KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — You can enjoy the lights, the music and the gifts this holiday season, but if you can't find that perfect gift, Knoxville mom Lauren Morgan said she's been getting some tips from Santa.
"I feel like we have so much stuff, in general," Morgan said.
"It kind of hit me--instead of getting pointless toys which my kids will enjoy, but honestly they're only going to play with for a minutes here and there, and they're going to move on to the next thing anyway--that it would be great to have experiences instead."
They would be experiences that create memories.
"It continues to provide experiences all year long for kids and doesn't just give them more stuff that they really don't need," Morgan said.
Morgan wrote a blog post on Knoxville Moms called the "The Ultimate Non-Toy Gift Guide" where she details 40 ideas for gifts that aren't toys.
She said in the blog: "I want relationships to grow and memories to be made."
Morgan said her family of five received season passes to Dollywood this past year.
She said that time together was priceless.
"Our schedules are really busy so it's hard to find time for us all to be together, so it gives us a great opportunity to spend time together--quality time," Morgan said.
But even if that time ends up having a steep price, there are options for families who want to save money.
"We've seen people create like coupons that they give," Morgan said. "Some of our moms on Knoxville Moms have done that before where they give a coupon to their kids and their kids can turn that in for a day with mom or a day with dad...even if it's just running errands together."