For the second year in a row some coworkers and I have decided to be thrifty with our holiday gift exchange by designing and creating personalized CDs filled with music that we think the other person will like.

It started off with a hat, tiny pieces of paper, and the Christmas Party. It was then that we drew the name of our sucker, err, recipient. The hardest part, in my opinion, is trying to figure out what the giftee will like on their CD. There are several people in the office who are extremely transparent with their choice of music, but then there are others who never leave their iPod alone long enough to take a peek.

We’re lucky enough to be a tight knit crew, so the CDs always seem to have a personal touch that ends up being a big success. Our collection of disc cover designs this year included favourite fonts, colours, even condiments (images, and believe it or not, actual fresh pepper).

For the past few hours it’s been pretty quiet in the office except for the headphones of everyone listening to their CDs. Well, that and the munching of Brett‘s mom’s delicious cookies.