Christmas in the Country 2015 Gift Exchange

The time has come, people, and I’m so excited!

If you are a farm/ag blogger who would like to join the 2015 Christmas in the Country Gift Exchange, you can do so beginning today. 

Okay, so there are some instructions/rules to read and follow – all for the good of the gift exchange. 🙂 By following a few simple rules, filling out the information form and linking up your blog, you will be ready to spread and receive a little Christmas cheer. 

We, as your hosts, enjoy organizing and participating in Christmas in the Country and we enjoy getting to know all of you and seeing joy shared across the country. We do know that this is a very busy time of year, but we can not stress enough the importance of making sure that each participant participates fully in the exchange. Full participation includes: shipping ON TIME, blogging and linking up to the online party before it ends, taking the time to really get to know your person and sending them something you think they will enjoy and thanking your gift giver for your package. (We as hosts of the exchange do reserve the right to not let someone participate because of lack of full participation in the past.)

Now for what you all have been waiting for, the rules and guidelines of this years exchange. We did make some changes, so if you have participated before, please read this blog post carefully.

Dates to Remember:

  • November 20th – signups begin
  • November 30th – signups close
  • December 1st – receive your name via eamil
  • December 15th – Shipping deadline for your package
  • January 5th-12th – Share on your blog and in the linkup about #CITC2015

How it Works:

In general, this is how the exchange will work: First you fill out the sign-up form so we can get all of your important information. Then, after sign-ups close you will receive a name – you do your research (be sure to keep this a secret, don’t let them know that you have their name), and pick and send the perfect gift! Be sure to include a note in your gift revealing who you are and your info so your person can contact you to say thanks! In the mean time, someone else is doing their research on you and your gift is on it’s way! When you receive a gift, take some pictures and thank your person! Then, on January 5th-12th, write a blog post about your experience and the gift you received — and link up to the host blogs to share! 

Rules of the Exchange:

Each participant will fill out the sign-up form. This information will be sent to another blogger who will be your “Secret Santa”. You in turn will receive your own person of whom you will be sending a gift. All exchanging of information is done via email, so please provide an email that you check on a regular basis. 

Each participant needs to add their blog URL to the Christmas in the Country Linkup. This is a great way for others to see who is participating and a chance to read some new blogs. This year we are limiting the exchange to only bloggers. (The Linkup button is at the bottom of this post.)

Everyone who signs up will send and receive a gift. Once you receive your persons name and information, head on over to their blog and other social media sites and take a minute to get to know them. The more you can learn about your person, the more personal you can make your gift. Suggest price range for gifts are $15-$25.  

Packages must be sent by December 15th. We are requesting that everyone send a photo of the tracking number or an email with the tracking information. If the hosts don’t hear from you by December 15th, we will be emailing you to ask for your tracking information! Also, if you do not trust a package being left on your doorstep, then please provide an address to an office or other location where you are SURE to receive you gift. (We as co-hosts are not responsible for lost or stolen packages.)

Share the love! Please take a minute to follow the host blogs, and like their Facebook pages – this will help keep you up to date on all the important dates coming up for the exchange. (See the bottom of this post for websites and social media links.) Also, please take the time check out the other bloggers that have signed up for the swap (shown below in the link-up party), and leave some comments, find some new blogs, and make a few friends! If you feel so inclined, we would love if you would share about the swap. Either on your blog or Facebook page, if you joined and are excited share about the swap and encourage others to join – the more the merrier! 

Blog posts about your gift need to be posted on your blog and linked up with the hosts blogs between January 5th-12th. This is to ensure that each post will be seen after the busyness of the holidays is over. The co-hosts (that’s me!) will post the new linkup for the blog posts on their blogs on the 5th. (Once you do receive your package, send a timely thank you to your “Secret Santa”. )

So just to recap the two steps you need to take right now to participate:

  1. Click this link, which takes you to a Google Form that you must read and fill out in its entirety. When finished, click submit on page 2 of the form. You’ll be all signed up!
  2. Then, click the “link-up” button below to add your blog to the list of all the blogs taking part in this exchange.

That’s it! I am so looking forward to getting to know many of you who participate in the gift exchange this year. It’s going to be a ton of fun, I promise! 

As in past years, we have made a button that you can add to your blogs to share about the exchange! Use the code below to add the button to your blog.
Christmas in the Country 2015

 

Your hosts:

Laurie Link – Country LINKed

Jamie Rhoades – This Uncharted Rhoade

Kirby Linebach – 15009 Farmhouse

Lara Durben – My Other More Exciting Self

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