I think a fun gift exchange would be to get gifts when you least expect them from people you don't know!!! Just one day you come home and there is a package (SURPRISE!!!) from somebody on DF and you didn't expect it or and are not expected to send something back. A gift just because!! All I think it would take is some trusted person to keep a list of the addresses of members (Steve??) and when you want to send a gift to someone you ask for their address (you would have to have positive feedback, of course - no bad stuff). Then you could send a gift to whomever you want to whenever you want to and surprise them. Whatcha think???

I think your intentions are good but these things always work out badly. Someone doesn't send their part or someone sends useless junk. You'll be hard pressed to find participants due to past burnings

But in this type of exchange there is no "their part" because it is not expected to be recriprocal. Just a surprise. In fact it would be better if people were not expected or encouraged to send a gift back to take the presssure off recipients and make the gift truly a gift. Perhaps someone might only get a gift once every year or two, but wouldn't it be fun when it happens? And if someone only sent a package of pacifiers, diapers and used mohair - oh well, at least it is something and perhaps all they can afford. But I, for one, would love to get some left over mohair, even somewhat tangled, and a couple of pacifiers when I least expected it.

I am having a hard enough time getting gifts together for my family!!!! I am soooo running out of time.. how can we get Christmas pushed back a few weeks?????

Good question. I'd love to know too. With my darn foot in this cast I am wayyy behind. But this is not intended to be for Christmas or any other specific time.
Just whenever the mood strikes you or you see something and think something like "I think I want to send ________ that outfit as a surprise, I know she would love it" or anything else along those lines. I know I think that all the time, but I also know I really don't want to expect anything in return.

I have thought of this too and couldnt figure out how to get their address so I like the idea!

I know what you mean Brooke

RAK - Random Act Of Kindness

This has been done successfully on other forums

This is nicer than gift exchange, there are no expectations, no minimum spends, no disappointment

You simply send something to someone on the forum dosnt matter how big or how small

The real problem is keeping it a secret who the sender is

We have to supply return postcodes over here lol so no secret at all

Jules x

I saw an old man dragging a tree on a luggage cart home from a plant sale so I stopped and asked him if he would like a ride.
He immediately began hitting on me - my children were in the car - and was lewd so I said "My mistake" and got back in my car
and that was the last RAK I have ever tried to do.

Sigh. I wish it weren't so but there you go. Sign of the times.

Hmmmmm
I'm so sorry that happened to you, Sally. I know once I saw an old, raggedy man standing next to a take out place in Pike Place Market. He had a sign asking for money because he was hungry.
So rather than giving him money, I bought him a bowl of soup. When I tried to hand it to him he got kind of angry and said he didn't want it. But the other day while I was in my car I saw a very old decrepit looking man standing on a corner by a grocery store. He was thin and looked so shake-y. So while I was at a stop sign I rolled down my window and held out $5 to him. He came over to get it and blessed me and told me just how cold and hungry he was and how very grateful he was that he could eat today. I felt all warm and fuzzy. When I looked at him I knew he was too old to work or anything, and was probably alone. But when I see healthy young men or woman looking like they have strong bodies standing begging for money (usually wearing expensive shoes and smoking) I never give them anything. Sometimes you win - sometimes you lose. But I think it feels so good to give an unexpected gift.

Jules, there are lots of people living in most cities. In my case, if my postmark said "Seattle" it could come from many people. Think of the good feeling you'd get when someone posts a picture of something and says "look what I got today!!" and you alone know you were the one who had blessed them.

I absolutely love the idea!! I don't need anything in return, so I wont mind not getting anything. I love doing RAKs.

YAY!!

Looks like it may be just you and me Brooke.

Hello
My name is and Martinique and I am new to this forum.
I think that it is a wonderful Ideal. Is this something that we can do year round or is this only for Christmas ?

If we do a "pay it forward" then it doesn't matter if there is a return address because they wouldn't be sending something back, they would have to send something to someone else. It would not be an exchange just a 'keep it going' thing. And yea, even to just receive something like some hairbows or pacies would be fun!!! Just throwing an idea out there:) I would do it!!!! Fun! And feel free to send me gifts! lol. I loveeee receiving things in the mail. I like when people have done pay it forward in the drive thru at Starbucks. It was surprising and fun! My last gift of kindness was when I cut off all my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. Now someone else can enjoy having hair too!