Give Experiences This Year with Groupon

This post brought to you by Groupon Gift Shop. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Cozy Country Living.

It’s time for Holiday shopping and I’ve been busy coming up with creative, fun and thoughtful gifts for my loved ones this year.  I try to find gifts that the recipient wouldn’t normally purchase for themselves.  I want my family members to open their gifts and feel really special.  In the next few weeks I will be sharing some great “experience” gifts that I will be giving this year with the help of Groupon.  Never heard of Groupon?  Groupon is a free to join website that offers discounts on restaurants, services, attractions, getaways and much much more.  You can search different cities and find local deals and experiences that are perfect for you and for the people you will be shopping for this season.  If you gift an experience with Groupon this year, it’s sure to be a memorable gift that your loved one will remember!

My younger sister recently moved to Charleston, SC.  I was so sad to see her move away, but I am very happy for her too.  This year she won’t be able to make it home for the holidays, so I really wanted to give her something special that reminded her of home, while experiencing something new in her new hometown.  I got on Groupon and started searching for restaurants.  I thought it would be nice for her and her boyfriend to get out for a great meal and have a little downtime after their big move.  We live an hour south of Buffalo, NY and nothing is bigger than our sports teams and the good foods that go along with game time here.  I was thrilled when I came across a Groupon for a local Sports Bar, Calder’s Buffalo Pub in their area that served tasty wings!

For a treat afterwards, I was able to find a nearby Marble Slab Creamery that serves Gourmet ice cream mixed onsite with fresh fruit, scooped into banana splits, sundaes or blended into creamy milkshakes for their dessert on me!

Not only was I able to give her a little taste of home, but I sent a gift in the mail full of fun local items that are hard to find away from home.  I included a card asking her to check her email where she could find her Groupons for the Pub and Ice Cream Shop.

Groupon gives you the option to email the recipient the Groupon, which they can redeem right off of their phone, or you can print out the Groupon and send it with your gift if you prefer.  I didn’t know when she would decide to go, so I chose the email option, complete with a personalized digital card  and message so she would have it on her phone for her convenience.

 Her Groupon looked like this and was redeemable right from her phone when she clicked the appropriate tab.

It was so much fun to be able to shop in her area for her even though I am 12 hours away.  I loved that I could give her a new experience in her area and I’m pretty sure she had a great time.  I loved that she sent me pictures of her from the pub and the ice cream place, so I felt like I was right there with her!

If you are looking for a unique gift this year, make sure you check out all that Groupon has to offer!  I think you’ll be thrilled with what you find!

Don’t forget to check back over the next few weeks to see what other creative experience gifts I’m putting together with Groupon this Holiday!