The Holidays are almost upon us, aren’t they? How did that happen?
It felt like summer here for about a week and it made me forget that its already the end of the first week of November. Wow.
Thanksgiving is my favorite of the Holidays… my mom’s whole big German family gets together and we eat and argue and sing and tell the same stories we’ve been telling at least as long as I’ve been living.
Christmas? Not so much. For one THE CONSUMERISM STUFF gets to me. Secondly, since my grandpa passed away around Christmas when I was a freshmen in High School my fam hasn’t really gotten into the celebration.
For all of the things I love about my family, I do find myself wishing we had more traditions. I want Cohen to grow up with traditions…certain foods, certain decorations, certain gift giving practices.
Shawn’s family has a great tradition that my family stole last year. The women in Shawn’s family exchange ornaments every year…and their Christmas trees are AMAZING and full of stories… some funny ornaments, some significant, some that complete collections. I love it. Last year Beth, Becky and I did the same since we’ve all just started our families and had about 5 ornaments between the 3 of us. It was really fun.
So I was checking out Etsy today for some ornament ideas and thought, ‘why not share the fun with my bloggy friends!?!?’
So here’s the deal, if you want to be involved in a the first annual (I have high hopes) GREAT ORNAMENT EXCHANGE, please respond to this post. I then will contact everyone to get mailing addresses and preferences (like if your tree has a theme or certain color or just to make sure there’s not anything you HATE.) I will draw names next Friday November 14th and let everyone know who they are buying an ornament for and give out address/preferences. All ornaments must be under $10 and should be shipped by the end of November so the receiver can enjoy it all month long. Please include a note of encouragement with the ornament (or you can send it separately if you are having the ornament shipped directly) Then everyone can send in pics of what they got and I will write a post featuring all of new ornaments! Sound fun? Invite your readers!
TO ADD THIS BUTTON TO YOUR BLOG OR WEBSITE, email me @ mcdonkate@gmail.com – for some reason I can email out the right code, but wordpress messes with it when I try to put it up here…sorry for all of the confusion!
That is just too fun, count me in.
i like it! i’m in.
Fun! I’m in, too.
I’ve participated in quite a few of these, and they are always so much fun.
Count me in.
I’m in, I’m IN!!
Sounds like a blast! Count me in, sista!
I’m in!
me too me too!
aw. how fun! sounds great.
Sounds like a blast! Lets do it!
Of course I’m in!!!!!
This will put the “Merry” in my Christmas this year.
Hi Kate – I’ve been tracking your blog for awhile (it’s amazing!) but I’ve never felt a need to post until now. (I don’t know if that says bad things about me, but I just feel like this is such a fun idea!)
So here’s to joining this merry community – I’m in!
I love it! Count me in too.
I’m absolutely in! My family has been doing an ornament exchange since I was a little girl (30ish years ago) and I’d LOVE to do one online.
What a great idea!
i will totally do this!
What an awesome idea. Count me in too!
We just started, last year, an ornament exchange in our family. My husband’s side is also a German family.
I’m in.
I don’t know if you have to be in a certain state or anything to do this, but I came across this page and it sounds like fun! I love ornament exchanges! I’ll do it too!
I do this with my best friend and it’s so fun! Count me in–I’d love to add a new tradition to my Christmas plans.
Sounds like a great way to connect the blog world. Count me in!!!
If we weren’t living in a place that prohibits all pets, I would TOTALLY take her!!! 😦 We want one SO bad!! Corey mainly wants it to help with my baby fever…he’s hoping if I have SOMETHING to take care of, I’ll be able to hold out a little while longer. But we’ll see 🙂
Hi Kate! Love the idea! My sisters, mom and I have started a Cookie Exchange party that we will do every year (if this years 1st goes smoothly! 😉
Count me in!!! 🙂
The button didn’t show up for me 😦 it just shows one of those boxes with an “x” in it…
Oh oh… let me see what’s going on here
I had extra quotation mark in there..fixed now
I would love to be a part!
Maybe I’m just challenged here (which is entirely possible), but it still isn’t working for me…unless for some reason I just can’t see it on my own blog…
I emailed it to you too…are you taking it from here or from the email?
kate
Sounds fun! Me too! Me too!
Me too!
But the button doesn’t work for me either.
Great idea! I’m in. 🙂
Sounds fun! Count me in! I love ornaments!
Hey Kate!
I love ornaments and have been collecting them for years. Count me in on the exchange!
Take care,
Julie
Ooooh how exciting!! My family is very into ornament exchange. 🙂 When I got married, my mom gave me all my Christmas special stuff and it was one of the best times of my life decorating my house with precious childhood memories and stories to hang upon my tree that first Christmas as a newlywed.
So count me in! I would love to exchange ornaments!! wooohoo!
Yes please! What a fun and festive idea Kate. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help (keeping in mind that we live in different states and all). 🙂
SWEET! Count me it!
I already have the christmas music cranking!!!
Love it! This is my first Christmas being married, so we’re starting to talk about Christmas traditions we want to have as a family, and one of them is having a real and big Christmas tree. Count me in 🙂
uh oh!! didn’t work for me either 😦
If you’re just itching to have that cool button on your blog, just copy the code (leave off the last >) and retype all the curly quotation marks.
I’m new here, but I just saw this and think it’s a great idea!
