I sent this out two days ago, in anticipation of a big family Christmas at our house in CT. My mom is excited about it, but there seems to be a conspicuous silence from the rest of the crew...
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Dear Family,
We are SO excited to see you at Christmas!! Obviously, the most important part is to spend time with our nearest and dearest, eat good food (like Farfar's meatballs), play some games and sing Christmas carols (if the piano hasn't succeeded in rolling into the garden by then).
And presents are fun, but in light of the recent economic downturn, we thought we'd institute a fiscally responsible policy and ask everyone to minimize their spending and MAKE their Christmas presents this year.
So here are the guidelines (Mik says they are 'rules', enforceable by a Kangaroo Court on Boxing Day):
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Dear Family,
We are SO excited to see you at Christmas!! Obviously, the most important part is to spend time with our nearest and dearest, eat good food (like Farfar's meatballs), play some games and sing Christmas carols (if the piano hasn't succeeded in rolling into the garden by then).
And presents are fun, but in light of the recent economic downturn, we thought we'd institute a fiscally responsible policy and ask everyone to minimize their spending and MAKE their Christmas presents this year.
So here are the guidelines (Mik says they are 'rules', enforceable by a Kangaroo Court on Boxing Day):
- I've used the Magic of Excel, otherwise known as a random number generator, to pick a name out of a hat for each adult. Your assigned giftee will be emailed to you under separate cover. Remember, it's a "Secret Santa," so don't spill the beans!
- Gifts must be handmade by you, or be creatively-altered commercially available products. Generally:
- Gifts handmade from a pattern or someone else's design are fine;
- Painting, carving, embroidering/sewing or otherwise decorating/repurposing something you bought at IKEA or Target is fine;
- Re-wrapping soap or candles you bought from IKEA or Target is NOT so great;
- Super-extra bonus points if your gift involves recycled materials or encourages recycling in any way;
- Songs, poetry, or other art dedicated to your giftee are great if that's what you choose to do, but a presentable recording or framed memento would be nice. Please no on-the-spot improv or weird performance art. - Please limit gifts to the kids to one each, but they also have to be handmade (and obviously, kid-safe).
- The handmade gift rule applies to stocking stuffers as well (we'll each have a stocking for SMALL presents - make as many as you want, totally optional, but they have to be small).
I know some of you (Vincent) might be freaking out as you read this, so I've compiled some suggestions below, along with some helpful links, that hopefully will make you (Vincent) realize that this isn't so unreasonable. Obviously I know everyone's "Secret Santa" so if you need size information for anyone, or need help gathering any materials for your present, let me know, or you can email directly to that person's spouse, or mom, for help :)
Can't wait! 43 days til Christmas!
Empi
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