No matter how much you look around, trying to find a few more days in November, rummaging under all the seat-cushions and end-of year emails, the simple fact remains: the holidays are almost upon us. If you live in the United States, you’re probably already dreaming of turkey-infused naps, and have hopefully made all your important Thanksgiving decisions, like whose mother’s stuffing recipe is being used and whether or not all attendees can agree that sweet potatoes should have marshmallows on top. United States or no, the inescapable truth for many is that Christmas is right around the corner, and you should probably start thinking about the exchange of presents soon. With the return of the season comes the return of a fantastic idea from last year: Third Wave Wichteln, a global Secret Santa Christmas coffee gift exchange started by three guys in Germany.
Last year, we covered the birth of Third Wave Wichteln, how an Instagram led to this grassroots holiday exchange. In the first year, the team of santa-coordinators wound up bringing together 362 consumer and professional participants in 25 countries, spawning an active Facebook group, and leading to multiple meetups in different cities. This year founders André Krüger (@bosch), Tho Keller (@lastguest_hh), and Markus Reuter (@Roitsch) are back with a shiny new website, including this rad map of participants from last year, and a push for an even bigger Wichteln (the German word for a Secret Santa exchange) this year.
You have just five days left to join the exchange yourself, so head on over to their website and join up if you’re eager to exchange exotic coffee Christmas care packages with consumers (and coffee celebrities?) across continents.
Alex Bernson is the Managing Editor at Sprudge.com. Read more Alex Bernson on Sprudge.
All imagery via ThirdWaveWichteln.com
