with the whole family

    The gifts were loved just a much as the presents they got from Santa a success!

    • Kelly Pietrangeli on January 13, 2015 at 4:50 PM

      Ahhh – that warms my heart Nuala to imagine each of them cashing in their lovely vouchers 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know. xx

  10. Anne on December 1, 2015 at 3:22 PM

    Hi Kellie, wonderful idea! I’m gonna do this with my older one. He still loves his toys but he starts to appreciate a Cooking Lesson with Mum and that sort of things! xo Anne

    • Kelly Pietrangeli on December 3, 2015 at 9:48 AM

      Anne, it can be a great supplement to the toys he loves. Instead of going over the top with too many toys, you can mix in some Experience Vouchers. I’m sure he’s going to love a Cooking Lesson with you! How fun! Have a wonderful Christmas xx

  11. Elizabeth on December 22, 2015 at 8:43 PM

    I thought about doing these last year when you first posted this but wasn’t organised enough so ran out of time but when I you reposted it this year I just knew I had to make time to do these vouchers for my Masters 9 & 7 !! I’ve just finished creating & printing my son’s vouchers & carefully hidden them so they won’t find them. I’ll let you know how they like them 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful inspiration, I think this is the gift I’m most excited to see them open !!

  12. […] dessert or meal of their choice, one on one time with daddy (or you). Click here to see how to create super cute homemade experience vouchers using PicMonkey. You can also do an adult version for your man – let your imagination run […]

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Browse the Vault


Popular Posts

The Key to finding a happier balance in life. The Project Me for Busy Mother's Life Wheel Tool

The Key to Finding a Better Balance

Daily Planner for moms and mums

How to Design Your Day the Way YOU Want It To Go

Action-670x435

Video Training: Learn How to Master Your To Do List