Tia Mowry ditches traditional gifts for meaningful moments

Tia Mowry planned to give her children experiences instead of traditional gifts this Christmas, believing that memories would last longer than toys.

The former Sister, Sister star, who has 14-year-old Cree and seven-year-old Cairo with ex-husband Cory Hardrict, said that going out and doing things as a family was far more meaningful than the excitement of unwrapping presents.

“I’m trying to provide my children with more experiences during the holidays,” she told E! News.

“My family grew up, we were so fixated on putting gifts up under the tree, which is awesome and great for kids.

But when there are experiences around tradition, you hold on to those memories longer.”

Tia explained that her own childhood memories inspired her approach, “I cannot tell you what my gifts were when I was 14, 15, 17, 18 years old, but what I can tell you are the memories I created from the trips that I had with my family.

So, I am wanting to do more of that during the holidays.”

The actress further said that her family still enjoyed holiday traditions like decorating the tree, eating sweet treats and listening to Christmas carols.

However, Christmas movies were also important, as she looked forward to watching her upcoming Netflix film, My Secret Santa with her kids while sipping hot cocoa.

The Tia & Tamera star recently emphasised that parents should guide their children rather than trying to make them happy.

She told Parents, “I don't think it is your job to make your kids happy. I think that it is your job to keep your kids safe, nurture them, guide them, but they have to learn on their own how to make themselves happy, because we don't want to create co-dependency.”

Tia added that her own childhood shaped how she raised her children, “I wanted my children to never be afraid to express themselves,” Tia said.