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All About The Numbers
- THE AFP BLOG -
We've found that it is not just the numbers that drive planning...
so here are some thoughts
we would like to share
that may help you on your financial journey.
What if the Best Gifts Can’t be Wrapped?
December 10, 2025
We're halfway through December, and if you're feeling overwhelmed from racing between obligations, and checking off endless lists, you're not alone. The holidays have a way of turning into a whirlwind when what we really crave is connection.
Here's what we often forget: the holidays we remember most fondly rarely center on what gifts we received. They center on who we were with and what we experienced together.
The Memories That Last
With nearly two weeks left, consider shifting some of your gift-giving toward experiences rather than more things:
Gifts That Create Experiences
With nearly two weeks left, consider shifting some of your gift-giving toward experiences rather than more things:
Give Time Together. A homemade coupon for a future coffee date. Tickets to a local show or museum. A promise to teach someone something you know. An afternoon together doing their favorite activity. Your undivided attention is becoming one of the rarest gifts you can offer.
Give Traditions. Start something new together—an annual movie night, a special breakfast, a winter walk. The gift is the ritual itself, something that will be repeated and remembered for years.
Give Moments. Plan an outing: ice skating, seeing holiday lights, visiting a special place. The gift isn't an object—it's the memory you'll create together.
Give Your Presence. Sometimes the most meaningful gift is simply being fully there. Put your phone away. Listen. Notice. Be present.
Creating Experiences Beyond Gift-Giving
The most memorable moments often happen spontaneously in your own home: baking cookies together, playing board games, reading stories aloud, staying in pajamas longer than usual. These cost nothing but create everything.
Look around your community too: free concerts, tree lighting ceremonies, neighborhood lights, holiday markets. Simple pleasures are everywhere if you slow down enough to notice them.
Letting Go of the Pressure
Much of our holiday stress comes from expectations we've placed on ourselves. This season, give yourself permission to let go. You don't have to attend every party, make everything perfect, or create a picture-worthy holiday.
Ask yourself: What actually brings joy to me and the people I love? Then do more of that and less of everything else.
The Season You'll Remember
When you prioritize experiences over perfection, something shifts. You stop racing through the holidays and start actually experiencing them. You create the kinds of moments people will bring up years from now with a smile.
The next two weeks are yours to shape. Choose presence. Choose experiences. Choose the kind of holiday you'll want to remember.
The best gifts can't be wrapped—they're the moments you create together.
AUTHOR: Alexander Financial Planning, Inc.
This material is distributed by Alexander Financial Planning, Inc. (AFPI) and is for information purposes only. Although information has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy. AFPI assumes no liability for the interpretation or use of this information. No portion of this writing should be construed as legal or accounting advice. All rights reserved.RETURN TO BLOG ARCHIVE
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