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What is the Secret Santa Rock Exchange?

Started in 2017, the Secret Santa Rock Exchange began as a way for a small group of twitter mutuals to exchange rocks through the internet. It all started when geologist Kayla Iacovino tweeted about exchanging rocks with a complete stranger on Reddit. Not only did she get new rocks to add to her collection (plus she got to enhance another geo-buff’s collection with some special pieces of her own), she got to learn all about the rocks sent to her. Every geologist knows that every rock tells a story. It’s why we love them so much and put them on display all over our homes and offices. These little pieces of the Earth can tell us where we came from, how we got here, what elements they posses that we can use to better our lives, and so much more. Plus, you know, they look neat. With interest from Kayla’s twitter followers, the first Rock Exchange was born.

She decided to run the Exchange as a Secret Santa style event. That means that each participant will be randomly matched to two other users: a Santa (the person who will send them a rock) and a Giftee (the person they’ll send a rock to). No one is told who their Santa is or where their rock is coming from, which is a huge part of the fun. During the shipping period, participants eagerly wait to receive a surprise treasure from an unknown and potentially quite far away land (our Santas come from all over the world!).

Phases of the Exchange

There are three important time periods to be aware of if you want to participate in the Exchange. The first is the sign-up period. During this time, participants can sign up to be a part of the Exchange. Once sign-ups close, the matching period begins. The python script that Kayla uses to do the actual matching only takes a few seconds to run, but we usually give her a week or two to get everything set up, run the thing, and update user profiles with information on their Giftees. After all, she’s only one person. (Also worth noting here that the colloquial “we” is also, uh, me… Kayla… hi!). Once matches are sent out to all Santas, the shipping (and receiving) period begins! Santas have a few weeks to get their rock into the mail. If they miss the shipping deadline, they risk being placed on the naughty list.

Here are the important dates for this year’s Exchange:

  • Sign-ups Open: 15th October – 15th November
  • Matching Period: 15th November – 21st November
  • Shipping (And Receiving!): 21st November – 20th December