A couple of months ago, I put out an offer to set up a gift exchange for Outlander fans. Nearly 140 people responded, and we’ve had a great time! I want to thank every one of you for participating. Gifts flew around the world – handmade, artisan made, some from the official Outlander store (and I’ve decided to muzzle my feelings about that particular outlet…). I’ve heard from many of you saying that you had fun doing this, that it was a thrill to get a package in the mail, and a bigger thrill to shop for – and even make, in some cases – beautiful Outlander gifts for people who are really strangers, but feel more like friends because of the shared interest in all things DG related!
Here are some of the pictures you sent me of gifts received (I couldn’t include all of them, but I tried to get most):
And we had some unexpected notice – both Yahoo TV and the Chicago Tribune wrote terrific stories about our Exchange! (for the record, I didn’t solicit either of these outlets – they contacted me, and I was quite surprised.) They interviewed participants, requested photos, and publicized Outlander (and this website, which made my site owner happy). This is the link for the Yahoo TV article, and here’s the Chicago Trib article, which appeared in both my area’s online edition and the print edition for the nearby local suburbs. Participants Koko Pipkin (who happened to be sitting at my kitchen table when the reporter called, as we were about to leave for the Thru the Stones conference), Jeanne McDermott and Michelle Ensmann were interviewed for this article.
Will I do this again? I don’t know. It was a lot of fun, but not without its issues. Sadly, a couple of our participants had family tragedies during the Exchange period. One wonderful participant sent me a gift as a thank you (no, thank you! Yolanda!). I’ve had reports of some participants not receiving a gift (in most cases, I was able to track these down and get these resolved), which saddens me. If you haven’t received a gift, and you and I haven’t already discussed it, please let me know. I’d like to know if you would do this again, and please offer any suggestions for making the process better.
And now! I promised that three of you would get an extra little something from me. Janice Schurr, Sarah Butterfield and Dalice Snider, you’ll be the lucky recipients of not just a pocket Jamie, not just a pocket Claire – but a full 14-piece pocket cast, including Dougal, Colum, Black Jack, wedding and normal Jamie, Rupert, Angus, and more!!! These will go out next week.
Once more, thanks to everyone who played along! Please feel free to leave any comments you have about the Exchange! (and be sure to read my 2-part interview with Diana Gabaldon – go to the top of this article, click on TV, then Outlander!).
Follow me on Twitter: @ErinConrad2, or @threeifbyspace.net
