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! Please read this post carefully!

This biggest piece of new information is that this year there will be a private, hidden Facebook group (open only to those participating) for this event! I wanted to give people another option for chatting with participants since Twitter (I refuse to call it X) doesn’t feel as safe as it used to for many of us. The hashtag will still be in use over there, and I’ll be hopping back and forth cross posting so I can still reach everyone. Feel free to do the same! You’ll be able to join with your blog/business page, your personal page, or you can even make a new account just for joining this group if you want to keep your online and personal lives separate. Anonymous posting will also be enabled for optimal stealthiness. I’ll do my best to pair you up with people who plan to be in the same place you are. I’m super excited about this, and think it’ll be such a fun place to hang out! This is the same group we used for Broke & Bookish Secret Santa last October.

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 will close at 11:59 PM EDT on June 19th and I will be sending matches out on June 20th.
• 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.
• Please only sign up if you are committed to sending your gift(s) so they arrive 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.
• Due to lack of interest in the lowest monetary tiers for both gift types the last three years in a row, they have been discontinued.
• 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.
• I can’t ensure that you will not be assigned to send someone you’ve sent to before, or someone you’ve been paired with in other swaps/gift-giving events.
• 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. Follow me on Twitter so you can keep up with event updates. I like to know the people who are participating!
• I will not be putting a cap on the number of people who can participate.

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:

Sprinkle: A sprinkling of gifts that arrive 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 (a snail mail card, email, e-gift note, etc.) when you’re finished sending gifts so your recipient knows they have gotten everything and who to thank!

• Sprinkle 1: $20-$25 (excluding any shipping costs) Due to lack of interest, this gift option is no longer available.
• Sprinkle 2: $30+ (excluding any shipping costs)

Curated Box: 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.

• Box 1: $20-$25 (excluding any shipping costs)
• Box 2: $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 Santa to spoil you! Please do not send your answers as an attachment. Instead, please paste your answers directly into the body of your sign-up email. If you send in an incomplete questionnaire, I will reply and ask you to re-submit.

1. Gift Option and Monetary Tier Selection:

b. Sprinkle 2: $30+ (excluding any shipping costs)
c. Curated Box 1: $20-$25 (excluding any shipping costs)
d Curated Box 2: $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. Name and mailing address:

5. Email address (This is where your digital gifts will be sent. If you have signed up for a curated box and would rather not receive digital items, you may type N/A here. Sometimes people enjoy sending ebooks in addition to the curated box, though, so you might want to include an email address anyway.):

6. Are you planning to be active on the #GiftmasInJuly hashtag on Twitter/X during this event? If so, please share your handle. (If you answer no, you will still be allowed to participate. This is just info for your Santa.)

7. Will you be joining the private Facebook group for this event? If so, please write the name you will be joining with. (This is also not required, but I really encourage you to be active in at least one of these places because it’s more fun! You can join this group with your blog’s Facebook page or your personal account. You can also make a new account just to join this group if you want to maintain more privacy/keep your online and personal lives separate. Just let your Santa know how to determine who you are in there. Anonymous posting will be allowed, which means it’ll be easier for you to be stealthy with your questions! You can actually tag your recipient specifically if you need an answer from them and they won’t know who you are. The link to the group will be included in the confirmation email I’ll send you when your questionnaire is received.)

8. Where else can you be found online? (Blog, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc. If you answered no to both of the above questions, where will you be posting about your gift/thanking your Santa?)

9. Your wish list(s) (Please provide links to any wish lists you have. These wish lists must remain exclusive to the Christmas In July Gift Exchange until you’ve received your gifts, or you run the risk of receiving duplicate items. Santas should not feel obligated to return anything if they discover that items from this exclusive list were purchased for them by someone else, and will be advised to send the duplicate item anyway.)

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

11. How do you practice self care?

12. What do you collect?

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

14. What won’t you read?

15. What fandoms do you belong to?

16. What are you always in need of?

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

18. 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.):

19. Share anything else your Santa needs to know about you. The more the better!

20. 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, please post to the event hashtag and ask for a volunteer. If that idea makes you feel too anxious, you may put me down as your buddy and include either my twitter handle or the event email address. You don’t even have to ask me first.)

21. If you would like to sign up to receive an email notification when future Christmas in July sign-ups go live (always in May/June), please type out your preferred email address here.: (I will scan and remove duplicates from this list before emailing, so if you’re not sure whether or not you already signed up for this list it’s ok! You can ask me to remove you from this list at any point if you decide you no longer want to receive this notification, and I will promptly remove you.)

THINGS TO DO:

• Ensure all gifts arrive to your recipient by July 31st. Use your best judgment for shipping dates, as there is no mailing deadline.
• 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 signed up for any of the Sprinkle tiers, you can wait to fill this out as late as 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 just 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. Shipping delays and lost mail are not your fault. A tracking number proves you did all you could. :) If you’d rather email me a picture of your tracking number, please still fill out this form and specify you emailed me so I’ve got a record and know where to look.
• Once you receive ALL your Christmas in July gifts, please fill out this form!
• On August 1st, if you have not received all your gifts or know who your Santa is, please email me and I will investigate. 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 selfish.
• Be sure to thank your Santa in some way, whether through social media or email. Some people choose to send snail mail thank you cards, which is lovely but not required. If you have issues with the items in your gift, promptly thank your Santa and then reach out to me for help. 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 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.

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 allergies and other health concerns, please do not send homemade food items unless your recipient mentions that they would like them. Pre-packaged, store-bought foods are encouraged! Please just make sure that they are wrapped/sealed in their original wrapping/packaging from the manufacturer. Sprinkling candy into the box like confetti is fine, it just needs to be individually wrapped to protect the health of your recipient.

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. Please do not use this event as an opportunity to promote yourself, your book, your business, etc. The gift you give should focus on your recipient and their interests, and not on you.

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