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Can you believe it? Another year has quickly
flown away, Turkey
Day 2002 is almost here, and we are ready
to start our 2nd
Annual Attics and Beans List Holiday Exchange!
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 *  *  *  *
We are sort of rolling
Hanukkah, Kwanzaa,
Christmas and Reyes
into one big Holiday season, for simplicity sake.
Are we all anxious to begin? Let me just
add what was on last years introduction of this activity -- is
is still as valid and meaningful this year --
Once upon a time, in a
world filled with virtual dreams and fantasy, a happy group
of gals and guys who are interested in those cute collectible
Beanie
toys banded together to form an online newsgroup List,
one of the oldest and most active out there in cyber space, to
exchange news, ideas about collecting - and even personal thoughts
and comments about everything and anything in general. Although
the online company which hosts it has changed several times over
the years, it is still basically the same happy group.
They have sponsored a
travelling chicken  and bear
,
a home-made Christmas ornament exchange, a cactus sharing program - and this year
they thought it might be nice to get in the old fashioned holiday spirit and see how many might like
to participate in a Holiday
Surprise
Gift Exchange thingy,
sort of like a Pollyanna. The response was immediate, and
twenty signed up from all over the  and neighboring  !
How does it work? The
same as last year. There are no real rules or $value$ associated with the exchange -- just an obvious
timeline. I collect the names of those interested, and at the
end
of November I randomly
select pairs of names to be Surprise Exchange partners. One never knows who be connected
to whom until the list appears.
Each of the pairs would
then contact their match and exchange whatever information they
think may be useful to the other person. The gift does not have
to necessarily be oriented to the age, gender, or any other characteristic
of the participating individuals. it is the thought that counts!
The Surprise would idealy be sent before 20
December 2002 to hopefully
insure receipt before the 25th. I always use USPS Priority mail 
with Tracking, just to be on the safe side, whether
it be for the hundreds of eBay
goodies I send my happy winners each year, or some sheets of
stamps to a collector friend in Spain -- and have yet to have
a notable problem.
May the spirit of the season fill your hearts with joy, and the
new year be exceptionally positive
for each of you and your family.
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