Burning Man-Bound… With My Mama!

Ten years ago, my family started a tradition: the Experiential Christmas. Rather than giving each other trimmed, tan Banana Republic sweaters that we’d just end up returning, or the latest gadgets that we’d already snuck out and bought for ourselves, we agreed to no more presents. Instead, we’d pool our money and spend it taking an annual vacation together. That way, we’d walk away with a fresh bank of loving memories each holiday season, not a pile of things.

Our first year, my mom and dad, brother, ex-husband and I booked a house in Napa and spent a week wine tasting, cooking winter root vegetables and roasting chickens, and playing board games. We even went for a ride in a hot air balloon. We’ve since visited Angkor in Cambodia, enjoyed stays at the homes of family friends in rural Virginia and Paris, and spent several seasons making new restaurant discoveries in my childhood hometown of Honolulu.

This month, the New York Times published a delightful article espousing the Fox Family Philosophy. Happiness, psychologists report, is boosted most by spending money on experiences—travel, leisure, sports—not things. I’d add to that list volunteering, being of service to the world.

And so, in that spirit, I set off today for a grand Fox Family adventure. I’m taking my 66-year-old mother and her posse of friends to Burning Man. It will be my ninth time on the playa, my mother’s first. The six sextagenarians all are beautiful people, open-minded, creative, and passionate. I can’t wait for them to encounter the explosion of art and music that manifests every year in the middle of nowhere. Who knows what might happen?

I’ll be unplugged through Labor Day, but will report back to you on our experiences from the other side. I’ll be sending my intentions to our community throughout the week via nothing more than my brain waves and the crisp, dry desert air. But watch out: they might be a little dusty!

PHOTO (cc): Flickr / lightmatter