Our Family's Dollar Gift Exchange

Every year, my mom's side of the family gathers to celebrate Christmas. Some years, it is the only time we see many of the extended family members. It is usually a pretty informal gathering where everyone brings a dish to share and a gift to exchange. When we were kids, all of us got gifts. Then we switched to a name drawing for the gift exchange. When my generation started getting married and having kids however, we changed the way we did things. Now everyone brings a gift that cost a dollar.

As you might imagine, most of these gifts are pretty lame. Some are even downright stupid. A few are amazingly great bargains. Fewer are truly a thrill to receive, but that isn't really the point. Everyone can afford to participate, and everyone gets a gift to open. Besides, with our family, how you package the gift you bring is much more important than what is inside.

We play a game to determine who gets which gift. And during the course of the game, gifts tend to get passed to different people. But none are opened until the game is done. It's a lot of fun watching as people try to get possession of a gift whose wrapping speaks to them. And even more fun to watch as they open that gift to see what treasure lies within.

As you can see from the photos, creativity flows through the entire family. This is a pretty good representation of what you would expect to find for gifts at our dollar gift exchange.

Would you like to know what is inside some of these lovelies?

This blinking noes was on the deer.

This package of matches was inside the nifty campfire!

Or how about this cute make-up purse in what was likely the most masculinely wrapped package?

Don't you wish you could have played along with us?

Maybe then you could have been the lucky recipient of this magic wand!