Ah… fall. The days are growing shorter and mornings are crisper. Store windows are full of the coolest trends for the brand new season. The scent of pumpkin spice wafts from coffee shops all over town. And a young man’s fancy turns to… football. (Or as we like to call it at Elfster, Countdown Time.)
For one group of moms from all over North America, they are welcoming the cooler days to come with a ‘Not So Much Pumpkin, But Lots of Spice’ fall exchange. According to “Elf Master” for the group, Jerilyn Callen, “We are fairly split down the middle on our views on “traditional” fall items such as pumpkins, PSL from Starbucks, candy corn, etc. These exchanges give us a good chance to find out more about each other’s personalities.”
This self-proclaimed group of “cracker-obsessed” moms first connected on The Bump, a popular website featuring pregnancy, parenting and baby information. “We have an affinity for crackers of all types. However, Ritz crackers are our favorite,” Jerilyn says. They call themselves Cracker Eaters Anonymous and all agree that even the crumbs are delicious :)
“We were all due in December 2013. We are 26 strong at this point,” Jerilyn explains. “Several of us have met in person and there have been rumblings of a giant get together but with kids and lives it’s hard.” So as their babies prepare to take their first steps, Elfster is so glad to play a part in keeping these friendships in full-swing.
“We are located across the nation and Canada,” she says. “We have people in Arizona, California, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, Texas, Florida, NY State, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina and THE NORTH POLE (actually it’s Canada, but it might as well be the North Pole).”
The group likes to use a seasonal theme for each of its exchanges, including this month’s theme of ‘Not So Much Pumpkin, But Lots of Spice’ which includes just the moms this time. Everything from delectable sweet and savory treats to warm and snuggly accessories can be found on these busy mom’s Elfster wishlists.
“We usually do exchanges approximately every 3-4 months and they have either seasonal themes or sometimes random themes based of things we discuss. So far, we have had 3 exchanges, one just after the New Year where we did an exchange for the moms and it included favorite wines and/or candy. Our Spring Eggstraveganza was an exchange for our kids. We had a spring/summer theme and the outfits that people received were pretty awesome,” she says. “We usually give people a week to sign up, then the Elf Master (I’ve done it twice now) does the draw and we proceed from there. We generally give about 3-4 weeks for people to shop and ship.”
And this group loves the secret features of an Elfster exchange. “We definitely think it makes things more interesting. The random draw has helped members who might be less well known to each other get to know their fellow group mates. And it’s always fun getting a surprise in the mail, right?” Jerilyn says. The wishlist feature of Elfster is a big hit, too, she adds. “We enjoy that people can go put stuff that they might feel is corny or simply a luxury and someone else gets an idea! It’s a great feature.”
And the elves are glad to hear that this group will be back again for future seasonal exchanges. “I’m sure there will be more exchanges to come,” according to this Elf Master. “All the members in our group have thoroughly enjoyed the exchanges.”
So are you ready to fall in love with fall? Be sure to Browse and follow Elfster’s Fall Trends gift guides to see how you can step into the season in style. Find the season’s top picks, and share your own ideas with us. Whether you are looking to get inspired with new fall fashion trends, or you are ready to start planning for Halloween, we have all of the season’s best!
We would love to hear how your group celebrates the seasons and how you are using Elfster, too. You can reach us via Facebook here, Tweet us @elfster or catch us on Instagram at #elfstergram.
photo credit: Kimberly K, Rich Bowen, Cascadian Farm