I would love to join.
Kate, I love your writing by the way. Thanks for sharing your heart. It’s encouraging to hear about other people’s walk with Christ and you’re so open about it. Good stuff!
Howdy girl. This is going to be a big exchange!
I’d love to be a part of it 🙂
[…] am happy so many of you responded about The Great Ornament Exchange! Please pass it on to friends. I will draw names and email the person’s info you are buying […]
i’m in!!
love it!! : )
add me in kate!
This is a wonderful idea! I would like to be a part as well!
I love the idea! I would LOVE to be apart of it. I have been a Sunday school teacher for many years and as a Christmas gift for the kids I give them Ornaments becasue they can have a lasting memory for years! (I still have many of the ones I got as a kid from my Sumday School teachers)
I’m looking forward to this- sounds like fun.
I’m definitely in too!!
count me in! thanks for the invite 🙂
I’m in Kate!
How fun is this! Definitely count me in.
What a wonderful way to start the holidays!! I’d love to participate!
Thanks for setting this up!
I just found your blog, but I love ornament exchanges…Can I be in too? 🙂
Hmmmm…now this sounds fun 🙂 Thanks for doing this Kate!!
Been outta town. I went to see Kirk Franklin 😉 It was good. Sorry to miss Shawn though, but heard from friends it was good.
I’m in!
Please add me to the list 🙂 I love this idea!!
that sounds like so much fun! please add me to the list! 🙂
Sorry, could you email me the code please?
Would love to advertise it on our blog!
Thanks! 🙂
I’m SO in! Love this!!!!
I’d love to be a part of it, sounds like fun.
Hi Kate…
I love reading your blog…thank you for sharing your heart with us! I would love to be a part of your ornament exchange!
Have a blessed day!
Brooke
count me in 🙂
Count me in too! I think this will be fun!
Let us know about your interview.
Ahem… (in singy fingers) Me me me me…
😉
Me, me, me I’m in!
I cannot pass up an ornament exchange! I would love to participate in your exchange so count me in!
Sign me up, please!!!
And could you email me the button???
[…] 11, 2008 by katemcdonald We now have 60 people signed up for THE GREAT ORNAMENT EXCHANGE! If you have responded and not gotten an email from me, please respond again. If you’ve gotten […]
COUNT ME IN.. HOW GREAT!
Count me in….I love ornaments.
I’m in. 🙂
Kate, I would love to take part in this! I almost missed the deadline……haven’t been on your blog in a week or more! I don’t have a blog, so if I need to do anything else, shoot me an e-mail to let me know.
I have had you on my heart for quite some time and have been meaning to send you a private e-mail. I will try hard to do that soon!
Love to you,
Jean Myers
Mmm, can you have international participants? If so, let me know – otherwise think the $10 will be blown out of the water.
I would love to do this. You are so good at organizing things. Would love to get together for a play date with the babes!!!!
Kate – You are such an amazing woman! What a heart you have. I would adore an ornament exchange. Even more than the gift, I look so forward to praying specifically for that person each time I see that bit of Christmas joy hanging on my tree. Fantastic! Sign me up.
P.S.
I was so glad to hear your interview went well. I am praying for you. Asking the Lord to work His perfect will in this, in all. He has His hands all over you. Jesus’ love oozes from everything you do. I am continually inspired, encouraged in every contact with you and your writing. How bright shines your light Kate!!!
Blessings – Melody
I’m in Katie! It sounds like fun!
I would love to do this! Hope I’m not too late 🙂 This sounds like lots of fun!! and a great way to meet and pray for some new blog friends!!
I don’t have many Christmas traditions but my daughter and I do have one (I was a single mom for many years) and we have always exchanged Christmas pins and put them on our “Santa” hats each year. We have one pin for each year that DD has been alive – I think that it’s a great way to have something that isn’t too big but will always remind us of each other. I do worry that we’re gonna run out of space on the hats in 30 yrs or so… lol
PS I passed along your sweet comment on my DGD to my DD, who says thanks. 🙂 BTW, the last pics of Co… oh my gosh he is just too adorable – that smile and beautiful hair, he’s gonna be a lady-killer!!! Can’t tell which one he takes after tho…
Oh and one last thing – my usual email is on hold cas I got my first virus on my main machine (after 10 yrs w/o one). Thank goodness for the laptop! but I’m using the email addy included above for the next day or two. Thanks and have a blessed evening!(or day!)
I’m so glad I chose today to start catching up on all your blogs!! I would’ve missed this if I had been just one day later!
Count Me In!!!
(And it feels good to be back, reading all your wonderful blog posts!)
Kate,
Count me in!
Count me in! I got in right under the wire!
I am taking my five-year-old daughter, Laurel, to see Shawn in concert tomorrow. She is most likely his biggest fan! So glad I found your site!
I would LOVE to participate.
Louise
I would love to do this… am I too late?
[…] href=”https://katemcdonald.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/the-great-ornament-exchange/” title=”GOE by kateadelsberger, on Flickr”><img […]
I want in-how do i get signed up?!?!
ohoh i should mention i like pink, my tree only holds pink ornaments!!
[…] 3, 2010 by katemcdonald Some of you may remember the Great Ornament Exchange of 2008… well, I didn’t have the time or energy to do it last Christmas, but I am excited about […]