My family exchanges names, then we each tell the group our favorite charity. As a gift we donate money to each other’s charity.
This year my charity is DKT International (http://www.dktinternational.org/) and I going to donate to my sister’s charity, the Alameda County Food Bank.
I have fought for years in my family to stop the gift exchange. I have pretty much gotten everyone on side except for my MIL who still just ignores my pleas to stop.
It always ends up with me having to explain EXACTLY what I want, right down to where to buy it.
We’ve cut far back on it for this year, but not completely. My husband is one of six siblings in his family, and the gift giving to the siblings, the spouses, the parents, and the kids was getting crazy. Last year after the gift exchange was done, one of the siblings took us aside and suggested a major simplification for this year, and the other siblings agreed with the suggestion too. So this year, the plan will be get what you want for the kids and for the parents, and for each other, something simple and/or handmade, and costing maybe $5-10 per gift. Even if it’s just an exchange of cookie plates or home-baked bread, at least it’ll be sane.
I’m still exchanging gifts with my mom and sister, and their partners, but at least that’s much less in the way of buying.
I do not participate in any gift exchanges. My family fought me on this for a while but have given in.
My Idea for a new Christmas Tradition!
Instead of an exchange, everyone goes out and buys themselves that something that they really, really want. Then, on Christmas Day, everybody gets together and shows each other the great thing they got! No disappointments! No Exchanges! No wrapping paper! Everbody’s happy!