What do you give someone who doesn't care much for another pair of cufflinks or a box of chocolates this Christmas? How about a precious 'experience' she will cherish for a long time to come. Frannie Guan reports.

Santa came early this year to Sardonna Yau and her husband Dick Lau. The Laus, who just had their first baby, now 3-month-old, got a red box tied with black ribbon - a gift from one of Yau's friends. Inside was an "experience voucher", presenting the family with a photo shoot with their pets.

"We are going to be the first among our friends to have family photos taken with our dogs," said Lau. They adopted four dogs who had since become "family", so the gift of "experience" was indeed special for the couple. They could hardly wait to put those photos on their mantelpiece.

They picked Caesar, a 5-year-old, 50-pound Labrador retriever, as photogenic as any dog can be.

Mama Papa babe, and family dog, arrived at the photo studio, festooned in a special festival look, befitting the Christmas spirit. Yau, who wore red, held baby daughter, Blair, decked out in a Santa costume. Dick wore a large red bowknot, almost the size of their baby. Caesar, the dog, was given a pair of Christmas antlers, worthy of any of Santa's reindeers.

Canine love

"Can you lift the dog and hold it there?" asked the photographer. Dick Lau knelt down gently, patting Caesar on the back before lifting him up as he often did at home. The photo capturing the moment had a soulful appeal, exuding an invisible and yet wholly evident spiritual bond. The photo reminded Lau that the couple had considered giving Caesar away when Blair was born. Now he was pleased they had not.

"He is family, and people never abandon family members," said Yau. The scene also brought back memories of Caesar pacing over to the bed, licking Blair's feet sometimes, in a mark of affection towards the newest member of the family. Yau told China Daily the photo was indeed precious. They would use it make a bunch of postcards, and have them sent out to friends.

"Some experience gifts like pet photography not only provide good memories to the people who receive them, but also could be shared with their friends and family," said Michelle Lam, the managing-director of Spoilt Experience Gifts.

Lam started her business offering gift experiences four years ago after research showed there was a market among people who had everything they wanted and had grown tired of traditional Christmas gifts. Her company now offers over 300 kinds of experiences. Beauty treatments in a relaxing spa are a hot favorite with female recipients. Men prefer adventure sports, like a training session in diving or kite boarding.

Grandparents and parents can gift children an exhilarating experience of learning to ski on a slope stimulator with adjustable angles. Most kids who have tried this out started with a bit of trepidation but ended up thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Christmas is high season for exchanging such gifts. Bookings are often triple of that during the rest of the year.

Say it with music

Michael Chang gave his friend George Wong a "Make Your Own CD" gift for the latter's 30th birthday. Wong still remembers the moment he had opened the experience voucher. He knew it was a gift from the heart, chosen with love and meticulous care by his friend. "He knows only too well that I like singing. We've known each other for 20 years, since secondary school," said Wong.

Singing was a part of their shared memories. They couldn't wait to rush off to Karaoke bars after school, spending hours listening to the latest pop songs. Wong included a song his father, who had introduced him and his sister to Karaoke in their childhood, would sing - Sometimes When We Touch - on the CD with four others he thought he sung rather well.

Wong was confident about his singing, but when it came to recording his own CD at a studio, Wong found it a bit tough. "It was not until the third song that I got rid of my nervousness," said Wong. "By the time I was recording the fifth song, my voice sounded a little tired."

Jonathan Lee, the producer at the studio, gave Wong a two-minute break before carrying on. He also gave Wong directions about effective ways of letting the microphone catch his voice to create a fuller sound and minimize ambient noise.

It's been four years since Lee tied up with Spoilt Experience Gifts. He has quite a few memorable anecdotes to share. A family recorded a bunch of Christmas songs and had the CDs sent to their grandparents in France as Christmas gifts. Some people recorded parodied versions of their friends' singing. "It is usually more fun with the giver and the recipient both turn up for the recording," Lee said.

Wong came alone, extremely grateful for the experience. He had reserved a copy of the CD for his friend Michael Chang and his sister had already "booked" another, as a Christmas gift. Meanwhile, Wong is already fantasizing about what the recording might do for him. "I will play it in my car. I am waiting for the day when someone I'm driving says, 'This guy sings really well. Is he a new singer?'"

While it's difficult to reach a high pitch as one gets older, Wong says his friendship with Chang will withstand the vagaries of time. The CD will remain a tangible token of the feeling they have always shared, along with the memory of the first experience gift the two had exchanged.

Contact the writer at frannie@chinadailyhk.com

The Laus receive a speical Christmas gift this year - to shoot photos with their pet dog, Caesar. Roy Liu / China Daily

A friend's Christmas gift offers George Wong the chance to have his own CD recorded at a Sheung Wan studio. China Daily

(HK Edition 12/23/2014 page7)