Our family's idea for presents

Like a lot of people I think, our family was finding the whole Christmas shopping thing a pain, so a few years ago we started the following secret santa scheme.

There are seven of us, so seven shops are chosen.

Hardware, cookware, garden, music, video, books, asian grocery, camping, sports store - whatever your family is into.

Each person picks a shop out of the hat.

You then have a limit of $20 per person that you can only spend at your particular shop.

So simple. Two or three hours later, your done. Everyone has 6 presents, each from totally different places. They are allowed to be as quirky or practical as you like.

This is our third year and for the Mum's who usually end up with the bulk of the present shopping, it is fun again.

My husband and son have really got into the whole idea which means us girls get a selection of presents as well.

If anyone else is in the same present rut, offer the suggestion on Christmas day and see how many takers you get for next year.

what a wonderful idea!!

Thats a great idea! Sounds like fun.

What we have gravitated in this time of money shortages is secret cash discussions.

Everyone needs money and everyone needs something, so we get together behind the scenes and find out what that person needs and that is what we give them a card of cash for. Sound confusing?

My eldest is a full time student who works part time and has trouble making tuition. We all give him cards with cash and in each card it says ""cash for tuition""

My youngest son really wants a laptop, but I can't afford it, so everyone puts cash or the same store gift card in a card and says "for a laptop""

A nephew has a new car, but no money for gas ""he gets lots and lots of gas card""

Another young man is a new father, but inbetween jobs and needs baby items, so he gets gift cards from various locations to get "baby items

You are all so creative. I am going to suggest some of these for our family next year.

My husband and I each have a brother, and each of those brothers either has a wife or a long-time girlfriend. That's it, that's the extent of the "adult children". The 6 of us should stop buying for each other and pool our money for a trip or something.

We draw names and each person has to make the gift for the person whose name they drew. This goes right down to the 7/8 year old the year we started.

It gets really interesting. I posted earlier the pictures of the GWTW quilt I made for my SIL. My son and husband are making knives for two other family members. There are woodworking projects, pottery projects, sewing, scrapbooking, compilations of pictures and family stories, etc...

I think it makes Christmas more fun.