Holidays is the time of the year when we get an opportunity to show our love for our families, express our gratitude to our employees, and show our appreciation to our business partners. Most of the time we do so through gift-giving.

And who doesn’t love gifts, right?

Well, it turns out that when it comes to corporate gift-giving, not a lot of people are looking forward to getting surprises in the mail. This year especially I’ve seen a lot of frustrated tweets and Facebook posts flying around… from “Oh no! More holiday gifts that I don’t need” to “It’s that time of the season… time to haul out all the junk I got from other companies.”

It made me reflect on some of the best and worst gifts I have received in the past from the vendors and partners I have worked with throughout the years. And what I realized was that there were very few gifts or gestures that truly stuck with me. Most were not very well thought through, like the numerous bottles of wines I got… not a great gift for someone who doesn’t drink alcohol. Not that I wasn’t grateful for the gesture and the investment… it’s just that…

What hit me was the realization that the best gifts I have ever received were not gifts per se, but rather experiences these gifts have enabled!

Gifts or gestures that allow you to create memories that are special to you – that is ultimately the best thing you can ever get someone. And a lot of times it only requires a little bit of effort, a little thought put into it. There is really no better way to say “we appreciate you.”

Examples? I got a few.

I am a huge fan of TechSmith software products. Being a writer, a speaker, and a marketer, I use Snagit almost every day to create presentations or nice-looking images for my articles (all of the screenshots in this post were created using Snagit). I also love their recording software Camtasia, I used it to create a number of online classes with amazing ease. Several years back I met TechSmith’s evangelist Betsy Weber. Besides being amazing, this woman is a master of “surprise and delight.” She builds brand love for the company through authentic relationships with people in the industry, as well as TechSmith’s advocates.

One day she posts a picture on Facebook wearing a fun t-shirt that says “I love geeks.” It was so cool. Not just because I share the same sentiment, but it was all blinged-up. And I love bling! Naturally, I commented on the post telling her how awesome that shirt was. Several weeks later I got this delivered to my door with a hand-written note from Betsy.

And it wasn’t even Christmas. Though Mother’s Day was coming up and I proudly displayed my geekiness by wearing it then.

But you want to know the best part? The best part is how many conversations with t-shirt started and how many memories it created for me. I met several incredible people randomly because they stopped and commented on how much they loved my shirt. It sparked a lot of hilarious conversations at work, as well as fun ideas during lunches with friends. It remains a staple of my wardrobe to this day. And yes, I will be wearing it at South by Southwest (SXSW) next year!

This little gesture created more treasured experiences for me than any traditional corporate gift ever could.

Speaking of SXSW and another experience I will never forget…

Another person who always pays attention and understands the power of building relationships is Justin Levy of Citrix. Authentic and brilliant, Justin is a remarkable representative of his company.

Every year at SXSW Justin brings together a small but great group of people who share his passion for the industry. And he always makes sure folks walk away with something special (I still have several gifts from his past events that I kept and use, including the harmonica that my daughter and I play rather often).

Well, last year Justin and his team heard me casually talk about the fact that my 5-year old child was suddenly smitten by unicorns. I mused out loud about the need to go online and find a unicorn toy for her. Seeing how I was spending the weekend at SXSW instead with my baby, it’s the least I could do, I said. Little did I know that the Citrix team planned a surprise for dinner attendees that year. When I got back to my hotel room the next day, I had a small package waiting for me. While others got cupcakes and other sweet treats, I got a little white unicorn. I was elated.  Justin and his team single-handedly made me the mother of the year. The unicorn is still one of my daughter’s favorite toys, we spent countless hours playing with it. Thank you, Justin and the Citrix team!

Speaking of sweets…

This Halloween I got an email from a Firebrand Group, the digital marketing agency, titled: “No Tricks, Just Treats (for You & Your Whole Office).” Here is what it said:

“Why do kids get all the candy? They don’t even have jobs. Remember the good old days of going door to door, and adults you didn’t even know gave you candy for free? Now, you’re working 9-to-6 and you deserve a fun Halloween. Pick a date and time… My team and I will come to your office, all dressed up for the holiday, and we’ll give you candy. Simple as that. Because you deserve a fun Halloween too.”

The mastermind behind this idea is Jeremy Goldman, a founder of the company and a marketer I respect.

Now, to tell you the truth, I got excited. There is one thing you need to know about me and that is that I never pass up an opportunity to munch on some sugary treats. But I also knew that the company doesn’t have an office in Portland. And since I was also rather curious about how exactly they would handle a situation like this, I went ahead and filled out a form requesting their presence anyway.

No, they didn’t come to my door. But a while later I got a package with an orange bag containing a variety of candy. But here is the thing – the candy wasn’t your average Halloween candy. It was an assortment of international candy, most of which I haven’t tried before. Some of it was Russian (which I knew very well, being born and raised there), but the rest was a delicious combination of mystery. The coolest part about receiving this package wasn’t candy, it was an experience that followed. My daughter and I proceeded to spend a number of evenings trying out the candy and figuring out where it was from. It was not only an educational experience for us, but a bonding experience too. It created fun memories and countless hilarious situations, which the whole family enjoyed.

And since I started this post with the thoughts about holiday gifts, here is the Christmas gift example for you.

In 2013 I’ve partnered with Vocus (now Outmarket) on creating some marketing content, including webinars and was pleasantly surprised when I got a holiday package from them as a thank you. It was a fun one. It included a number of both cool and useful gadgets and it was very thoughtful. The letter included a list of 12 things that any marketer would need for the next year and included intangible service offers as well.

But the two of my favorite things were Google Chromecast and Zipbuds (non-tangle glow-in-the-dark zipper earbuds).

Chromecast since became an enabler of a lot of family movie nights and my daughter’s favorite gadget. We streamed YouTube videos, Netflix videos, and home family videos in our living room, while enjoying popcorn and ice-cream. Every time we stream a movie, I remember the company that sent such a great gift… And as far as Zipbuds go… let me just say my child and I never argued about tangled earbuds ever again (they are so cool!).

The best gifts are the ones that create experiences. Because at the end of the day experiences, and the memories those experiences enable, matter the most to us.

At Sprinklr, we live/work by the mantra and the immortal words of Maya Angelou:

“People will forget what you said. They will forget what you did. But they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”

So let’s choose meaningful experiences over traditional presents this holiday season and the next. It’s easy to opt-in for a “safe” gift. But if you put a little extra thought and just a bit of your heart into it, you will build authentic relationships with people around you (customers, employees, vendors, partners, investors). And that is priceless!

Happy Holidays!

Originally published on Forbes