The history of our theme Christmases can probably be traced back to the gag gifts my Dad and Aunt Joann exchanged for Christmas back in the 1960s. From wrapping an old tire to gifting fake gift certificates, their Christmas gifts were more about wit and humor than about extravagance and cost. Once us three kids were born, their adult gift exchange seemed to fade away.
Once we hit our college years, perhaps with money a bit tight, we resurrected the idea of incorporating wit and humor into our Christmas gifts and focused more on creativity than the gift itself. Instead of buying gifts for everyone, we started a traditional gift exchange and came up with a “theme” that described how the gift must be wrapped. So, for example, if the theme was “purple,” the gift giver had to wrap their gift in something purple that was reminiscent of the gift recipient. The early years were fairly simple — such as wrap the gift in anything that is not traditional wrapping paper — but over the years, the themes have become more distinct such as Science or TV Shows.
For many years, we used to throw out theme ideas for open discussion and generally reached consensus within a week or two. But every now and then, someone really wanted a theme that others did not. So, in 2019, we decided to put all our names in alphabetical order and take turns choosing the theme. The theme host then announces the theme and who each person buys for in early November. Over the years, we have also upped the ante by dressing up and/or decorating according to the theme
This website highlights our past Christmas themes and showcases the creativity of the Eschenburg-Diliberti-Ferrari clan. (Note: This website is currently just a shell. Additional pictures will be added to each year in the coming months.)