During the holiday season, it can be easy to get wrapped up in what may seem very important matters at the time, such as buying gifts for everyone on your list. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, gifts are not what matter. And they aren’t what people remember. A study conducted at Cornell University and reported in the January 2010 issue of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that experiences bring greater happiness and satisfaction than buying and owning possessions.

The study revealed that people often feel buyer’s remorse, stress, and a sense that they may not have purchased the best or right product after shopping. In contrast, after a vacation, hike, bike ride or game of softball in the park, people rarely experienced negative feelings. It concluded that satisfaction with material purchases tends to decrease over time, whereas satisfaction with experiential purchases tends to increase.

The best part about experiences is that they can be free! Here are some ideas:

• Read to each other. Younger children love story time. Studies have shown that reading together will help them learn to read as well.
• Watch a movie together. Set a special night and time each week to get together as a family to watch a classic movie. Even if the movie is cheesy, you’ll all get good laughs together from watching it.
• Play a board game. A little healthy competition is good for the soul! Form teams and play an interactive game, such as charades.
• Bake Cookies. Fun for all ages, you can get as creative as you want decorating, and be sure to enjoy taste testing along the way too!
• Go for a leisurely stroll. Go to the park or neighborhood trail and enjoy seeing nature together. You can make it a learning experience by identifying different types of trees and birds you see along the way.

Make life matter more by experiencing it with those you love. In the end, it’s not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away. We’d love to hear from you. What are some other ways you spend quality time with family? Do you have any favorite holiday traditions that you do together? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.