Kris Kringle

Kris Kringle is a popular gift-giving tradition celebrated across Australia. Apart from my immediate family, I now participate in Kris Kringle gift-giving with my extended family.

Kris Kringle starts by putting everyone's name in a hat. Then, names are drawn from the hat and matched with another name to identify the person that will receive each gift. Kris Kringle has an economic benefit, as each participant gives one gift and receives one gift. It is simpler and less resource-intensive than each participant giving and receiving a gift from all other participants. It is also referred to as "Secret Santa", and the idea is not to tell anyone whose name you have drawn.

A price limit should be set, perhaps no more than $50, so they don't feel pressured to buy a costly gift. Also, we clarify with the family that participation in the Kris Kringle is optional, and people aren't required to join in if they don't want to.

Creating a Kris Kringle tradition can encourage a more sustainable, "less is a better" approach to gift-giving. Every person might get one great gift, so the person giving the gift can be more thoughtful about it and hopefully come up with something that the gift receiver can value and use.