I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2022
photo credit: @kikimora33 via unsplash.com
I am so very excited to announce that I will be hosting another Secret Santa (Mug) Swap this year. It’s going to be the 7th year in a row and I have to admit that it made me incredibly happy that some of you reached out to inquire if I was going to host another swap. Well, I am happy to oblige!
As in previous years, the swap is set up in ‘secret Santa’-style, which means you won’t know who the sender of your package will be. Of course, you can reveal yourself to your assigned partner, if you’d like when you send out your package. I will ask you to give your secret Santa a little bit of help by answering a few basic questions during the sign-up process and sharing your blog/social media account so they can get to know you a little (in case they don’t already). I mean, it’s hard to shop for a complete stranger (although I have the feeling that many participants might already belong to our little blogging community).
Last year, I opened up the swap to people in Germany and Canada, with the goal to have at least two people per country that I could match in order to avoid international shipping charges and delays. I wish we could do this swap globally, but with current postage costs and unreliable delivery times, this is the only option. All went off without a hitch last year and my hope is that we’ll find enough people this year to make this work again. Recruit your friends, peeps!
I started this holiday swap as a “mug swap”, but have loosened up the rules a little bit in recent years. As a self-identified mug addict, I think a mug is always a fun gift, but I am not making it mandatory. If you have some other great gift ideas, go for it! The main point is: put together a little holiday package for your assigned swap partner and put a smile on someone else’s face this holiday season.
How to participate
- Sign up to participate (see link below). Sign-up closes on November 17th.
- I’ll send out an email on November, 18th to each participant. You’ll receive a name + address, plus some information about your swap partner.
- You then have two weeks to put together a little surprise holiday package for your Secret Santa Swap participant. My suggestion is to spend around $10-15 (plus postage) or whatever you’re comfortable with.
- Please send out your package by Friday, December 2nd (to allow plenty of time for delivery). Hopefully, that will give you enough time to shop and get the package on its way. I am hoping that everybody receives their package before Christmas.
- The swap is open to US residents and participants in Germany and Canada (if I can get at least two people per country to sign up, so I can match people within each country to keep postage reasonable).
- Last but not least, I’d love it if you shared your Secret Santa gift(s) with us on your blog or Instagram with the hashtag: #SecretSantaMugSwap2022. As always, I am hoping to put together a swap recap post after everybody has received their gifts!
So, if all that sounds good to you and if you’re interested in participating this year, please sign up through this link:
SECRET SANTA (MUG) SWAP 2022 SIGN-UP FORM
Please remember: if you sign up, you’re expected to purchase a mug and/or other gifts and send them to your Secret Santa partner by December, 2nd. If you can’t commit to this deadline, please be fair to the other participants and maybe consider signing up another time.
I hope you join in a little bit of holiday fun!
And please don’t hestitate to ask if you have any questions!
Sarah
November 5, 2022 at 6:11 amWow! I am so happy I found this space through Elisabeth’s blog. Not only is it even more fun to do NaBlo with others, but this community feels like the OG bloggers I used to love. What a cool holiday idea!
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:41 amYes, it definitely feels a little bit like the old days of blogging and I love it. So happy you’re here :)
NGS
November 5, 2022 at 7:24 amIt makes me so happy to see what people send when they post photos from this event. I can’t wait to see what they do this year!
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:42 amYay, thanks, D.
Zenaida Arroyo
November 5, 2022 at 8:13 amNow that a mug isn’t mandatory I might sign up.
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:42 amWe’d love to have you participate ;)
TObia | craftaliciousme
November 5, 2022 at 8:26 amI love this and really enjoyed my package last year. Will be fun to see what this year will be swapped.
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:42 amSo glad you signed up again :)
Suzanne
November 5, 2022 at 9:02 amI love this!! Can’t wait to see what everyone gets.
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:42 amThanks Suzanne :)
Jenny
November 5, 2022 at 10:57 amI signed up! Thanks for organizing this, San!
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:42 amHooray! Glad you’re joining :)
Andrea
November 5, 2022 at 11:02 amI just had tea out of my cup from last year’s swap and was wondering if you’d do another one. Naturally I just signed up!
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:43 amSo glad you’re joining again. I noticed that you haven’t blogged much recently – busy time?
Nicole MacPherson
November 5, 2022 at 11:08 amThanks for doing this, San! I’m so excited!
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:43 amYay, so glad you’re participating again, Nicole!
Meike
November 5, 2022 at 5:43 pmWhat a great idea! I signed up, too.
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:43 amSo happy you’re joining in :)
Elisabeth
November 5, 2022 at 6:55 pmI’m so excited and LOVED doing this last year. I am so, so glad you’re hosting this again.
Gold stars across the board for organizing both Secret Santa AND NaBloPoMo. Three cheers for San, organizational genius and promotor of fun.
San
November 6, 2022 at 10:44 amYou’re too kind, Elisabeth. This community works because of people like you :)
Stephany
November 8, 2022 at 11:30 amOkay, I’ve never participated in this mug swap because I get overwhelmed about mailing packages, lol, but I’m going to put on my big-girl pants and join this year because I want to be part of the fun!