Sunday, January 14, 2007

Ho ho holy crap!

...was the name of the party we went to last night -- a white elephant/yankee swap/Dirty Santa/regifting event. Something like 75 presents were exchanged (it took two hours). Our contribution: a bright blue and yellow dog figurine which was actually a picture frame -- your picture goes in the space where the dog's face should be. I ask you: Just whose picture are you supposed to put in there? Only dog owners need apply, apparently. For added tackiness, it broke as I was wrapping it so I slapped it back together with Elmer's. Jeff got this from my sister for Christmas, and guess where she got it? A Yankee swap.

We came out way ahead because we ended up with a decent board game. We managed to avoid all of the following:
  • a large exercise machine/torture device similar to the one featured in Sixteen Candles. It ended up on the roof of our hosts' car.

  • a "feng shui" tabletop fountain (that's what the box said).

  • Hardcover edition of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.

  • A framed piece of black velour, holding brooches and earrings arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree. Used to light up, no longer works.

  • More than one box containing a random item (such as a DVD of Dirty Dancing or a kid-sized tiara) along with a few bottles of beer.

  • Body lotion in a container shaped like a high-heeled shoe.

  • A shopping bag containing about 20 issues of Pl@yboy. (Jo: "What are those?" Me: "Magazines with naked pictures! Hahahaha [desperately hoping she thinks this is funny; she did].")

11 comments:

Magpie said...

That sounds like it was a fun party! We used to do that in the office - it was always a mix of the wonderful and the truly awful. And then there was collusion and other nefarious stuff. Maybe we should do that next year with the neighbors.

Anonymous said...

Personally I would have chosen the tiara. You can never have too many tiaras.

MamaMaven said...

Obviously some creative folks in your group, getting rid of the exercise machine is pure genius! I always loved doing this when I was a hall director--somewhere I am sure we still have the big orange and yellow spotted ash tray the size of a serving platter.

Karianna said...

Wow. All the swaps we've gone to have been TAME compared to yours.

SUEB0B said...

The christmas tree brooch thing? My aunt had one of those, and as a kid I thought it was sooooo beeyuteeful!

Anonymous said...

Uncle John's Bathroom Readers are AWESOME. If we didn't already own all of them, I'd have chosen that gift.

That said, board games are always a pretty good deal.

Lady M said...

Like Jenny, I would have chosen the tiara too.

One of the other bloggers I read contributes to the Uncle John book. Haven't read it, but maybe I'll get one in a swap party!

http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/003011.html

PunditMom said...

Hmmm ... never heard of one of these parties before. But can we have one like this for the kids' b-day party gifts that should be re-gifted? :)

Run ANC said...

That sounds like fun!

I would like to contribute 1 (!) handtowel embroidered with the name of our local drycleaners.

Kimberly said...

OMG! That sounds like a rip!

nonlineargirl said...

I love white elephant exchanges. I hosted one a couple of weeks ago - we swapped a tacky mother's day vase, a santa in leather boots, and the highlight: a home face-lift kit!