Having three nieces ages 7, 5 and 4, it feels like I’m constantly brainstorming gift ideas for birthdays or Christmas. With them having basically every toy under the sun and growing out of clothes with the blink of an eye, tangible gift ideas can be tricky.

Before our oldest niece turned 5, Keegan and I came up with the idea that we would take each niece to Build-A-Bear for their fifth birthday. This not only resulted in a tangible gift, but also an experiential one. And it gave us a chance to spend quality time with each niece.

With just one more Build-A-Bear excursion to look forward to, we’ve been trying to come up with other ideas that are more experience-based.

For Christmas 2024, we decided to take the older two to Ice Valley’s annual Winter Fest, which featured an appearance by their then-beloved Bluey. They got to try ice skating for the first time and really took to the new activity.

This past Christmas, we decided to gift that again, now adding in our youngest niece. Last weekend, we took all three girls to Ice Valley (foregoing the Winter Fest in an attempt to have less of a crowd to deal with). Each showed up with the homemade “ticket” that was given to them on Christmas and an excitement to hit the ice.

With the two older girls being sisters from Keegan’s side of the family and the younger girl being from my side, it’s always a special opportunity to get them all together. They’ve only gotten to hang out a handful of times, but they always get along swimmingly (or, in this case, skating-ly).

Having the older two get experience last year helped the youngest niece shake off any trepidation as she hit the ice like a seasoned pro.

They all started with the on-ice walkers before giving the hold-the-wall method a try. It never ceases to amaze me how smart and bold all three are -- all in their own unique way.

Whenever I’m with them, I try to look at the world through their eyes, and I always feel my perspective shift. Though this day of skating was technically their Christmas gift, getting to spend that quality time with them is the most special gift Keegan and I could ask for.

· Taylor Leddin-McMaster can be contacted at taylorleddin@gmail.com.