Utah company creates viral online gift exchange


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SALT LAKE CITY — Many people enjoy doing anonymous presents during Chrismtas as a "secret santa" gift exchanges, but a small Salt Lake City company has taken the idea to a whole new level by involving Internet users from around the world.

The company, redditgifts, started the online gift exchange that has now gone viral around the world. People are invited to sign up for the program to support a family or individual in need. The sign-up period for the gift exchange began Monday.

"An iPad! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? This is the most amazingly generous thing I have ever experienced," said one woman filled with emotion after receiving her gift.

She was just one of thousands of people who have received anonymous gifts from a complete stranger participating in redditgifts.

"We really think of ourselves as a happiness platform," said Redditfits founder, Dan McComas.

The company began in 2009, and currently only has eight employees, but they had success right from the beginning. During the first year, 4,500 people participated and in 2012, over 57,000 people participated in the online gift exchange.

"When sign ups end, which is on December 22, we run a program that is our matching process," McComas said. "It goes around a creates a big daisy chain around the world."

The system matches people at random, so individuals don't know who they will receive or what part of the world the individual is from.

"It's just crazy," McComas said. "Iran to Korea to Japan to all the former USSR countries."

In 2012, people from 130 countries participated. The gifts ranged from homemade to very expensive.

"Somebody sent a stuffed shark and told the person that they were to perform surgery to get the gifts."

Everyone who participates is encouraged to record the opening of their gifts, and post the photos or videos so everyone can enjoy them.

"So what we found is by creating these one-on-one connections between people who don't know each other, it spreads happiness virally," McComas said.

The program is pen to anyone ages 13 and older and a number of celebrities have also joined.

The company set a Guiness World Record for the largest secret santa gift exchange for the last two years, and they hope to do again this year.

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Keith McCord

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