How To: Gifting Event Tickets

This year I got my parents the ULTIMATE Christmas gift. Being a small family of three, we decided to keep Christmas simple this year and focus on spending time with each other rather than loading the tree with materialistic gifts. I stuck with my plan in not getting them gifts that will never be used, and really wanted to get them something that they would use and remember for a lifetime. And boy did I find the holy grail of gifts when Garth Brooks announced that he was bringing his tour to Boston, MA this January.

Now, my parents don't really do a lot for themselves... they're very casual, easy to please and love to have fun. They would never think to buy themselves concert tickets, but they've been known to enjoy themselves at events like Jimmy Buffet, comedy shows, and a NASCAR race or two. {Another side note: my mom LOVES Garth} The day the tickets went on sale I had an alarm on my phone set, my computer set to Ticketmaster and a phone in my hand pre-dialed. I was getting these tickets. Once I got them, my excitement burst and my mind started going in a million different directions on fun ways to gift these exciting tickets to them. Opening an envelope is easy, and where's the fun in that? I decided to grab a few small gifts that fit each of their personalities, create a riddle that they each read parts of, added in a $50 gift card for dinner before hand to make it an entire day in Boston for them, and BAM the gift turned into an experience.

It was both an experience for them to open, and will be an even better experience for them to enjoy in just a few short weeks! If you're looking to gift someone event tickets in the future, they don't have to be for the Holidays, here are my 5 tips to gifting those bad boys.

Tips to gifting event tickets:

1. Make it an experience - Add in a $50 visa gift card for dinner the night of the concert or wrap up a case of their favorite beer to bring to the tailgate for that football game. Adding something additional to go with the event tickets will make the experience of the tickets complete and show all of the thought and effort that went into the gift!

2. Make it enjoyable - Create a storyline, or a fun way to open the gift. Opening an envelope is easy, but why not have some fun with it. Write a riddle to have them guess, or use the box within a box trick {that one never gets old}

3. Make it special - Adding hand written notes or clues, even a picture of the view from their seats or some kind of print out to give them a little preview will make the whole thing that much more. {Not going to lie, my mom and I teared a little when she opened the tickets! That's how I knew it was perfect!}

4. Have a plan - Plan out how your gifts will be opened; if there are multiple gifts, write numbers on the bottom of each gifts to know the order they need to be opened. If you have a riddle, have it written in the notes on your phone so you can follow along as they read it to make sure it goes as planned!

5. Go in on it with a group - Don't be afraid to join forces with siblings, friends, or family {especially if it's a pricey gift} Splitting the cost of a gift like this would be a great way to be able to get the gift without breaking the bank!

All in all - Have fun with it!