Yearly, individuals ask us for theme concepts from my household’s annual Christmas present alternate. We first talked about this custom on a podcast episode in 2016 and now, practically a decade later, we’re placing the complete, up to date record in an easy-to-reference weblog put up. So in the event you or your loved ones are feeling caught or overwhelmed by your vacation purchasing record, see why introducing a theme would possibly do the trick!
How Our Present Trade Works
For so long as I can keep in mind, my prolonged household has organized a present alternate to lighten our collective vacation purchasing load. As a substitute of shopping for presents for EVERY SINGLE cousin, aunt, & uncle (there have been 22 of us rising up!) we’d draw a JUST ONE title at random from a hat.
The one guidelines are:
- It may’t be the identical particular person you had final 12 months
- It may’t be a direct member of the family (sibling, father or mother)
We constructed traditions round this alternate. On Christmas morning, we’d take a particular second to go across the room and watch every particular person unwrap their “alternate present.” After Christmas dinner, we’d fold up little strips of paper and draw names for the subsequent 12 months. I’d describe it as an enormous a part of my core Christmas reminiscences.
We’ve tailored the alternate over time too. As extra cousins bought married and had children, we condensed the record from people to household teams (ex: me + Sherry + our youngsters = 1 unit). And as my instant household grew, we instituted secondary exchanges between my siblings & our spouses and one other between our youngsters & their cousins. All of those present exchanges assist cut back the stress & price of vacation purchasing, and permit individuals to deal with fewer, extra significant and specialised presents.
Why Vacation Present Themes Assist
In some unspecified time in the future, we added a theme to our Christmas present alternate. I don’t keep in mind why or who advised it, but it surely’s been one other enjoyable and useful a part of our custom. Plus, it has result in some fascinating and artistic presents over time too!
They began off easy (ex: Meals & Drink) however have gotten quirkier over time (ex: What’s That Scent?) since we attempt to not repeat a theme. No matter you select, I’d argue a theme makes gifting extra enjoyable for each the giver and recipient – particularly in exchanges the place you won’t know the particular person tremendous effectively (suppose workplaces, neighborhoods, that cousin you don’t see fairly often, and so forth).
Present themes are like a writing immediate. They’ll slender your focus, spark an concept, or level you in a extra particular purchasing course than “discover one thing Nice Aunt Barb would possibly like.”
Certain, everybody nonetheless needs to provide and get issues which can be well-liked. However we discover that with a theme, we care much less about getting stuff that matches our private pursuits, and principally take pleasure in issues which can be a intelligent, considerate, or fascinating interpretation of the theme. So our entire household finds that it makes present purchasing simpler, much less tense, and extra enjoyable… which is why we haven’t achieved a single 12 months with out a theme ever since!
20 Vacation Present Trade Theme Concepts
Listed below are twenty years price of Christmas present themes that my household has used – together with some examples of how the concept was interpreted. Among the trickier ones ended up being probably the most enjoyable (#19 for instance). Be happy to make use of or adapt any of them that you simply suppose can be successful with your loved ones.
- Say Cheese: Picture or cheese-related presents have been the primary focus – we bought a state-shaped cheese board for our cousins who dwell in Wisconsin. Many different issues like frames, polaroid cameras – and even mouth associated stuff like novelty gum (saying cheese = smiling) was within the combine.
- Journey Junk: Gadgets or souvenirs that individuals picked up whereas on journeys or holidays that 12 months was the topic of this theme – so many individuals bought enjoyable mugs, ornaments, or different keepsakes (a field stuffed with postcards from each state, and so forth).
- The 12 months of Granny: To honor my nice grandmother’s ninetieth birthday, we selected presents that reminded us of her, like an the automated card shuffler that she owned. Numerous her favourite snack, or objects in her favourite colours have been exchanged.
- Hey Sizzling Stuff: Sizzling or spicy meals, fire-related objects (candles, firepit provides), or issues to maintain your heat (socks, blankets, and so forth). This was enjoyable as a result of it had a large interpretation.
- The Nice Outdoor: Actions or video games to make use of exterior or objects associated to spending time in nature (path combine for mountaineering, Nationwide Parks books, and headlamps for the children – who bought a large kick out of them).
- Again In The Day: Old fashioned objects like a retro-style board recreation or a nod to household historical past & traditions have been objects that ended up being exchanged this 12 months. This was a enjoyable one.
