It's Time for the Annual Food52 Holiday Secret Swap!

The northern California days are getting shorter and brisker, holiday decorations are springing up everywhere, and I just made a batch of pumpkin lasagna, my annual fall comfort food tradition, which can only mean one thing: The holiday season is right around the corner. Which can only mean another thing: It’s time to start up the FIFTH annual Food52 Holiday Secret Swap.

This event is our very own Food52 holiday goodies swap (think: non-denominational Secret Santa) where Food52 users from around the country (and around the world!) send packages of baked goods, preserves, candies, and any other creative items they can come up with to a fellow Food52er. It's our way of spreading some holiday cheer to other people in this wonderful community.

This will be the fifth year ​of our little community's big exchange. Last year was our biggest swap yet with almost 350 Food52ers from 12 countries on three continents, with mini-swaps for Canada, the UK, and Europe. You can see some of these truly heartfelt and wonderful and fun packages of holiday joy on the holiday swap Tumblr.

If you're interested in joining the fun, sign up here by November 28th and be prepared to ship by December 14th. To promote honesty and to extend our positive influence, a $5 donation (or greater!) to a fantastic organization—The Edible Schoolyard Project—will be required as part of this year's sign-up. Food52 will be matching your donations, so we'll double our impact!

Once you receive your gift, use the hashtag #f52holidayswap for photos you share on Instagram so the rest of the community can see what you were given.

I can't wait to see the great packages from this year's swap!