This year, instead of searching for something to wrap, we wanted to give each other a different kind of gift. Something we both needed more than anything else: time together.

I’ve gathered a list of local gift ideas that I’ve either given, received or bought for myself (this is your permission to give yourself a Christmas gift). I also included a lot of experience gifts, since that’s what I’m wanting the most these days.

This year, instead of adding more things and to-dos, we gifted ourselves something quietly luxurious: a day at Thermea Spa Village Whitby with the Signature Package. This kind of escape doesn’t require flights, but it still feels like a vacation.