3rd Annual Holiday Book Faerie Swap

Hello! Welcome to the Holiday Book Faerie swap! We are your hosts: Emmah and Brittany. If you found yourself here, you either know one – or both! – of us on social media or your friends spread the word. So again, welcome! We are so glad you’re here with us. Let’s all spread some holiday spirit this year!

This is our third year doing this and we're excited to host it again (and expand it!!). Emmah came up with the idea for the swap and asked Brittany to co-host it with her. We see a lot of Christmas and Santa-themed swaps. Which is great, but we thought about how it’d be if there was more inclusivity for those who don’t celebrate Christmas or any winter holiday. That way they’re included without having a lot of the Christmas "in your face."

We both love the winter time and the holidays. Emmah enjoys Hallmark & Lifetime Christmas movies, cozy vibes, blue & silver & white Christmas/Winter themed things, and all the pretty light displays. Brittany enjoys all the holiday activities and is a little child at heart, she even does Elf on a Shelf (and yes, her kiddo still believes!) every year. Peppermint mocha, apple cider, cozy sweaters, blankets, and holiday movies. This time of year is the absolute best.

Now for the reason y’all are here! The swap! Before we get into the fun of signing up, here are some very important things you need to know and keep in mind:

1. For your safety and of others, please only sign up if you're 18 years old or older.
2. This holiday swap is for US, Canada, UK and Europe participants only. (US will send to US, Canada will send to Canada, UK will send to UK, and Europe will send to Europe [Republic of Ireland will be considered as Europe for this])
3. We will be capping this swap at 80 people in the US and 80 people between Canada/UK/Europe. Brittany does the organization for the US and Emmah does Canada/UK/Europe.
4. Sign ups end on November 15 and holiday faeries will go out shortly after – hopefully within the week, so you will have about a month to shop!
5. You won’t know who the person is sending to you until you receive your package and they reveal themselves. You will not send and receive to/from the same person.
6. When deciding to sign up, please make sure you have the resources (time, money, etc.) to send your package on time and that it’s a package you yourself would like to receive (this includes curating a gift package where you paid attention to their likes and dislikes; how would you feel if someone sent you something you don’t like?)
7. We understand that sometimes life gets in the way. If something did come up, please reach out so we can make accommodations, if needed. We would much rather not have to "hunt you down" for not sending a package or barely doing the minimum requirements.
8. Please try to be as thorough as possible when filling out your form. The more details you provide, the easier it’ll be for your holiday faerie to buy for you! No information is "too much!"
9. Don’t be shy either: come use the Discord server for the swap. It will be linked in the confirmation email after we receive your sign up. There will be questions to answer that you can expand on if you missed something in your original form. We found that using a Discord server for the swap is really fun and we had a great group of people last year. They still participate in the server throughout the year and we love the community we've created!
10. We will be checking your social media, etc., before we send the confirmation email. Please be patient, as we both have chronic illnesses and other daily responsibilities.
11. You are required to send tracking to us when you send your package out. A simple email saying you sent with the tracking number is enough.

Now that we have those pesky little obligatory details out of the way, let’s get on with the more fun part! Details of the swap! We’ve seen many other swaps monetary limits, and there’s always questions or comments similar to "can we do more" or "oh no, I went above my limit," etc. So we thought we’d make it a little easier! But yes, you can do more if you want... it’s your choice; as long as you follow the minimum of the tier you signed up for:

Tier 1:

• 1 to 2 books off their wish list
• other presents and goodies (minimum of 3 to 5 items)
• this could be anything from socks, trinkets, candy, etc. Basically anything that isn’t a book, but relates to their likes!
• please, no swag or something you got for free. If it’s something from their favorite author, or something they like, you can add it but do not include it as a goody until you’ve thoroughly put thought into the package
• things should be wrapped (don’t worry if you’re not good at wrapping! as it’s the thought that counts!) Include a nice note, please. Also, unless brought to our attention first – please don’t ship directly from Amazon as it can come off very impersonal; this swap is for a curated gift package.
  
  

Tier 2:

1. 3 or more books off their wishlist
2. other presents and goodies (minimum of 3 to 5 items)
3. this could be anything from socks, trinkets, candy, etc. Basically anything that isn’t a book, but relates to their likes!
4. please, no swag or something you got for free. If it’s something from their favorite author, or something they like, you can add it but do not include it as a goody until you’ve thoroughly put thought into the package
5. things should be wrapped (don’t worry if you’re not good at wrapping! as it’s the thought that counts!) Include a nice note, please. Also, unless brought to our attention first – please don’t ship directly from Amazon as it can come off very impersonal; this swap is for a curated gift package.

That’s it! Simple and sweet. Without further blabbing on, here’s how to sign up!

Please send an email to hbfswap (at) gmail (dot) com answering the following questions. We ask that you do not attach a document to your email. Simply copy and paste the questions below. This makes it easier for us to view and then forward to your holiday faerie. Attached documents can be hard to open as not everyone has the same resources to open them.

