The Family Christmas Exchange

by Roisin
(Cork, Eire)

Many years ago, our family was scattered across the country, but in more recent years, the various siblings and their kids have migrated back to our home town.

This began to present a financial problem at Christmas time, when we all wanted to give gifts, but it was becoming difficult to impossible to do within a budget.

We started a family tradition of a gift exchange. While this doesn't sound revolutionary, a couple of unique twists make it a great way to build family bonds and memories without breaking the bank:

First, we don't just draw names out of a hat. We do the entire gift exchange white elephant-style.

Numbers are drawn before the festivities, all the gifts are put (anonymously) in a pile, and the first person picks one to open.

The second person can then either open another present or take the gift from the first person.

To keep the party from going all night, we put a limit of three exchanges for each gift - the fourth taker gets to keep it.

Second, all gifts are handmade Christmas ornaments. This allows people to show off their creativity and talent - or lack thereof (and, believe me, some of the greatest memories are built on Christmas projects gone wrong).

Everybody gets something to decorate their homes during the holidays, and we've built a cozy cache of family heirlooms.

We also do the food potluck style, so the overall cost can be near nothing for anyone feeling the pinch of the economy. In the last couple of years, the musically inclined in our family have brought their instruments and played for all of us as well.

The Family Christmas Exchange has proven to be not just cost-effective, but a truly warm bonding experience that has kept us closer and inspired more lasting memories than just a party or just an exchange of store-bought presents.

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