On the 8th Day of Christmas...

Day 8: Family Gift Giving Theme

On both my side of the family and Brig's side we have a gift giving rotation for Christmas. This makes it so you don't have to give a present to every member of your family...which was a really good idea for Brig's fam, seeing as there are 10 kids.

With my family we always pick a theme that the presents have to go along with. It makes it more exciting and has become one of my favorite parts of giving gifts. It's fun to get creative with the theme and trying to make everything connect.

Some of the themes we done before are:

• Book of Mormon
• Faith in Every Footstep
• Christmas Carols
• Cartoon Christmas
• Olympics
• Homemade
• First Christmas
• Favorites
• Scripture Verse
• FHE Song
• Super Hero
• White Christmas (the movie)
• I'll Be Home for Christmas (the song)

When picking the theme we usually have a family brainstorm session and then vote on our favorites and narrow it down that way.

My favorite was when we wrote down all the ideas on little pieces of paper, taped them to the pool balls and then played pool as a family. We just tried to hit whatever ball in we could. The last ball on the table was the theme. It was pretty sweet.

I don't have pictures of the earlier years, so I'll just start up with 2008.

In 2008 the theme was a "Super Hero's Christmas"
That year Brig and I got some Batman pillow cases, a Super Man blanket, and a new mattress (because all super heros need their beauty rest...) from my younger brother Dustin, who obviously had some financial assistance from the padres.

We had my mom that year and we gave her a water color painting of the St. George Temple. It is the temple my mom and dad were sealed in. I don't remember exactly how we tied it in, but I think we said something to the effect that the Lord was her hero, and his house is the temple.

In 2009 we had the theme of "White Christmas" (The movie)

We received "3 meals a day for which we didn't pay" from my sister Melanie.

It was a coupon for a homemade breakfast (which we still need to use) by Melanie herself, a gift card to Pounders for lunch I think, and then a gift card to Cafe Rio for dinner. It was fabulous.

Oh, we got the movie too!

My sister Nicole gave our mom this awesome homemade frame that said, "Count Your Blessings."

And a bathrobe that said "Queen Mother" because there is a scene in the movie when they are wearing bathrobes...

Last year (2010), the theme was "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

It was perfect because we were all able to be home for Christmas!

We had my brother Chase, and we gave him a scarf, a mistletoe tester t-shirt, and I think some climbing stuff.

It all related to the song somehow. The best part was that we made him work for his gifts. He had to decipher different clues and puzzles to receive his gift. We even made him play hangman for one of them, and if he lost he had to forfeit his gift. Luckily he won, and was able to find all the others too. :)

Nicole and Talon had Brig and I last year and they gave us this amazing Nativity that we could display in our "home." I love it.

They gave us some other stuff too, but this was my favorite part.

Brig and I aren't the only ones who got creative in their presentation last year. My sister Melanie came up with one of the most brilliant ideas ever. She had Dustin, and the first present he opened was the Dr. Seuss book, "Oh the Places You'll Go." He was instructed to read it to the family. Every so often there would be a little pink sticky note with additions to the story that rhymed just like Dr. Seuss. Each sticky note related to one of his other gifts she gave him and it would instruct him that he could open it. They were small gifts that had to do with home, and saving memories and such. It was SOOOO amazing. Just take my word on it.

This years theme is "Muppet Christmas Carol."

Our budget is $50 and we have 3 gifts that we're giving my sister Melanie this year.

One has to do with the first song in the movie...

The second relates because of the muppets...

And the third one ties in because of this picture...

Just know it's going to be awesome.

My mom has us this year, so who know what she has planned. I'm hoping at least for the movie, because it is awesome, and it's a great way to increase our Christmas movie collection.