why so complicated?
2009 October 29
just wondering….what do large families do for Christmas gift giving? Just trying to draw names seems to be too complicated for us. What the heck?
And, should everyone agree on a system or people just do what they want? I’m ready to head out of the country to celebrate this year. Less stress. 
My siblings and I just send cards. With my husband’s family, we draw a name including the nieces and nephews and buy a $20 gift.
The funnest, though, is what we started with my husband’s extended fam! We do a white elephant-type gift exchange. You can buy something (or bring something) between $10 to $20 if you want to participate–DVD, game, pretty candle, etc). If someone can’t afford it, they don’t participate. We give everyone a number and pick numbers. The person who’s turn it is to pick can steal a gift or pick a new one.
I now own a certain bread basket that has shown up a couple of years in a row!
My family has recently started a new tradition. My brother has two children through “open adoption,” so not only does he have all of his relatives and his wife’s relatives, but also the relatives of each of the children’s birth parents to see at Christmas. After a couple of years wearing themselves thin traveling to all the relatives’ houses, they decided to host Christmas themselves. They have eschewed the usual gift-giving in favor of hosting a full weekend, come-and-go event at their house a few weeks before Christmas (so as not to conflict with everyone else’s usual Christmas plans). They set a time for doing crafts, telling stories, making cookies — all sorts of fun activities — and just enjoy the presence of everyone who can attend for however long they can stay. It’s a beautiful solution, and really helps bring the focus back where it belongs.
We have done several different things on my dad’s side (there are roughly 40 of us).
1. We have selected a local family in need or residential group home and sponsored them.
2. We have all purchased a $10 gift card, wrapped it so no one saw what it was, and picked names out of a hat to see in what order the gift cards were selected.
3. We have all found/purchases quart canning jars and had to put small gifts in it (some stuffed a t-shirt in it, some put gold $1 pieces, some put tools, etc.). Then we had to wrap the outside of the jar and went from youngest to oldest picking jars (then they could be swapped with someone else up to 2 x)
4. We have drawn names (we have also drawn families, since all of my dad’s siblings each had 3 kids)
This is Calana logged in as Paul…thanks, these are some really great ideas! I think I’ll print them off and share with the fam.
Hey Calana! Our family only buys for the kids. We adults enjoy just being together and watching the excitement on the kids’ faces as they unwrap and then enjoy their gifts! It’s been much easier and a lot more fun these last few years!