Instead of a bake exchange this season try a mug exchange

My friend Ry-Ann started a new trend last year and I think it is a good one.

For a couple of years she had done bake exchanges. You bake however many dozen of whatever and then everyone leaves with a couple dozen different treats. This has been fun to do in the past before we entered what I call the "allergy zone". Now that we are in that zone I can't really participate in those type of events anymore.

So last year Ry-Ann said "why don't we do a mug exchange? Pick a mug and fill it with a theme and then we'll exchange it so everyone goes home with a mug". It was an experiment and it turned out AWESOME. I picked Connie's bag and I got a pretty owl mug, a pickle ornament (funniest thing ever http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pickle ) and some scratch and wins. It was great!

This year she had to firm up the rules a bit - make a limit (last year someone put a bunch of hockey tickets in .....way to make us all look cheap) and include a $5 GC to our favourite coffee/tea place. She also had an ugly Christmas sweater component but I didn't have time to look for one so missed that bit. This year I got a tile mosaic mug filled with girly pamper type things. Very pleased. 

And I don't have to share with the boys and it was all GF! Whoot! I am already thinking about my theme for next year

(only downside what that Ry-Ann has not 1 but 2 stupid stupid creepy butt head elves and they spent most of the evening staring at me with their vacant butt head expressions)