There's nothing thrifty about December here, that's for sure. With property taxes, car license, driver's license, and even the dog is taxed, money is out the door as soon as it arrives. And then there's all the parties and presents. One fun way to exchange gifts is to have a good old-fashioned Yankee swap. Here's how it works:
Each guests brings a inexpensive wrapped gift based on a chosen theme. I think a fun girls night out theme would be Christmas brooches. Number pieces of paper for the total number of guests and put them in a bowl or hat. Pass the bowl or hat around and each person draws one number. The person that draws #1 gets to choose and open any gift. Person #2 chooses and opens a gift and then decides if they want to keep it or exchange it for the gift #1 has opened. Proceed on opening and trading until you come to the last person to open a present. That person has the choice of all the opened gifts. I think this would work well for a large family, provided they could all agree on a theme. Board games, specialty foods, gift certificates to fast food places, and dollar store gag gifts, are some of the themes I have come up with. Books for a book club might be fun. A thrifty way to decorate your porch to greet your guests is to put those inexpensive battery operated candles in various mason and glass jars. Looks so pretty, especially with the snow falling.
This is the season that we have goodie days at work and clubs. I like to bring something savory to counteract all the sweets.
Pineapple Smokies
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. pineapple juice
3 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. mustard
1/3 C. white vinegar
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 lbs. miniature smoked sausages
Combine the brown sugar, mustard and flour. Gradually stir in the liquids. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir until sauce begins to thicken. Add sausages and heat through. These are good to keep hot in a crock pot and can be made ahead of time.
A swap is not only a great idea, but fun! I always loved our little gift exchanges in elementary school when I was little, and I always lamented when my kids' schools never had an exchange. Sure it was nice they brought in gifts for the angel tree for the poor in the area, but I think they would have benefited from a little exchange. I know I always love it. And I bet those pineapple smokies go fast! Now I am hungry. Hugs, Andrea
ReplyDeleteGlad the comments are working now! Yep, that's a fun way to have a gift exchange especially if they are silly gifts. I was always the kid at school, that put a lot of thought into my gift for the exchange only to receive the usual coloring book. Ha!
DeleteWe went to a village open house that usually has those smokies but this year they didn't and Ran was so disappointed. Said it was the only reason he came. Ha! Guess that's his tradition.
Hugs
Jane
Haha, the Yankee Swap reminds me of the many times my husband was in a swap at his workplace and got snookered almost every time. They called it Chinese Christmas, but there was no theme, a dubious plan... On the set day of the swap Goodman always took a nifty man-tool, something useful that he would like to receive, of course. And he always went on his way in a holly jolly mood. But, by the time he returned home the holly jolly had totally vanished. I'm sympathizing/giggling at the memories of him bringing in dry fruitcake and or too tangy cheese gift sets home and plopping them down and saying, "They did it to me, again." LOL
ReplyDeleteHe finally got smart and just kept his man-tool purchase and watched while everyone else took part. o.O
Ha! Snookered is the perfect word, Toni! I was always tempted to keep my nice gift too. The worst one was the time I received pone of those free tracts from a religious sect. Not exactly what a seven year old wants when they are expecting one of those "books" of lifesavers. Remember those?
DeleteHugs
Jane
I DO remember them, and I never got one, either! That's probably because I cannot be trusted with that much candy at a time. That's too bad about the tract - Geepers y'all, kids want candy and games.
DeleteI bet the kid that gave it out probably wasn't all that thrilled when his mother gave it to him for the swap, either. Just about as bad as my mother and her rock cookies.
DeleteJ
I like the idea of the battery operated candles in mason jars. I'll have to try that. Ha! If your Mom's rock cookies are anything like my friend's Mom's rock cookies, I would have loved to receive them!
ReplyDeleteMust not have been anything like your friend's mom's cookies Laurie. These were gray and gluey and sat in your stomach like a bagful of rocks. My mother definitely wasn't a baker! No one was too pleased to get them. Even the dog rejected them.
DeleteHugs
Jane
Oh dear, those Secret Santa gifts in elementary school! I am NOT A FAN.
ReplyDeleteI had so much fun hunting for a cute, inexpensive gift that my daughter could give for her Grade 1 exchange. But that day she got off the school bus and burst into tears--her pretty embroidered satin coin purse with a Bonnie Belle lip smacker gift had been met with a used notepad and a single stick of gum pulled from a pack (it had only the silver wrapper, not even the paper outer wrapper)! Sobbing, she asked me why her Secret Santa didn't like her! My heart just broke into a million pieces--her takeaway from that gift was that she was unlikeable! :^(
That day I decided that I would always buy two SS gifts--one to wrap and give to her when she came home from the exchange day. It got to be she was more excited about her home SS than her school SS.
And that's pretty much how it went all the way through high school! Even the "secret tennis buddy" gifts on her HS tennis team were appalling. But she had a burst of inspiration her senior year; she and her best friend on the team rigged the name picking so they got each other! I enjoyed how she turned it around and ended it on a good note for her friend and herself.
My goodness. I guess the cracks in my heart over that first incident still haven't fully mended, all these years later. The things we remember forever...
Sue
That was a good idea to buy two gifts, Sue. I think we anguish over our children's hurts more than we ever do our own. Being a parent isn't for sissies. Even though my children are grown and on their own, not a day goes by that I don't worry about at least one of them. A parent's job is never done. Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season!
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Jane