1. Your Full Name & Mailing Address (exactly as it appears when receive mail):
2. What tier you're signing up for: 
3. What country you're from: 
4. Your pronouns (if you’re comfortable with sharing; if not, leave blank):
5. What winter holiday, if any, do you celebrate?
6. Any social media handles (Bluesky, Instagram, etc.): 
7. Are you planning to join the Discord server? If yes, what’s your username? (this will help your holiday faerie know where to ask questions and can look for your name for the answers)
8. If you answered “no” to the above question, where will you be sharing things? (posting pictures of your package & thanking your holiday faerie). If you answered no, you will still be able to participate in the swap! (Skip this if you'll be joining the server):
9. Please confirm you are 18 or older (simply say "yes, I am" or "sorry, no I am not"):
10. Do you have someone you consider close to you, that would be a good person to contact in the instance that your holiday faerie has a specific question that can’t be asked in the server or social media (so they don’t give themselves away!)? List their social media handle and/or email where your holiday faerie can easily contact them. If you don’t have a contact, that’s okay! They can still ask us, but it’d be easier on us if you were able to have a contact. PLEASE GET THEIR PERMISSION FIRST BEFORE LISTING THEM AS A CONTACT. 
11. List 10+ books (or link to an Amazon list) that you would love to receive, please make sure this list is for HBF swap only to prevent duplicates (also, to make it easier and slightly less costly for your holiday faerie, make the list a mix of older and newer/paperback and hardcover; please no pre-order only titles as they will most likely not arrive until after the holidays):
12. Do you have any other wishlists that you’d like to include? (Etsy, other Amazon lists, etc. – this could give your holiday faerie some ideas that aren’t books and specific items you might want):
13. Are you okay if the books you receive are used, as long as they’re in very good/like new condition? 
14. What are your favorite genres and/or subgenres that you read the most? (example: main genre could be romance and the subgenre would be paranormal romance):
15. What are your likes when it comes to books? (book formats, authors, things you won’t read, do you collect editions of any type of book, etc.):
16. If you’d prefer to receive ebooks, please include the email that you’d like them to be sent to: 
17. What are your favorite foods, snacks, candy, etc.: 
18. Would it be okay with you if your holiday faerie made you any baked goods or candy/chocolate? 
19. Do you have any allergies? (food, animals, scents, etc.): 
20. Tell us (and your holiday faerie) everything about yourself! Don’t be shy! (for example: what fandoms are you a part of? what are your likes outside of books, your family, pets, dislikes, would you like something local from your holiday faerie,favorite tv shows/movies/music, things you collect, favorite colors, shoe/sock size, favorite designs (stars, snowflakes, plaid, etc.), do you have a specific vibe/aesthetic (academia, cottagecore, etc.), do you have any favorite animals, what you’re currently obsessed with):
21. Since we had a group of people "angel/faerie" for someone who didn't get their package last year (person never sent it and wouldn't reply to us)... Would you be interested in being a part of our list of "angels/faeries", in case this happens? (THIS IS NOT A REQUIREMENT!): 

Lastly, here’s a checklist of things to not forget to do:

1. Send your package no later than December 13 – this is the cut off date for most shipping companies this year. As usual, during the holidays, shipping companies get bombarded with packages and it usually takes longer for them to get to where they’re going. (Tip: you can use http://www.pirateship.com to ship, if you have a printer at home! It’ll give you the best prices).
2. If you don’t send the package on time, don’t freak out! Just contact us with a quick "hey, I had to send my package out later than anticipated, could you let my holiday faerie know that it’s on the way and to tell them sorry, thank you.” If it’s due to something personal, that’s okay! You don’t need to tell us, just let us know it’s going to be late and when you plan on sending it out.
3. Let us know when you send the package to your holiday faerie and put the tracking number in the email. This helps us immensely to keep track of who has already sent out, who is on time, etc.
4. Let us know when you receive your gifts, so we can mark it in our documents. Thank you!
5. Make sure to thank your holiday faerie when you get your package. It’s always nice to know when a package got there safely.
6. If you're the type of person that likes waiting until the holiday you celebrate to open presents:
7. please post in the Discord (or social media of choice) that you received your packaged and that you're waiting to open
8. make sure to post a picture of what they sent when you do open it to thank your faerie by name (the reveal is part of the fun!)
9. Packages are not late until January 5, which gives a few days after the new year’s no mail delivery holidays for the package to get to you. Please wait until that date to reach out to us, if you haven’t received it yet. We will contact your holiday faerie and check to see if everything’s okay and see why they haven’t sent out the package yet, and to make sure they do it soon. If they never send one out, there’s nothing we can really do, BUT we will ban them from participating again.
10. PLEASE, if you’re using the Discord server, use the channels we make for the different categories (if you don’t want to participate in the ones not revolving around the package, that’s okay! Those are there for extra fun). 

If you have any questions or concerns, at any time, please do not hesitate to reach out to us!