Christmas in the Country 2014 Sign-up

 

Signups are now closed.

Welcome to the Second Annual Christmas in the Country!  Today is the day to sign-up for this fun gift exchange among agriculture bloggers, agvocates and country folks!  If you were part of the exchange last year, we welcome you back!  If this is your first time signing-up, we are so glad that you are here!

First off here are some important dates that you need to know:

• November 30th – Sign-ups end!
• December 1st – You will receive the name of your person.  Look for an email from one of the four hosts.  If for some reason you have not received an email by the 3rd, please let me know! (This is a secret gift exchange.  You will only know the name of the person you are to send a gift too, not who has your name.)
• December 17th – All gifts need to be sent! You are of course welcome to send your gift earlier, but please, try to get it sent by the 17th so everyone receives a gift before Christmas.   Once you receive your gift, share about it on your blog or social media sites.
• January 7th – Come back to one of the hosts blogs and add your blog posts to a new Link-up Party.

Now that you know the dates, here are some simple rules that we have regarding the gift exchange.  Feel free to check back here anytime that you have a question.

• Please head over to Facebook and give each of the hosts pages a “like”. This is the best way to stay up to date on the exchange and all the happenings! Plus, we really appreciate your support.  Here are the links: This Uncharted Rhoade, Country LINKed, The Ranch Wife Chronicles, and Diaries From the Dirt Road.

• After signing up, please take a minute to share about the gift exchange on your blog or Facebook page. Feel free to link back to one of the sign-up blog posts. The more the merrier, so encourage your friends to join!

• Once you decide to participate, we ask that you write a blog post, (or if you don’t have a blog, post on your favorite social media site) about the gift you received no later than January 7th. On January 7th you will be able to come back to the host blogs and link-up to a blog party.

• If you join, YOU MUST SEND A GIFT! We really don’t want anyone to be left out, that’s the worst! If something comes up and you cannot continue to participate after you have signed up, please let one or more of the hosts know ASAP so we can work something out.

• This year we are asking that you get a tracking number for the gift that you send, and you must send that tracking number to the host who emailed you your gift exchange name. Please send these to us as soon as you can. One of the best ways to send packages like this is to use the Priority Mail Flat Boxes from USPS. You can pick up the boxes for free from your local post office, and they ship out for one flat rate regardless of weight. You can either print off a label at home and leave for your mail person or take the filled box back to the post office and ship it off there. Either way, be sure to get a tracking number for your package!!

• Please use the link-up below to add your blog home URL. This way, all who are participating can look at the link-up and see others who have joined.  If you don’t have a blog, please leave a comment telling us why you have decided to participate.  (Bloggers: Click on the little blue frog at the end of this post and it will take you to the link-up.  Add your email and blog URL, then pick a thumbnail and you are all set.)

• For the sake of fairness, we’ve decided that bloggers will be paired with other bloggers and non-bloggers will be paired with other non-bloggers. That way those that blog will get a chance for their gift to be featured on someone else’s blog.

• Please tag all posts (whether on Facebook/blogs/Instagram) about the gift exchange with #christmasinthecountry2014. This will hopefully make it easier for us to find everyone’s posts!

• After you sign up, please grab the button below and add it to your blog if you have one. Feel free to use the large image above as well when you share on your blog and or FaceBook. (You should be able to right-click on the image and download.)

So now on to the fun part, THE GIFT! Here are some guidelines:

• We encourage you to spend some time thinking about what your person might like, and send a unique and creative gift. Use their likes and dislikes that they listed (your host will email the list to you). Also check out their blogs or social media sites (without letting them know who you are) to get a feel for what they might like.

• We’ve found it’s nice to focus on locally and homemade items. If you can support other farmers, farm wives, and country folks that’s great! If you’re crafty think about making something special to send to your person, or include some of your famous Christmas cookies in their package. If you’re not the crafty type see if maybe you can support some local artisans with your package.

• Because we like to encourage local and homemade gifts, we don’t set a spending limit. However, if you’re one of those people who really need a number we’ve found that somewhere around $15 to $25 spent on a gift is a nice range, but you can’t put a price on homemade goods! Many people like to include a few different smaller items in their box, but some also just send one larger item, it’s up to you! If you still need more ideas check out the link up party from the 2013 Christmas in the Country to see what was sent and received last year!

• Remember, this gift exchange is a secret! You only know who you will be sending a gift to – not who your gift will be coming from! That’s half the fun! So please be careful NOT to let your person know that you are sending them a gift. However, when you do send your gift, please include a note revealing yourself so they know who their goodies came from! You can let them know a little about yourself and why you choose the items that you did. The person that you send a gift to is not the same person who sends a gift to you, so you will have the chance to make two new friends.

• And remember to please get that tracking number on the gift you send! So we know that everyone received their gift!

Sign-up for the Christmas in the Country gift exchange is now closed.

Again, here are the other hosts of the gift exchange. They are some very sweet country gals and I am so excited to be hosting with them!

This Uncharted Rhoade

The Ranch Wife Chronicles

Diaries From the Dirt Road

Now who is excited!  I know I am!  I had a great time last year selecting my gift for Jesse and I absolutely loved my gift from Taysha at Dirt Road Charm.  I still have each item displayed in my home and they add just the right touch to several rooms.

Alright, get signed up, share with others that you have done so, wait for an email from Jamie, Erin, Robyn or myself and get to planning!

Blessings to you,

Laurie – Country Link