Secret Santa programs are all the rage throughout various online communities. They're cool, right? Yeah…except that this year, LOTS of people have been hard-hit by the economy. It's been ugly. Even with the nice low price-points that I've seen on a few communities, folks might still feel a bit constricted or pressured. So I'm going to suggest another alternative. It involves cards, samples, and stories…and you can participate as many times as you wish. It costs little more than the price of postage for a Christmas card. And you get to be The Storyteller, sharing why you love the colors you do.

This idea was originally suggested by navymom, as both a way to keep costs down and a way to share our favorites and share stories. You'll still be sending a package to someone, and receiving a package from someone else. You won't know who you're receiving from until you get the package. And everyone will be asked to stick within certain guidelines so that everyone's on a level playing field. The difference is that instead of sending full-size items, you'll be sending samples.

• Get a sample of your favorite eyeshadow, blush, lip color, nail polish, what have you - any personal-care or "beauty" product. (Ideally you would buy samples from the vendors so that the recipient is getting something cleanly packaged.) You may include as many samples as you wish; but please ONLY include samples.
• Tell the recipient why this is your favorite, or what made you choose this product. Go ahead and share your Quest for the Holy Foundation, or your love of blue duochrome eyeshadows, or your delight in finding that absolutely perfect hologram nail polish. Be a storyteller!! The samples are only part of the gift - the stories are the other part.
• Send it off to your Secret Santa by December 30 if you're sending it to someone on the same continent, or by December 20 if you're sending it overseas or across international borders. Your envelope should arrive on "Little Christmas"/January 6.
• When your own Secret Santa package arrives, sit down with a mug of your favorite beverage, read the stories, look at the pretties, and maybe you'll find a new "favorite" of your own!

When I first heard this idea, I was really really interested. I liked both the idea of a lower-cost gift to assemble and send, and the idea of hearing stories of someone else's favorite eyeshadow, nail color, or MMU supplier. This also lets people participate in multiple Secret Santas without breaking the budget.

If you're interested, please send me an email or post a comment on this entry! I'll email everyone on November 30 with a list of addresses. Just tell me your username and how many people you'd like to send something to, and on November 30 I'll send you a number of addresses. Since this is all based on samples and your personal choices, there's no need to wait for a gift list - you can start putting your gift-packages together immediately.

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