Hi everyone! Santa is on the beach sipping fruit punch and working on his tan, so he has enlisted his helpers once again to help spread a little Christmas cheer this summer! And it’s going to work a liiiitle differently than last year, so please read carefully! If you send in your sign-up email from last year without editing it first, I’ll have to delete it and ask you to re-do it.

Below you will find all event info, including the rules for the exchange, sign up directions, and a questionnaire so the person shopping for you can get to know you better. 

The Details:

• Sign-ups are open until 11:59 PM EDT on June 17th and I will be sending matches out on June 18th. 
• Due to the nature of this gift exchange, this event is open to residents of the USA ONLY. #TBTBSanta will be back to sign up for this October, and will be open internationally like always.
• You must be 18 years old or older to participate.
• It is strongly recommended that you have a Twitter account in order to fully participate in this event. Last year most of the people who participated were on Twitter and used the event hashtag to make friends, ask questions, post clues about their identities, share pictures of what they received, ooo and ahh over gifts others received, and thank their Santas. Those who did not have Twitter ended up feeling left out, and their Santas missed out on that interaction and excitement from their recipient. Whenever possible, I will be pairing Twitter people up with other Twitter people to hopefully avoid this. It all depends on the numbers and who signs up for which gift options and monetary tiers, though, so I cannot guarantee that this will work out for everyone.
• Please only sign up if you are committed to sending off your gift(s) on time.
• What you sign up to send is what you will receive. I will be grouping people up based on gift option and monetary tier so that everything is fair.
• Shipping does not count towards the monetary value of the gift.
• Please note that this is not a swap. The person who will be sending to you is not the same person you will be sending to.
• The event hashtag is #GiftmasInJuly. Please use it lots because the friendships that form around events like these are the best!
• If you and I don’t know each other, please reach out to me and introduce yourself. I like to know the people who are participating!

If you have any questions or concerns before or during this process, please reach out! You can simply write to ChristmasInJulyExchange@gmail.com and I’ll get back you as soon as possible.

Gift Options and Monetary Tiers:

The digital-only option from last year has been retired due to lack of interest, but you can still note in your sign-up questionnaire for the “shower” option that you would prefer to receive all digital gifts.

Shower: A showering of gifts randomly throughout the month! This option includes both digital items (ebooks, audiobooks, PDF craft patterns, gift cards, etc.) and physical items shipped directly from retailers. Please ensure you reveal yourself in some way (in a card/note that you send in the mail, email, gift note, etc.) when you’re finished sending gifts so your recipient knows they have gotten everything.

• Shower 1: $10-$15 (excluding any shipping costs) This option has been removed due to lack of sign-ups.
• Shower 2: $20-$25 (excluding any shipping costs)
• Shower 3: $30+ (excluding any shipping costs)

Downpour: A downpour of gifts arriving all at once! This gift is a traditional, curated box (like TBTBSanta). You put together a physical box of goodies (along with a note to reveal yourself), preferably wrapped, and send it directly to your recipient. 

• Downpour 1: $10-$15 (excluding any shipping costs) This option has been removed due to lack of sign-ups.
• Downpour 2: $20-$25 (excluding any shipping costs)
• Downpour 3: $30+ (excluding any shipping costs)

Both gift options are wonderful and have their own perks, so choose whichever one works best for you!

Signing Up:

Please send the following completed questionnaire to ChristmasInJulyExchange@gmail.com. The more detailed you are, the easier it will be for your Summer Santa to spoil you! (Please do not attach a Word (or other) document to the email. Instead, please paste your answers directly into the body of your sign-up email.) 

1. Gift Option and Monetary Tier Selection:

Shower 1 has been removed as an option due to lack of interest.
b. Shower 2: $20-$25 (excluding any shipping costs)
c. Shower 3: $30+ (excluding any shipping costs)
d. Downpour 1: $10-$15 (excluding any shipping costs)
e. Downpour 2: $20-$25 (excluding any shipping costs)
f. Downpour 3: $30+ (excluding any shipping costs)

2. Do you live in the USA?
Yes
No

3. Are you 18 years old or older?
Yes
No

4. Twitter handle:

5. Name and mailing address:

6. Email address (This is where your digital gifts will be sent. If you have signed up for a curated box or would rather not receive digital items, you may type N/A here.):

7. Where else can you be found online? (Blog, Insta, YouTube, TikTok, etc.):

8. Your wish list(s) (Please provide links to any wish lists you have. If you don’t have an online wishlist, please make one. It’s much easier than listing out what you’d like here. These wish lists must remain exclusive to the Christmas In July Gift Exchange until you’ve received your gifts.)

