| Christmas gift exchanges are wonderful ways to | | | | exchange ideas for you. |
| spend time together during the holidays. Gift | | | | 1. The One pound gift is a real favorite of mine |
| exchanges are a great way of bringing family | | | | 2. $3 funny card (you could set any dollar amount) |
| members together. | | | | 3. $5 dollar store or goodwill purchase |
| The challenge comes with setting the theme or focus | | | | One year a person found a heated toilet seat in this |
| for your Christmas gift exchange. If you do the same | | | | themed exchange. |
| thing each year, people will get bored and stop | | | | 4. Dinner in a dish where the person brings a recipe |
| participating. Without changing things up every few | | | | with the majority of the ingredients to make the dish |
| years, the gift exchanges become gift card | | | | 5. Ornament exchange with a dollar amount |
| exchanges, which are not so fun, well in my opinion | | | | 6. Entertainment theme - books, cds, movies |
| anyway. So one person must come up with the | | | | 7. Set a letter of the alphabet that the gift has to start |
| theme idea. | | | | with (We have not done this exchange yet but I think it |
| At my wife's big family get together last year, we all | | | | would be very fun.) |
| brought a one-pound gift. The gifts were distributed. | | | | 8. Charity exchange where each person would put in |
| Then the story featuring Mr. Right who left the room | | | | his or her favorite charity with the contact information. |
| and went right to bed (well, you get the idea) was | | | | The person who drew the slip of paper would be |
| read to the exchange of the gifts. People were | | | | expected to give a donation to the charity. Another |
| laughing and joking as people attempted to remember | | | | version of the charity idea is something my wife's |
| which was their right and left hand as the gifts were | | | | family as done. Her sister died young due to colon |
| passed in the circle. It worked wonderfully. It was really | | | | cancer. The family started a scholarship fund in her |
| fun to see the creativity in the gift giving. One person | | | | sister's memory. There is an envelope under the tree |
| gave a pound of pennies, while another gave a one | | | | each year for family member to add to the scholarship |
| pound piece of money. Another gave a bag of chips | | | | fund. |
| and salsa. Talk about variety. And not to forget, my | | | | So whether you decide to go with a more meaningful |
| special gift, which was one pound of spam. Of course, | | | | gift or more to the wacky and fun, have fun with your |
| everyone secretly wished they had received that gift. | | | | Christmas exchange this year. The real importance is |
| So to help your Christmas season be a season of joy | | | | to have fun with those that are important to you. |
| and not stress, I have gathered some Christmas | | | | |