Our extended family (all 19 of us) do a gift exchange, but it's not a normal gift exchange. All gifts must be homemade! At first, we started out with a $5 material limit, but since have raised it to $10. This year, I had my grandma. I made her a stickypad calendar that had a holiday for each day. Each month also had a gift that corresponded to a day during that month. For example--I wrapped up bubble wrap for January 26- Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. On the day my grandma gets a gift, she has to call me. She loves holidays so this was a perfect present for her. It took A LOT of time, but it was worth it. If you want a copy of the big calendar with all the holidays on it, leave me a comment with your email and I'll send it to you.
My uncle had me, and he made me a classroom set of phonics phones! These are 'phones' made out of PVC pipe that help students when they are learning to read. I know this took a lot of time to make and I am so excited to use them in my classroom!
On Christmas Eve my family (plus my grandparents) made homemade pizzas and played games. We then opened our family gifts. I got posters, borders and other things for my classroom from my sister and a gift card from my brother. I gave my sister a 5 lb. can of hot cocoa for the cocoa motion Santa was bringing her. My sister and I bought my brother the first season of Friday Night Lights. I bought my mom a carmel-apple figure-thing and a new canopener. All us kids got my dad shotgun bullets. We then opened our traditional outfit and pajamas.
We all went to bed and eagerly awaited Santa! My family makes this a big deal, even though we're all older. I got SO MANY PRESENTS! I was amazed! Santa starts shopping in March, so he spreads the expenses out over the whole year. This is what I got from Santa, Barnaby the Elf, Buddy the Elf, Dasher, Prancer and Vixen gave me. (My mom is hilarious!)
I got a stuffed lamb, a sandwich maker, a label maker, dominoes, a huge pack of fruit snacks, a US States game, 5th grade reading level books, candy, a jewelry organizer, stamps, pepper spray (in a pink case no less,) Sleeping Beauty on DVD, The Election Collection of School House Rock, a globe, a miniature Jesus figurine, and a snowglobe--with $300 inside for SURFING LESSONS!
