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This Year, Less Stuff

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THIS YEAR, LESS STUFF

By: Cody Harris | December 7, 2023

This has been a weird year. As Crier readers may recall, our family home suffered a house fire on January 1, 2023. We lost pretty much all of our belongings and spent most of the year rebuilding and reconstituting our lives. We moved back into our home just before school started in August, and we’re slowly reaccumulating furniture, clothes, books, toys, and some of the other stuff we lost in the blaze. One might think that this holiday season, we’d be focusing on wish lists for presents to try to recover some of the material items we lost, but in fact, we’re having the opposite instinct. Rather than a Hanukkah filled with toys, gadgets and such, we’re thinking more about exchanging experiences this year.

For example, our two older boys don’t know it yet, but one of their big presents is attending an overnight ski camp in Tahoe called Camp Chrysalis during winter break. They’ll spend a week up in Sugar Bowl skiing every day and sleeping in cabins at night. It’s fair to say that our boys have more endurance on the slopes than we do (and we have a three year old to keep busy as well), so this will be a win-win.

We have other ideas for fun family experiences too:

The two boys are old enough to try indoor skydiving. My wife and I went to iFly in Union City early in our relationship and still chuckle when we remember it. Watching our kids float around in the same giant glass tube a dozen years later will be a hoot.
Our three-year old girl loves to go indoor rock climbing (even if it freaks her out a bit). We’re members at Gravity Vault in San Rafael so that’s an easy one.
The boys went to a birthday party at K-1 Go-cart racing last year and have been jonesing to go back ever since.
The Hiller Aviation Museum is supposed to be cool for kids interested in airplanes and flight.
The Lion King is showing at the Orpheum and our little girl loves plays (she’s still talking about Kent Middle School’s rendition of Bye Bye Birdie).
It’s only recently occurred to me that our daughter has never ridden on a San Francisco Cable Car.

While we don’t need to do all of these things during Hanukkah (although having eight nights to celebrate certainly gives us some options), we’re thinking of giving the kids coupons or tickets good for a few of these experiences to be redeemed within the coming year. And these could be doubly fun experiences if we can convince some friends to come along with us. I’m sure our boys would love an X-Box or an iPhone (they won’t be getting either of those things), but I honestly think that a week skiing and sleeping in the Sierras is a much more meaningful gift.

Maybe the experience of suddenly losing most of our possessions has changed our view on holiday giving. I remember how last year we had just finished assembling a complicated Lego project—a Hanukkah gift to the boys from grandma—only to come home and find it melted in the fire. It’s often said around this time of year, but it’s true: things are transient. It’s the memory of working on that Lego project together that endures.

I remember standing outside of our house, smoke billowing everywhere, firefighters tromping in and out as they worked to make sure the fire was out. With my two boys at my side, I told them that the important thing was that we were all safe and together. I waved at the house and said, “Bye, things!” Maybe we can wait a little longer to welcome some of them back.

Cody Harris lives in Kentfield with his wife, Rebecca. They have two grade-school aged boys, Emmett and Levi, and a pre-school aged daughter, Annanit. When they’re not chasing their brood around, Cody’s a litigator and Rebecca is an RN and Lactation Consultant.