Not Sure What To Buy Your Loved Ones This Christmas? Give the Gift of Enriched Experiences

​This year, the weather in the US skipped from blistering heat and moved directly into the descent of winter, and with it the snow is falling in great sheets of white crystal, and so it’s beginning to feel a lot like the holidays. But the holiday season has turned into a nightmare. Did that last sentence catch you off guard? Well, it’s true. When many families must save all year to afford a gift giving extravaganza or choose going in debt for much of the new year to be able to pull off Christmas, then the holiday is becoming more stressful than it should. Big business and marketing companies have a heyday making people think that it’s all about the gifts…

Truth is, that it’s not. The truth is that the holidays are for the time spent with loved ones, because life is too short, and these are the moments that matter most. While it’s easier to simply purchase a gift to show your love, it’s so much more powerful to be positive, loving, and supporting to your loved ones. So this holiday, I implore you to choose happy, choose to smile, and choose to love your family, but to also consider what might make the biggest difference in their lives. Do you notice they are unhappy in their current situation? Is it obvious they are spinning their wheels and need to get away for a while? Can you tell they need something new and exciting in their lives? Perhaps a trade or a hobby to better their lives?

This holiday season, try giving your loved ones love and positivity, and new experiences. The most powerful gift I ever received was a chance to travel and see the world. If paying for an entire trip is out of the question, then simply plan a day trip and go with them so you both can share in a new experience. These types of memories are made quickly and go by in a flash, yet stay with your loved ones longer than trinkets, toys, or plastic crap. Or if travel isn’t possible or not relevant for the people you’re concerned about, how about choose something that will better their lives, like a hobby, a craft or simply giving the gift of food… More often than not, the best memories are those shared during a new adventure.

Think deeper this Christmas, and give more than something that will end up in a landfill in a month or two. For me, the gift of cooking gave me more than pleasant tastes and a thicker waste line, it gave me an opportunity to learn a craft I found I love, and a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of our everyday modern life, where anxieties and stress overwhelm us at every turn. Cooking is about creating something with love, and once the recipe is fulfilled, it’s about sharing your creation with loved ones. So even if that person is new to cooking, you can inspire them in all sorts of new ways.

If you’d like to see their face when they unwrap a gift from you, I’ve compiled a few food-minded goodies that can really light up their face while giving them the opportunity to experience something new in life. Happy holidays, and remember, choose happy, choose love, and choose new experiences...

Kyocera’s 4-Piece Advanced Ceramic Steak Knife Set​
Kyocera is a well-known cooking brand that specializes in a range of traditional cookware, with each having a new spin, feature or creative imagining built into it, meaning that every product by Kyocera is more than it may appear on the surface. Their 4-piece advanced ceramic steak knife set is is a beautiful example, as it includes four identical knives that are made of high-quality ceramic, which gives them their sleek design, with the added benefit of being micro-serrated and razor sharp. These blades slice through just about anything with ease, gliding through meats and breads and cheeses as if each were simply room temperature butter. It's a beautiful thing to experience and to feel, and when you cook with these knives, you feel more confident with each slice.
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Each blade is ceramic, so it will stay sharper for longer than traditional metal knives. They will not rust like metal knives and they are ultra-lightweight, making them ideal for camping and adventure travelers, and since their ceramic, they are easier to clean than traditional metal blades. The design of the handle is curved for optimal ergonomic comfort and control. This gift set comes in a gift box, which is ready to wrap. So why not give the gift of fine cooking, because with learning how to cook comes a whole world of possibilities. And when physical travel is out of the question, you can still travel the world of tastes and cuisine.

Kyocera’s Ceramic Coated Fry Pan Set / 8" and 12"
​Every cook needs reliable cookware, and that is no truer than when it comes to dependable frying pans. This set by Kyocera is a high-performance set of skillets that can weather any cook job, while capable of remaining in top quality (with proper care, of course) for decades to come. They are each non-stick and coated in a proprietary ceramic coating that has been shown to outlast and outperform other leading skillets on the market.

This set includes an 8" and a 12" fry pan. The coating on each provides a dynamic non-stick performance that is safe, scratch resistent (amazing feature!), and easy to clean. The bottom of each pan is made of a heavy gauge aluminum and stainless steel base that offers quick and even heat distribution, which I wish was available for all fry pans today, but sadly, many others fall short from my experience. These are a great choice for new cooks, seasoned chefs, as well as anyone in-between.

Kyocera’s Flip-Top Ceramic Insulated Travel Mug
​Another option for gifts on a budget is that of Kyocera's ceramic travel mug, as it's ideal for keeping hot and cold beverages consistent for around 6-to-12 hours. The lid locks for safety as well as for its spill proof capabilities, and is the perfect size for car or adventure travel. The ceramic coated interior eliminates metallic taste, while also keeping previous food or drink tastes out of the lining for a fresh experience with each use.

If you would like to learn more about Kyocera, click here.


(Photo by ghbremer via Flickr)