ANNUAL CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT SWAP INFORMATION -
Year 6!
We started doing this swap the first Christmas of Covid, and it’s become my favourite thing to run each year. It makes me smile every time one of you receives their package - and every time something lands in my mailbox too!
There are some things you need to know that are VERY IMPORTANT before you sign up so please read below before you hare off to join!
1. The swap works like this. You register at my website here, I take a week or so to work out everyone’s partners. You are then sent their name and address, and preferences for a Christmas ornament. You then make or purchase an ornament (obviously it’s preferred that you make), and post it to them by the deadline date, along with a little treat or a Christmas card or whatever takes your fancy to send. You then receive a package from the person who is your swap partner.
The person you send to is NOT the same person who is sending to you.
The partners are SECRET until the packages are delivered.
Registration is open from TODAY September 25, and closes October 2 at 5pm, Sydney time. Participants are sent partner information, swap rules and important dates etc on 10th of October.
The first date to send your package is November 16 (no sending before that!!) and the deadline of the LAST DATE for posting is November 30.
2. Please DO NOT REGISTER if you cannot commit to making or purchasing something for your partner by the shipping date. It involves not only hours and hours and hours to chase everyone, and hassle everyone, and make replacement gifts when someone flakes out, but it’s also so very unfair to all the people who do the right thing and make beautiful ornaments and send their packages on time. This is a fun and happy thing to do for someone else, and it is absolutely lovely when it works and everyone does what they commit to do. If you run out of time to make something, please buy a nice ornament and treat instead to post to your partner, DO NOT just not send something. Please remember that people go to a lot of trouble to make lovely things, you need to send a package to your partner that you would enjoy receiving yourself.
3. There is as always a $5 AUS registration fee (currently about $3 USD) to participate. This is basically to cover the admin, which is extensive when there are so many of you! We have several hundred every year and it’s a lot of man hours.
4. Your partner could be from anywhere in the world. We cannot manage to partner people only within their own country, as last year for example we had participants from 15 different countries. Please don’t sign up if you are not willing to post your package internationally. Remember that a flat Christmas ornament made of fabric or felt (check out Kiriki Press for example - she has some lovely patterns for flat ornaments!) can be put inside a Christmas card and posted, so there are lots of ways to send something lovely without having to pay a lot of postage. Please remember to mark it as "gift" if you are sending internationally.
****PLEASE NOTE: PLEASE REMEMBER TO ADD ANY PREFERENCES you have for your ornament - eg I like modern colours, please use pink etc... in the "Special Instructions for Seller" box section when you checkout. I ask for and pass on everyone’s preferences, but I’m not responsible if someone chooses to make something different to what you ask for - and if you don't ask for anything then I can't pass anything on!***