9. Discuss your digital preferences. (Do you have an e-reader? Which one? Would you enjoy getting an Audible credit? Do you want any online subscriptions or gift memberships? Where do you prefer getting MP3 albums from? If you would rather not receive digital gifts or would prefer to only receive digital gifts, please note that here.)

10. How do you practice self care?

11. What do you collect?

12. What are some of your favorite book genres/authors?

13. What won’t you read?

14. What fandoms do you belong to?

15. What are you always in need of?

16. What are your favorite things? (colors, patterns, fragrances, TV shows, movies, music, hobbies, foods/treats, etc.)

17. Do you have any allergies? What can’t you receive? (If you signed up for a curated box, this would be a great place to mention whether or not you would be ok receiving homemade food items.):

18. Share anything else your Summer Santa needs to know about you that was not covered by the questions above.

19. Please provide the contact information (twitter handle and/or email) of 1-2 buddies that your sender can contact with questions about you or information they need relayed to you. (This person does not need to know you well, they just need to be willing to be the go-between between you and the person sending to you. If you have nobody to ask, post to the event hashtag and ask for a volunteer.)

Things to Do:

• Please ensure all gifts arrive to your recipient by July 31st. If you’re doing a curated box, it is recommended that you mail it by July 24th (this is flexible depending on what shipping method you use, so use your own judgement here.). 
• Once you’ve sent all of your gifts and revealed yourself (either through a gift note or a letter in the curated box you mailed), please fill out this form. If you’re planning to shower your recipient all month, you can totally wait to fill this out on July 31st. Include any info you think would be helpful for me if I need to jump in and help, should any problems arise. I don’t need an itemized list or a bunch of order information unless you want to send it to me. I’m not here to monitor or judge what you send. I’m here to make sure everything runs smoothly and be the go-between if we run into any issues. If you’re sending a curated box, a tracking number is all I need from you.
• Once you receive ALL your Christmas in July gifts, please fill out this form!
• If you have not received your gifts by August 2nd please email me and I will attempt to contact your Summer Santa. Please understand that I will try my very best to work it out, but there is only so much I can do if someone decided to be a punk.
• Be sure to thank your Summer Santa in some way, whether through social media or email. People who do not thank their Santas will be asked to not participate in future Santa events that I host.
• Please utilize the event hashtag #GiftmasInJuly to ask questions, post hints, share in your shopping/gifting/receiving/sending process! Show us what you got! This makes the event so much fun!

Please, please reach out to me if you need anything. I am more than happy to help you. If something comes up that causes you to be late, please email me and let me know. I don’t need to know the details if it’s personal, but communication is super important in an exchange like this. I will always be empathetic, understanding, and respectful of your privacy. If I have to chase you down to find out why your recipient did not receive what you agreed to send them, I will most likely ask you to not sign up again (for both Christmas In July and TBTBSanta). Please don’t make me do that, because it probably causes me more pain than it does you. Exceptions will always be made if something catastrophic occurs, so if that happens please just talk to me when you are able so I can ensure that you are ok and your recipient is taken care of.

Gift Giving Guidelines:

Please keep in mind that ARCs, promotional swag, and shipping DO NOT count towards the monetary value of the gift. 

Due to everything going on in the world right now, please do not send homemade food items unless your recipient specifically notes in their survey that they would like them. Pre-packaged, store-bought foods are fine (and encouraged!). 

Be thoughtful! Don’t just throw something together from the donation pile in your home. Send something you would be happy to receive if you were your recipient. You don’t have to stick to a person’s wish list, but please pay attention to their questionnaire answers and send them things you genuinely think they would like. 

Have so much fun shopping and spreading some holiday magic during this crazy time in the world!
Any questions? Ask in a comment below so my answers to you can help others who might be wondering the same thing. :)

The palm trees in the event logo were created by photographeeasia at Freepik.com. The rest of the design was created by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.