I love to give my kids experiences, but I never buy them things.

I send my kids to ski school, climbing classes, mountain biking classes, breakdancing, ballet, a top play-based preschool, plus I make sure they have season passes to every kid centric place along the Wasatch Front (zoo, aquarium, Thanksgiving Point, Boondocks, children’s museum, Discovery Gateway, This Is the Place, etc.). I also camp and travel a lot with them to provide unique experiences. But, I never buy them things. I emphasize experiences.

Yet, at the end of the year an expectation is set in my kid’s minds that a magical being is going to bring them exactly what they want and he will make all their dreams come true. All of the hard work of emphasizing experiences over things is ruined by a variety of overweight men in red suits who extort me into buying the hottest and greatest toy.

I could really do without Santa. I don’t like his extortion tactics.