Yearly, folks ask us for theme concepts from my household’s annual Christmas reward trade. We first talked about this custom on a podcast episode in 2016 and now, practically a decade later, we’re placing the total, up to date listing in an easy-to-reference weblog submit. So for those who or your loved ones are feeling caught or overwhelmed by your vacation buying listing, see why introducing a theme would possibly do the trick!
How Our Present Change Works
For so long as I can keep in mind, my prolonged household has organized a present trade to lighten our collective vacation buying load. As a substitute of shopping for items for EVERY SINGLE cousin, aunt, & uncle (there have been 22 of us rising up!) we might draw a JUST ONE identify at random from a hat.
The one guidelines are:
- It may possibly’t be the identical particular person you had final 12 months
- It may possibly’t be an instantaneous member of the family (sibling, mum or dad)
We constructed traditions round this trade. On Christmas morning, we’d take a particular second to go across the room and watch every particular person unwrap their “trade reward.” After Christmas dinner, we’d fold up little strips of paper and draw names for the following 12 months. I’d describe it as an enormous a part of my core Christmas recollections.
We’ve tailored the trade through the years too. As extra cousins obtained married and had youngsters, we condensed the listing from people to household teams (ex: me + Sherry + our children = 1 unit). And as my rapid household grew, we instituted secondary exchanges between my siblings & our spouses and one other between our children & their cousins. All of those reward exchanges assist scale back the stress & value of vacation buying, and permit folks to give attention to fewer, extra significant and specialised items.
Why Vacation Present Themes Assist
In some unspecified time in the future, we added a theme to our Christmas reward trade. I don’t keep in mind why or who advised it, nevertheless it’s been one other enjoyable and useful a part of our custom. Plus, it has result in some fascinating and artistic items through the years too!
They began off easy (ex: Meals & Drink) however have gotten quirkier over time (ex: What’s That Odor?) 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 may not know the particular person tremendous nicely (assume workplaces, neighborhoods, that cousin you don’t see fairly often, and many others).
Present themes are like a writing immediate. They will slim your focus, spark an concept, or level you in a extra particular buying route than “discover one thing Nice Aunt Barb would possibly like.”
Positive, everybody nonetheless needs to present 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 get pleasure from issues which can be a intelligent, considerate, or fascinating interpretation of the theme. So our complete household finds that it makes reward buying simpler, much less disturbing, and extra enjoyable… which is why we haven’t finished a single 12 months with out a theme ever since!
20 Vacation Present Change Theme Concepts
Listed here are 20 years value of Christmas reward themes that my household has used – together with some examples of how the thought was interpreted. A number of the trickier ones ended up being essentially the most enjoyable (#19 for instance). Be happy to make use of or adapt any of them that you simply assume could be a success with your loved ones.
- Say Cheese: Photograph or cheese-related items have been the principle focus – we obtained 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: Objects or souvenirs that individuals picked up whereas on journeys or holidays that 12 months was the topic of this theme – so many individuals obtained enjoyable mugs, ornaments, or different keepsakes (a field filled with postcards from each state, and many others).
- The Yr of Granny: To honor my nice grandmother’s ninetieth birthday, we selected items that reminded us of her, like an the automated card shuffler that she owned. Plenty of her favourite snack, or gadgets in her favourite colours have been exchanged.
- Hey Scorching Stuff: Scorching or spicy meals, fire-related gadgets (candles, firepit provides), or issues to maintain your heat (socks, blankets, and many others). This was enjoyable as a result of it had a large interpretation.
- The Nice Outside: Actions or video games to make use of outdoors or gadgets associated to spending time in nature (path combine for climbing, Nationwide Parks books, and headlamps for the children – who obtained an enormous kick out of them).
- Again In The Day: Old fashioned gadgets like a retro-style board recreation or a nod to household historical past & traditions have been gadgets that ended up being exchanged this 12 months. This was a enjoyable one.
- On The Highway: Items that have been good for street journeys or journey, like automotive exercise books for teenagers, favourite automotive snacks, a cool atlas or e-book of path hikes somebody may street journey to, and many others.
- Out of This World: House, alien, or sky-related items (we despatched a sampling of freeze-dried sweet and different “astronaut meals” to our cousins).
- Magic & Thriller: Items 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 items like memorabilia from a favourite staff or precise video games to play collectively, tickets to a neighborhood occasion, and many others.
- Feeling Inexperienced: Eco-related items, or issues that have been actually the colour inexperienced. This was a surprisingly vast class that all of us loved.
- Peace & Quiet: Items round leisure & calm (candles, books, sleep masks, spa reward playing cards) and even issues to maintain youngsters busy to present dad and mom a spare second or two.
- Throughout State Traces: Native items from the city of the gifter. This was enjoyable since you may ship one thing your space was identified for, or some native deal with or merchandise.
- Outdoors 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 many others), and gadgets which can be too large to slot in a field in any respect – like “adopting” a wild animal.
- Guide It: Literal books, studying associated gadgets, or issues associated to “reserving” a ticket, journey, and many others.
- What’s That Odor? Items with distinctive scents (candles, soaps, meals, scented markers, and many others) or gag items like a fart machine.
- Small Enterprise Finds: Objects or reward playing cards that help a small enterprise in your city, the city of the recipient, or a favourite small enterprise on-line.
- Trivial Pursuit: Something falling below the standard classes in Trivia Pursuit (Geography, Leisure, Historical past, and many others.)
- G.O.A.T.: Belongings you assume are the “biggest 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 items that includes the precise animal, just like the hilarious “screaming goat” we included in ours.
- Protected & Sound: Objects associated to security (we obtained this gentle up collar for my cousin with a brand new canine) or that make noise (somebody rounded out their reward with some Pop Rocks sweet). Somebody gifted us a Worst Solid Situation survival e-book, which was fairly entertaining to learn on our subsequent street 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 by way of electronic mail – after which we vote or casually agree on a favourite as a household. As of late we often simply go along with the primary concept as a result of by now everyone knows what makes a great theme for our group, and may assume in a large strategy to make a whole 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! For this reason we attempt to use a intelligent identify 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, folks to be inventive when buying. “Feeling Inexperienced” nonetheless covers eco-friendly items, but in addition issues which can be inexperienced in shade and even issues that may have your abdomen churning (like these gross out Beanboozled jelly beans).
So for those who’re arising with a brand new theme, I’d recommend pondering of straightforward 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 possibly even issues on the finish of a rainbow (gold-colored items, “fortunate” attraction bracelets, and many others).
Listed here 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 undoubtedly been responsible of shoehorning an excellent reward concept right into a theme some years! So for those who want just a few basic reward concepts to get you began, you’ll want to test all of our vacation reward guides:
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