The Yankee Swap

I was in Maine when my mother-in-law at the time told me about the "Yankee swap." It was the holidays of 1996. I begrudgingly agreed to go, figuring it would get me out of the house. Little did I know, it would be one of the best things I had decided to do in my marriage of 13 years. We were each to buy a gift for under $10.00 and wrap it. The game was simple; you drew numbers and then proceeded to go in order to find the gift that you thought you wanted. It was at the local church and all the family members went, so I figured what the heck, sounds like fun. To be honest, I can't remember what I took, but I do remember what I brought home and some of the gifts that were there. This thing called the Yankee swap is also known as White Elephant Gifts. When I arrived, I placed my gift under the tree and became rather excited after taking my two little ones down to the nursery so that we "adults" could have fun. I believe I drew the number 25 out of about 40 people. I listened as the instructions were given. The person holding number 1 would be able to pick any gift out of the whole group after all the gifts had been picked. If you were number 2, you could pick the person who picked the number 1 gift if you so desired, and so on and so forth. I sat and watched as people opened up cans of nuts, home-made potholders, lottery tickets, and anything that could be found for under $10.00. Then my gift came; the cherished gift I would go home with, the pasta in a glass container. I am a cook, so this was a precious gift for me at the time. I watched this gift and seemed to get lost in the fact that it was the gift I wanted more than anything I had seen. Not only could I make my family a meal with it, but it was pretty and the glass container would serve a purpose after the pasta was long gone.

The fun thing about the Yankee Swap was that we all got involved, and it was fun to see people take what they really wanted from those who ended up getting goose eggs for gifts. Now, not all the gifts were bad, but there were some that were downright horrid, and I thought to myself, "Why would someone do that or bring that gift?" Of course there are no names on the gifts, so you have no idea who brought what unless you saw them bring it in. One person actually brought a stocking with coal in it as a joke. I think that person got to keep their gift once it was traded for a nice crystal bowl set.

As funny as it may sound, I have found that some of the best gifts that cost under $10.00 come from a thrift shop: an old vase that you can clean up or perhaps some jewelry, which is bound to be traded to someone who will truly fall in love with a gift they can wear. There are many things that can be used for this White Elephant gift. Homemade gifts mean a great deal to people who don't have the time or the ability to make them. They need something to which you just have to add water or milk. You can find recipes for "cakes in a jar," "brownies in a jar," or even "cookies in a jar." They are pretty, easy to put together, and for $10.00 you can make quite a few. Another fun thing to do is to take spoons and dip them in chocolate, add some chocolate-covered pretzels, and a small gift of either cocoa or coffee, place it in a basket or a glass bowl, and you have a very nice gift for someone who knows you took the time to actually think about the gift instead of just finding something at the local discount store. Not that these places don't have nice gifts, but when you are looking at a price range of $10.00, there is not much you can really get. You could also bring ornaments reminding the recipient of the year, or mittens and scarves. These are memorable and needed things for everyone involved.

Since you don't know who will get your gift, it is always good to have a unisex gift, this will allow all to enjoy and have fun. Most importantly, think about what you would really like and then find it and wrap it nicely. It is sure to be appreciated.

By the end of the night, I felt like I was the luckiest person at this Yankee swap. I did end up with the pasta. I was proud as a peacock as I took it from the person who had actually unwrapped it; however I am sure they did enjoy the cribbage board and cards that I traded for it. I will say, my family quite enjoyed that pasta meal and the container sat proudly on my counter to remind me of how much fun it was with the gifts and laughter exchanged that night.

Happy holidays to all and to all a good swap......