Lakeside.com is a great way to get all of your shopping done early and efficiently, but I love the fact that so many of my friends are always wondering how I can afford so much great looking stuff at the prices I claim to get them for. Until recently, I didn’t want to reveal my secret because then they would ruin my changes to be “exclusive”. However, if the holidays are indeed all about giving, then what better way to show my appreciation for my friends and family than to spread the holiday cheer? I did this with a new twist on the tried-and-true secret Santa gift giving circle.

Our family has been shopping with Lakeside.com for many years now, but we hadn’t used the catalog in such a long time. My plan was to use Lakeside to complete all of my holiday shopping, (and my family’s as well). So what did I do? I made a list of all the people we were shopping for, and then used unique colors to help identify each person. I saved this “color map” and kept it safe from everyone’s prying eyes. Next, I allowed everyone to pass around Lakeside catalogs and mark their favorite wish list items in their very own particular color.

When people were assigned to shop for other particular people, they had to come to me and then I would give them the corresponding person’s color, (and only that person’s color). The secret Santa shopper had to peruse the catalogs to find exactly what the person marked in their specific color. Let’s just say that though Christmas isn’t exactly here just yet, the idea is catching on like wildfire, and people can’t wait to do their Lakeside Collections shopping!

If things go as well as I think they will, I think we’ll have to set up something for next year. This could end up being the most fun we’ve all had shopping in a long while!