My aunty used to give me an “experience” for my birthday every year. She’d take me out and spend quality time with me doing whatever activity I wanted to do. I can honestly say that each year, that’s what I looked forward to the most for my birthday! And now, as an adult, I still love receiving the gift of experience, and I love giving them, too! One of the great things about getting an experience is that it doesn’t need to cost anything at all, but you’ll walk away feeling rich with love and appreciation for your friend/partner/family member (or you’re just a Scrooge, I don’t know). Here are 11 of my favourite places to experience with family and friends during the holiday season:

1. Glow Langley Christmas| I wrote about Harvest Glow in depth recently (you can find that post here), but the Christmas Glow gave me a RUN for my money! It’s absolutely breathtaking! You can spend the holidays visiting a half dozen other countries without ever stepping foot on a plane. The lights are beautiful, the food is incroyable, and the shopping is mahana! (Y’all, there are CHURRO FRIES. Need I say more?) I’d recommend bringing cash, since a lot of the food/beverages are cash only, though some take credit, too. | COST: depends on age, but ranges from $16.99-$22.99 (family pack for two adults and three kids/seniors for $69.99), kids 3 and under are free
2. Aurora | To be fair, I haven’t actually gone to Aurora yet, but it’s on my list of activities I reaaaaaally wanna do after the hectic holiday season ends. It’s on until January, so that might mean I’ll have a chance to check it out! | COST: depends on age, but ranges from $14.99-$19.99 (family pack of five tickets is $59.99), kids 3 and under are free
3. Vancouver Christmas Market | This German-themed market is wunderbar! There’s a carousel, traditional dancing, and all the sauerkraut you can eat.  The hot chocolate is delightful, if that’s your thing. They have collectible cups each year, and you can even get a bierstiefel if you’re feeling extra-German. There’s a 19+ WunderBAR to hang out in if you’re going sans minors, too! | COST: base price ranges from $5-$12 depending on age, but you can save $2 if you buy online (def recommend — the lines get pretty big, especially on weekends!), and there are a bunch of add-ons; there’s also a “Mistletoe” option, which is for two people and includes $80 worth of activities for $50! If I can convince Travis to go with me for a date, then that’s what we’ll be doing!
4. Othello Tunnels | I LOVE Othello tunnels (check out our last adventure there here), but I really want to check it out in the snow! It’s absolutely breathtaking already, but snow just makes everything look magical. The downside is that it’s cold, wet, and slippery. This would be a super cute day-date to hang out and go for a winter-wonderland-walk (I love alliterative adventures); you can always head to Blue Moose Coffee House in Hope for coffee or hot cocoa afterwards, too! | COST: free!
5. Science World | So, this isn’t technically holiday-related, but Science World is a great place to get a membership to, and if it’s in your budget, it’s a great membership to gift! It’s fantastic to visit all year, and the membership pays for itself in a few visits. Bonus: you get a discount at the gift shop and at the Vancouver Aquarium! Not committed? You can always just head over for the day!  | COST: $70-$225 for one-year membership, and $120-$390 for two-year membership depending on age and number of people; day passes range in price from $17-$25 excluding OMNIMAX or Pixar add-ons; small humans two and under are free
6. The Nutcracker Ballet | I love heading out to good ol’ QE, but I haven’t been in forever! This is on the top of my holiday to-do list; I’m torn about getting William into ballet early, or just enjoying a night (who are we kidding? it’ll be a matinee) on the town with Trav. Of course, nothing says a holiday tradition like seeing The Nutcracker. Is it even December if you’re not listening to Tchaikovsky? | COST: $15-$105.50
7. Holiday Light Exhibits | You can always just drive around any city in the Lower Mainland and go to all the holiday hot-spots! Grab some friends, stop at your fave cafe for a delicious holiday beverage and snack, and see all of the lights! If you’re feeling fancy, you can always rent a limo for this event. | COST: free!
8. Skating at Robson Square | This is a super great activity, and it’s one of the most popular Christmas activities in Vancouver, hands down! It is a free activity (skate rentals not included, so bring your own skates or pay a few bucks to rent a pair), so be prepared that it gets pretty busy. Good news: it does run until the end of February, though, so you have lots of time to fit this one into your schedule! | COST: free!
9. Holiday Train Ride | This is generic because there are so many of these! There’s The Polar Express in Squamish, the Stanley Park Train, the Bear Creek Park Train, and there’s even a train at Art Knapp’s! So many train rides, I can’t pick just one. The prices vary significantly depending on what you’re doing, but all train rides are good train rides! | COST: Ranges depending on train, age, etc., from $3 (Art Knapp) to $52.50 (Polar Express First Class) per person
10. Ski/snowboard trip | There’s nothing like hitting the slopes on any one of the mountains in the Lower Mainland; you can even hit the Whistler slopes if you’re feeling adventurous and want to get out of town! If you go to Grouse, you can also check out their mountaintop skating rink and visit Santa. | COST: prices vary depending on mountain, gear rentals, etc.
11. A weekend getaway | I loooove doing getaways, whether it’s for a long weekend or even just a night! It’s sometimes nice just to get out of the house, rent a hotel room or AirBnb in a nearby city (Vancouver is great!), do some holiday shopping, and go out for dinner without having to deal with the commute back home. Whistler, Bowen Island, and Vancouver Island are also great for getaways if you’ve got a bigger budget; it’s a great thing to do for a group of friends who don’t get to see each other often enough, or for a couple who’s over the capitalist part of the holidays but still want to treat each other in some way! | COST: prices vary depending on location, type of accomodation, etc.

Have you ever gifted an experience? What was it? Did you love it, or is it not your thing?Let me know your favourite holiday activities!