I want to pitch an idea that may be good for family birthdays next year.
My family tried something this year that worked really well for birthday gifts. In the past, we'd all just buy birthday gifts for everyone else, and a lot of the time they were late, or we didn't know what to get, and it got to be kind of expensive as the family (happily) got larger.
So, we swapped names for giving birthday gifts this year. Each person has only one person that they are responsible for during the year. When it is not your turn to buy the gift, you are encouraged to send a card or call. We did not include the children in this because a) it's so fun to buy for the kids and b) there aren't many cousins yet ... we will look into it as the individual families get larger too.
We set the dollar limit around $35, but this can be adjusted if needs be.
The thing that Matt and I liked about this plan was being able to plan in advance. We had a few months to look around for a good gift or to get ideas, and we also could plan our $$ for the month with the gift in mind.
It's been very successful for our family, and we'll be doing it again for 2007. And I wondered if you guys would like to try doing this? If so, write back, and we'll draw names by October or so. Incidentally, we did not include parents in this ... everyone still wanted to get gifts for them individually.
5 comments:
I think this would be a fabulous idea!!! I feel so terrible about my hap-hazard approach to family birthdays over the past 15 years ... some get remembered, some don't. My intentions are good, but execution is sometimes not so good. Do you all forgive me?! I wouldn't even mind raising it to $40 or $50 since it is only one per year (well, two for us), but am willing to agree to whatever price everyone is comfortable with. Thank you Julie for sharing this idea. What does everyone else think?
What ever you guys want to do is fine with me.
Do you want to start now or wait for January first for the 2007 birthdays?
I think that is a great idea! I think we should start fresh 2007.
I agree ... I think we should start fresh in '07. I think we should just draw names like we do for Christmas and call it good. We could even draw names at Christmastime. After that, it's up to the person giving to find out ideas and likes/dislikes for the individual. And I think maybe the $40 limit is good.
Also, this next comment is directed at Susy/Brian. I know I've asked before, and I know it's in October, but when exactly is Brian's birthday? I am sure all will want to know! :)
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