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Monday, December 3, 2007

THE PLAN

Every year around this time, it's time for me to review our Christmas traditions for friends and family. Most people know we are a little different anyway, but this seems to prove it for them.

We do not participate in gift exchanges. We do not purchase Christmas gifts and prefer not to receive them. This has been our tradition for many years. It makes our holiday so much more enjoyable and stress free!

We are on THE PLAN with many of our friends and family. THE PLAN is that we send each other gifts when we feel like it, not necessarily on birthdays and holidays. THE PLAN allows people to know that we sent them a gift not because we felt obligated, but because we think of them and care about them many times through the year. THE PLAN allows celebration of our loved ones all year round. The PLAN eliminates storage of gifts for months on end, saves gift wrap waste, and offers year round suprises.

Initially, my friend Pam and I started THE PLAN, and then the popularity spread. Some of my friends resist the THE PLAN. They are traditionalists and do not see the genius of getting suprises as opposed to mandatory gift giving. My only issue with THE PLAN is that I don't get to the post office often enough and currently have a box filled with things to send to Florida. Now it seems to close to Christmas to send it. I must overcome that silliness and get to the mailbox! I bet some little kids could use a suprise right now to relieve the stress of waiting for Santa!

4 comments:

Beth is wfg said...

i like the plan. I'm not brave enough to do it, myself....but Toph and I have talked about ways to scale back in future years. I like the idea of homemade gifts, in particular.

I just need to get better about mailing things. I have a ... strange aversion to the post office. I'm not even sure where our current post office is, actually!

Karen Jensen said...

What a wonderful plan. I get a little weary of the mercinary nature of Christmas, and this sounds like a great solution.

Auntie Mandy said...

I love the plan and we have been on it for years. You're brilliant!

The Grammar Snob said...

I like the idea, but I truly do enjoy giving gifts...so it wouldn't work for me. Also, I am so not good at receiving a gift without giving one in return. I know....awful cycle.

How's the cleaning/decluttering going? I'm working on mine today.