Is this a gift exchange?

In a word, no. Unlike "Secret Santa's" or other such gift exchanges, this is not a one-for-one swap; if you send someone a gift, they are not obligated to send one back. The purpose of the Holiday Wishes community is for people to post what their top ten wishes would be if they could wish for anything, reasonable or not. See also: About Holiday Wishes.

Can I post my Amazon, Hot Topic, Target, etc. wishlists?

You are permitted to include one link to an external wishlist as one of your 10 items, but no more. See also: Posting Guidelines and this discussion.

How come there are restrictions on what we can "wish" for?

We do this mostly to keep the community under some reasonable amount of control. If you're wishing for a new laptop, or enough money to pay for a semester of tuition, or for a plane ticket to visit someone, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, to reduce the amount of conflict that could occur within the community if someone posting a wishlist appears to be "greedy" or just wanting to take advantage of what seems to be "freebies," we do have to draw the line somewhere, and that line is drawn at direct solicitations for PayPal donations, or linking to multiple outside wishlists in what may be a veiled effort to squeeze in more than the allotted 10 wishes allowed by the original meme, as well as requests for illegal substances or products. If you just want to post a wishlist to your own journal, you can include whatever you want in your list. These rules only apply to the community. See also: Posting Guidelines.

So, what's the deal with Tags?

They make everyone's life a lot easier. Seriously. Without tags, there's very little way to index the entries posted to the community. Please use them, and use them frequently. See also: Tagging Instructions and Requesting New Tags.

What if I can't mail my gift by January 31st?

If you promised someone that you'd send them a gift, but are unable to do so by the time the meme ends (typically on January 31st of the given year), we encourage you to contact your recipient and explain that there's been a delay, or that for some reason you will be unable to send the promised gift. Many people are disappointed or discouraged when someone comments and promises to send a gift, but nothing is received, and this unfortunately reflects badly on the community even though it doesn't violate community rules.

I sent out dozens of postcards, gifts and donations, but no one sent me anything!

We're sorry :-( Really we are. But this isn't a gift-swap, it's a virtual free-for-all... there are no guarantees. You are not obligated to give anything, nor is anyone obligated to give to you. It's unfortunate that not everyone felt the desire to be as generous as you did, but at least you know that those people you granted wishes for had their days made just a bit brighter.

Remember that once upon a time back in 2004, this was created as a wishlist community. People were asked to post what they really, truly wished for that holiday season, tangible or not, realistic or not. Only in recent years has the focus of community members shifted more towards actual gift-giving and receiving. However, the rules have not changed.

Can I post a wishlist for my Brother/Daughter/Best friend/Roommate?

We only permit one post per member to the community. If your Brother/Daughter/Best friend/Roommate wants to participate and to post a wishlist, please encourage them to create their own LJ account. If this person is incapable of creating their own account, consider posting your wishlist or their wishlists to your own journal instead. Chances are it will be seen, there's a lot of interactive browsing that takes place in this community, new friends and connections are always being made.

Is anonymous gifting allowed?

Yes, although keep in mind if you are sending a package via the postal service, if you do not include a return address and something goes wrong, you're increasing the chances of your package becoming lost in the mail. Virtual anonymous gifts are absolutely acceptable if you can manage it. We do encourage you to include your LJ username with your gifts though, just so that your giftees can thank you!

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