Give Your BEST Gift Ever…

Give Your BEST Gift Ever…

Stressed out already worrying about what to buy for all those people on your list? Your kids, your spouse, your friends, your family, your co-workers….and the list goes on and on…aaah!

You know what happens next, right? You start buying flashy, gadgety crap for anyone and everyone on your list…something, anything, just to have something to wrap and hand over as a gift. And then, you feel inadequate because you know that isn’t what you really wanted to give. But the hype, the flash, the dash and all those pretty lights and seasonal music and the STRESS of it all!

It doesn’t have to be that way…

When I was in 7th grade I got the best gift ever from my parents.

Really!

And that gift still gives back to me today…

What that gift gives back to me today is incredible memories of happy adventures with my Mom and Dad, my brother, and anyone else who was along for the fun, including high school teachers in later years, friends from all my seasons of life, and new friends every year to this day.

That gift opened the door to lifelong health and fitness for me, adventures in the most incredibly gorgeous season of the year, and opportunities to even teach and share my own love for what that gift bestowed upon me. Best of all, I have shared that gift with my children.

So, let me tell you about that gift…

On a Saturday morning in December of my 7th grade year, at the very peak of the worst blizzard we had that entire season (and let me tell you, it was B.A.D.), my Mom and Dad and my brother and myself headed out in our car to a remote town about 30 miles away. My brother and I weren’t really sure what was going on, but, hey, with our parents we knew we were in for an adventure. After we really struggled to arrive at our destination in that little town of Tionesta and parked in the deep snow, my folks lead us into a wilderness outfitter’s store. Coolest store ever! At least for that time and to us as young kids!

My Mom leading the way on her skis!

Even in the middle of that beastly snowstorm, the store was packed with people buying really awesome outdoor gear along with Woolrich and Pendleton Clothes. The big thing for the day for everyone? Cross Country Skis! Equipment, gear, clothing…so much focused on cross country skiing. Pretty awesome memory for me.

Cross country skiing was all the rage back then, and we had been renting skis and decided that we really enjoyed it. My folks didn’t have the money to get into downhill skiing, but had saved up and decided to invest in cross country skis for the entire family that day.

Totally changed my world from that day onward.

The funny part is that the snowstorm we experienced that day was the worst and most snow we had all Winter long that year, but an important change occurred in my life that day.

So, I am not telling you that the cross country skis themselves are the best gift you can ever give…there is much more to this story than just that one event.

What is the Best Gift You Can Give?

The best gift is NOT any one thing. It definitely ISN’T video games, or movies, or clothing, or toys of any kind. It isn’t the latest and greatest of anything that you can buy in a store.

So, what is it?

It is the gift of adventure with your family, your children, your friends, whoever. The gift of adventure is memories, experiences, challenges, joys, laughter, friendship, relationships, happiness, time spent TOGETHER with those we love and care about.

The cross country skis were the source of many wonderful times spent out on glorious ski trails with my family. We laughed and talked and experienced awe and wonder together on those skis. I still have those skis some 30 years later, and they were the best gift ever because those skis created the together time with my parents as they gave me their time, their attention, their love; and they gave me through a recreational gift the lifelong gift of outdoor health and fitness, a love for the outdoors, a desire to move and feel good, and so much more. Truly, it was a gift that has continued to keep on giving. My parents have both been gone for many years now, but I enjoy taking my own daughters on shimmery moonlit night ski trails that I experienced with my own mother many years ago. Priceless!

My Mom and Dad always had a crew of fun friends to enjoy their adventures!

In a time when we give such meaningless gifts, and those gifts tend to separate us and isolate us from each other, it is no surprise that we see ever-increasing depressions and suicidal activity in our children, in ourselves, in our soldiers, in our seniors, in fact, I could dig up statistics that are frightening. But, the gift of adventure is not a solitary, lonely gift...it is a gift best experienced with other people, and when we venture out into nature we find our best selves, we share our best selves, and life becomes so much brighter and healthier.

Let’s recap:

What is the Best Gift Ever?

You. Sharing yourself, your time, your enjoyment with another person. But, I want to expand that and challenge you to share yourself with those you love outdoors experiencing the joys of adventure. All your children want is You – your time, your focus, your attention, your love of life, and your love for them. All your family and friends really want is just the same thing.

What can you do?

Give real gifts, just like my cross country skis. Instead of video games that isolate your children from you, give them real things – outdoor gear, adventure gear, backpacking gear.

Give them the things they need to experience an adventure WITH YOU – outdoors. Conversations happen outdoors in the middle of an adventure or over a campfire that never happen any other place or time. Besides, they will be hooked on the outdoors forever, AND…let me tell you…you will be totally RESPECTED by their peers for giving your kids REAL “toys” and not just stuff.

Give them backpacking hammocks, tents, fishing and hunting gear, sleeping bags, headlamps, rugged outdoor clothing, trekking poles, backpacks, kayaks, GPS units, quality knives (don’t panic, even as a little girl, we all had our own jacknives and never cut ourselves nor anyone else), real tools,  and, oh the list is endless.

But the key to it all is…give it and USE it with them.

You know you spend just as much on total crap gifts, so don’t use price as an excuse. We have purchased used outdoor gear to fill in the gaps when we have needed to do so. Make it a priority to buy and give some good high-quality gear and fill in the gaps when you need to. Trust me, your life, and the lives of those you give to will be far more enriched on so many levels.

While the bottom line of this article, the true take-away that I want you to get, is that YOU are the Best Gift Ever…but, YOU with some great gear gifts for outdoor adventures is a wonderful thing that will hold you close for many years to come!

So, I am including some suggestions and recommendations based on gear that we use pretty regularly and makes great gifts. We would love it if you purchased your Amazon products through our affiliate links to help support our ongoing creation of the Cross Adventuring website and all the great stuff we have lined up still to come for you.

Thank you for your support, and we would love to hear from you about the gifts you choose and the adventures you enjoy! Please share your adventures with us on Facebook!

Here are a few Amazon Links to items we use that will get you started:

Let’s begin with the hottest item of the year – the Eagle’s Nest Outfitters Hammock. This was birthday priority #1 for  my youngest daughter this year. If you haven’t seen our Facebook page video of her waking up in her hammock hung right on the edge of the lake to an incredible sunrise experience, check it out!

Shh! Something like this multi-survival tool might just might end up in someone’s stocking this year!

For entry-level geocachers, the Garmin etrex is a terrific value! We have used an early version of the etrex pretty much since the beginning of our geocaching adventures. Can’t go wrong if you are just getting started or looking to get your kids on their way to treasure hunting!

The Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter is by far my favorite easy-to-use, lightweight filter. This is the one I demonstrate when I teach my Intro to Backpacking classes.

Trekking Poles have moved from dislike to high priority gear for me over the past few years. Poles have saved me from some nasty falls, carried the burden when I was getting really exhausted in a 100K (62-mile) Ultra, and just turned into a good all-around accessory for hiking, backpacking, trail running, and snow shoeing. I personally use a set of Black Diamond trekking poles, and they hold up to the rugged abuse I put upon them.