- On The Street: Presents that have been good for highway journeys or journey, like automobile exercise books for teenagers, favourite automobile snacks, a cool atlas or guide of path hikes somebody might highway journey to, and so forth.
- Out of This World: House, alien, or sky-related presents (we despatched a sampling of freeze-dried sweet and different “astronaut meals” to our cousins).
- Magic & Thriller: Presents like “thriller snack field” with enjoyable worldwide snacks or this homicide thriller puzzle have been good for this theme.
- Be A Good Sport: Sports activities-related presents like memorabilia from a favourite crew or precise video games to play collectively, tickets to a neighborhood occasion, and so forth.
- Feeling Inexperienced: Eco-related presents, or issues that have been actually the colour inexperienced. This was a surprisingly large class that all of us loved.
- Peace & Quiet: Presents round leisure & calm (candles, books, sleep masks, spa present playing cards) and even issues to maintain children busy to provide dad and mom a spare second or two.
- Throughout State Strains: Native presents from the city of the gifter. This was enjoyable since you might ship one thing your space was recognized for, or some native deal with or merchandise.
- Exterior The Field: Issues which can be uncommon, any merchandise that you simply take out of a field to finish (like puzzles, board video games, and so forth), and objects which can be too massive to slot in a field in any respect – like “adopting” a wild animal.
- Guide It: Literal books, studying associated objects, or issues associated to “reserving” a ticket, journey, and so forth.
- What’s That Scent? Presents with distinctive scents (candles, soaps, meals, scented markers, and so forth) or gag presents like a fart machine.
- Small Enterprise Finds: Gadgets or present playing cards that assist a small enterprise in your city, the city of the recipient, or a favourite small enterprise on-line.
- Trivial Pursuit: Something falling beneath the normal classes in Trivia Pursuit (Geography, Leisure, Historical past, and so forth.)
- G.O.A.T.: Stuff you suppose are the “best of all time” of their class, or that may be defined by different interpretations of the G.O.A.T. acronynm (like: Go Out And Journey). There have been additionally some presents that includes the precise animal, just like the hilarious “screaming goat” we included in ours.
- Protected & Sound: Gadgets associated to security (we bought this mild up collar for my cousin with a brand new canine) or that make noise (somebody rounded out their present with some Pop Rocks sweet). Somebody gifted us a Worst Case State of affairs survival guide, which was fairly entertaining to learn on our subsequent highway journey.
How We Decide Our Present Themes
There’s no artwork or science to selecting our themes – somebody simply pitches one in particular person or through electronic mail – after which we vote or casually agree on a favourite as a household. Nowadays we normally simply go together with the primary concept as a result of by now everyone knows what makes a superb theme for our group, and may suppose in a large approach to make quite a lot of issues match into any class we land on.
What makes a theme good? One thing that has a number of potential interpretations – together with surprising ones! Because of this we attempt to use a intelligent title or phrase, not only a descriptive class – like selecting “Feeling Inexperienced” over a theme like “Eco-Pleasant.” This small spin encourages, however doesn’t require, individuals to be inventive when purchasing. “Feeling Inexperienced” nonetheless covers eco-friendly presents, but in addition issues which can be inexperienced in coloration and even issues that can have your abdomen churning (like these gross out Beanboozled jelly beans).
So in the event you’re developing with a brand new theme, I’d counsel pondering of easy class – colourful issues, meals & drink, issues associated to historical past – after which giving it a enjoyable title. For instance, give your colourful issues theme a reputation like “Over The Rainbow.” This opens the door to concepts associated to The Wizard of Oz/Depraved, issues discovered within the sky or house, or perhaps even issues on the finish of a rainbow (gold-colored presents, “fortunate” attraction bracelets, and so forth).
Listed below are some extra examples:
- “Meals & drink” may lead you to “What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’?”
- “Historical past-related” may lead you to “Time Journey”
- “Music” may lead you to “Loud & Clear”
- “Journey” may lead you to “Pack Your Luggage!”
- “Toys & Video games” may lead you to “Press Play”
Extra Vacation Present Concepts
We’ve positively been responsible of shoehorning an incredible present concept right into a theme some years! So in the event you want just a few basic present concepts to get you began, remember to verify all of our vacation present guides:
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