Christmas 2017

Update:

OK, couple of posts and some more conversations later, here’s the final plan:

1 – All the kids are excepted.  These limits are only on the grown up’s exchange.

2 – We’ll get together Christmas Eve (a Sunday) in New Braunfels (we’re in the middle) to exchange gifts, eat lunch, play games, and have a relaxed and enjoyable time together.    We’ll figure out lunch specifics later, but it’ll basically be like all the other times.

3 – Gift Exchange specifics:

  • Each family (Nelia & Luke, Ramona & Joseph, Christina & Chris) will give a gift to each adult.   Ramona & Joseph will get a gift for Nelia, Luke, Christina, and Chris; Ramona will receive a gift from Nelia & Luke and from Christina & Chris.   Make perfect sense?
  • These gifts will be simple, inexpensive things – ‘I was thinking of you and thought you would like this’.    There’s no set-in-stone price limit, but let’s say under $20.
  • There aren’t going to be any themed gifts (the past Christmas Eve exchange) and no drawn names.

And everyone is reminded to update their family site wishlists, their Amazon wishlists, and ESPECIALLY the kid’s various wishlists.

Let the fun begin!

For the original post & comments, read more ….

 

We need to do something new this year.  Seems like we’ve gotten in a bit of a rut with what we’ve been doing.

So – here are some random thoughts.  Any of these seem interesting to folks?

And as a pre-script – would Aleah care to join in?

Random gift exchange:

We all bring a gift. They are numbered.  Numbers are put into a hat. We draw numbers and open our presents.

All gifts have to fit in a standard size box (say, cereal box) (this is to help randomize/standardize them).    They are put together.   We all sit in a circle.    Everyone rolls dice and gets a gift, passes gift to someone, or unwraps gift.   Or some variant.  Like white elephant exchanges, but no stealing, and randomized.

Charity games:

In honor of the person, we donate to the most random|amusing|obscure charity

Amazon lists:

We compile a wish list for the other person and provide them with an Amazon gift card.    They have to purchase something from their list.

Will keep thinking … other ideas are welcome.  I’ll put other ideas in the comments if anything comes to me later.

 

* * * *

I’d like to retain the actual gift exchange.  I don’t know … it seems like there ought to be gifts.     I think there have been a critical number of conversations to count this as a majority opinion.

So …. here’s a first pass at randomly assigned names.  Anyone wants to exchange/modify, enter that in comments.

Luke – Joseph

Joseph – Christina

Chris – Nelia

Nelia – Chris

Ramona – Luke

Christina – Ramona

6 comments

  1. Of your suggestions, I like the random gift exchange best, though it might be a bit of a challenge to find something everyone would like. Also, in this theme, do we ever know who gave what or is that always a secret, at least supposedly? And I do think there should be a price range. It could be fairly broad, but I like knowing. I think the kids might like participating in this because it is sort of a game, but that might make the gift a little harder as it would expand the number of people the gift needed to appeal to.

    We could forget both drawing names for the larger Christmas gift and and the “Christmas eve gift” and go back to giving to everyone a gift, making the gifts small (under $20, under $10, or even under $5) and make them just for fun instead of trying to get something that person really wants. There are really lots of inexpensive things that may not be a serious want, but that we might notice and think, so and so would like this, even if so and so never expressed a liking for it before.

    On the subject of Christmas, especially if we are going to continue the larger, names drawn gift, we seriously need to update and expand our wish lists, me included, though my Amazon list pretty much stays up to date, Donavan updated Amazon for his birthday, and I see Luke’s list here is at least dated 2017. We especially need to update the children because their wants change so much from year to year.

  2. That would be fun. I would be up for getting something for everyone, especially if it was understood that these would essentially all be toys – just small things to make us all smile.

    I’ll get to working on our Amazon lists – especially Eleanors – this weekend.

  3. Another thought – to manage the cost issue, how about we all give gifts as a ‘family unit’ – instead of Joseph buying something for everyone, and Ramona buying something for everyone, Joseph & Ramona buy something for everyone. So all the adults end up getting 2 presents instead of 4, and each family group only has to purchase 4 gifts instead of 8.

    Follow up question – assuming that there will be inter-family exchanges that are separate from this one, do we include gifts within a family in this community exchange? Does Joseph get something for Ramona and vice versa (within the context of this exchange … Joseph is already getting something mysterious for Ramona that she knows nothing about, of course; and vice versa)?

  4. I like the idea of the family unit (ie Ramona and Joseph) giving a gift to everyone (ie Chris, Christina, Luke, me).

    I think the gifts couples give to each other should be opened as families on Christmas day instead if with the extended family. Luke and I enjoy our extended day of gift opening on Christmas.

    I also wonder, since you and I, Ramona seem to be the only ones in on this discussion, if we should just forget Christmas gifts or if we should just go with the drawn names that you posted originally. I like giving gifts at the extended family gathering, but I don’t know if Chris and Christina are into it and it does kind of put a damper on things when not everyone is discussing it.

    Anyway, for this year,let’s just stay with the names you drew and talk about what we want to do next year at the Christmas gathering.

    Speaking of the Christmas gathering…. I would like to get that planned. My house is available or I would be happy to gather at Ramona’s if that would be better. I understand that she is more centrally located. Also, any time is good for us, before or after Christmas day. I feel like when should be decided by those who have schedules they need to work around.

  5. Oh no; we’re not the only ones having the conversation. We’re just the only ones having the conversation online.

    It’s only two week (aaaaaagghhhh) before Christmas; let’s just stick with family units and a gift to everyone. And at the gathering, we can ask folks what they thought and take notes for next time.

    Gathering …. I’d like to do lunch; probably the same smorgasbord we usually do. Can make a new post with a kind of online sign up sheet for foodstuffs. I nominate Christina to do the potato rolls; we’re using the same recipe but hers always turn out better than mine.