My family is amazing.

I wanted to learn more about them.

I asked if they would share their gifts with me.

This is what happened…

We tried a new type of gift exchange.

For most of my childhood I could always remember my family’s joy in partaking in the annual Christmas gift exchange. Over a time though we became more grown up and more strapped for time. Finding or creating the right gift was often times more burdensome than it had seemed before.

Now anyone who knows me, knows that I love TED Talks, which is why I thought about asking if family could share giving stories instead of physical gifts. 

The idea was that all you had to do was share something. And because we have quite a few people in our family we kept the time limit to 5 minutes (though this detail is completely up to you).

What was shared?

At first many in my family were nervous, anxious, and concerned about what they would choose to share. 

Some shared:

• singing a Christmas carol
• a memory of an old home
• a slide show of photos from a recent trip
• a guided meditation
• a song on the guitar
• a presentation from their work
• some didn’t share, but enjoyed listening
• a day-in-the-life story
• a music video & dance
• words of wisdom

Now this event is something everyone looks forward to participating in because there is no pressure, no money required, no more time needed then looking inside oneself for a story, and anyone at any age can be included.

Think for a moment and go back to the basics with me.

Why do we celebrate at Christmas and the holidays?

My answer was to see my family and friends; to catch up and learn more about them. The Secret Santa Gift Exchange brought us closer together, helped us learn new things, and feel supported while we shared a part of ourselves.