Nancy+Meinke

Christmas is a little different at our house. It actually starts at Thanksgiving, when we draw each others names out of a hat. This tradition started many years ago, after "Santa" stopped his yearly pilgramage. I think our youngest was about 16 at the time. There are five of us in the family, husband, wife and three girls. We get so excited picking names, we pick a name, three times. The first pick, is the name of the person we'll buy a gift for. The second name, is the name of a person you have to create a stocking for, and the third name, is everyones favorite, its the name of the person you're going to make a gift for. We have such fun, being secretive, and making sure we don't have the same name more than once. There's a monitary element for each pick, of $50. My husband and I give the kids their money. And, we also them each one gift. Christmas morning, there is much excitement, as we tumble down the stairs, to see what's materialized around the tree. We've had many special Christmases. The "made" gifts are always the best. We feel that we have brought the true meaning of Christmas back to our home. http://www.photodex.com/sharing/invite.html?alb=0