This Year, Give The Gift Of “DO-ing!”

I love holidays–the food, the festivity, the fun–but I hate choosing a gift for Derek. Why would I dislike giving presents to the guy who’s given me everything? Because the dude claims he wants nothing, nada, zip! EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. I’ve run out of electronics, he’s well-stocked on cologne and fancy liquor cabinet staples, and he wears camouflage to work, so ties are out, too. (Not that our little bungalow is big enough to fit even one more of any of the above, anyway!) What’s a girl to do?

Stop giving “stuff” and start giving adventures, of course!

About two years ago, I realized that I didn’t need to fill his closet with–or drain our bank account for– any more gifts my husband didn’t really want. Instead, I started looking for experiences he could do with his friends or that we could do together. At first attempt, it honestly seemed a little daunting–activities and excursions can get just as expensive as trips to the Apple store and mail order bourbon. That’s where LivingSocial came in.

If you’re not familiar, LivingSocial is an online marketplace to buy and share the best things to do in your city–in our case, Jacksonville/St. Augustine. They partner with some of the biggest names in sports, music, theater, and original outings to help their deal seekers find the best things to do wherever we are–and at a steeply discounted prices. There are even frequent promo codes that can be used for additional discounts and a “Me + 3” program wherein, once you purchase a deal, you’re given a special code to share with friends, family, and social media. If three other people decide they want to go skydiving, or booze cruising, or paddle boarding (or whatever it is that you decided looked like fun), then your deal is given to you for F-R-E-E!

The range of activity choices are endless, too–so no matter who you’re shopping for this holiday season, you’ve got them covered. When our family was still made up of just Derek and myself, we used LivingSocial to go to Dolphins games, check out new restaurants we might have been afraid to try at full price–even to take a trip to New York City (his first) via an amazing package we purchased from the site’s Escapes feature. We lived in South Florida then, but if your husband is a Jags fan, there are tickets for multiple games available on LivingSocial as we speak. (We’ll be watching the Jags vs. Colts next month because of this deal–so holler if you see us!)

Maybe you want to give your family the gift of Christmas itself this year? They’re making that pretty easy to do, too. We just bought vouchers for ZooLights at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for less than our member price, plus an additional 20% off! Last year, we bundled up the baby for his first look at Christmas lights when we went boating through Nights of Lights in St. Augustine for almost $50 less than regular tickets–a deal that’s being offered again this year, too! There are also local deals for performances of The Nutcracker and- my 5 and 10-year-old nieces’ favorite- $20 off admission to Adventure Landing for Winterfest.

So take back all the light-up, primary colored plastic (you’re just going to have to replace the batteries–and where the heck IS that tiny screwdriver, anyway?!?) and return that third totally-different-shade-of-green striped tie for store credit–because gift giving just got a whole lot more exciting!

Check back on JMB’s Facebook page tonight for a chance to win $50 LivingSocial Deal Bucks!

Although this post was sponsored by LivingSocial (Thanks for being so fun, guys!), all the opinions expressed are my own.