Bob

So anyone doing anything like that at work?

What you bringing and what are the rules at yours?

At my place, we're picking a number a number out of a bowl, and that's the order we pick a present, then get to swap it with someone's if we want, and the first person gets the chance to swap at the end. Each person that comes to the party that wants to take part has to bring a gift, ceiling price of $20...even being allowed to bug off early to go get family, but employee's are require to turn up to the party *lol*

So it's all happening this coming Friday, i've never done anything like this, so I bought a couple of Nerf guns as my gift, as there popular at work....wouldn't mind that long shot jobby...anyway, and the missus got a lantern thingy...

AmerLisa

What's a Yankee Swap?

ladygwennie

I know secret santa is very popular over here, not heard of anything quite like that before though, be interesting to know what you end up walking away with

Bob

your the American

It's a war zone apparently, well you bring a gift in, and then pick one you want, and if it's crap, swap it with someone else's till every one has a go....different places have different takes on how ya do it, but that's the gist of it.

MIL has a secret santa, and I'd have thought that would be more fun....but they ain't doing that, and they wanted an excuse to have a party at the new digs, big enough office...oh well...

Bob

if it's something crap, I won't be happy...there a bunch of artists, so better be somin' cool....thought I'll be really miffed if someone tw@s me over the head with one of the nerf guns

ladygwennie

Nerf guns are fun.. pellet guns are better, especially drunk

krizzy

We do a Yankee swap every Christmas at our HOA party...or at the BBQ in the summer...at the BBQ we bring something we don't want anymore...a great way to get rid of the junk you got at Christmas...
At Christmas we do it the same way your place does...but I'm told bringing a gift from around your home is the older way of doing a Yankee swap..

Bob

aye true...but around the office, might not be the best idea...nerf won't mark the new walls

plus that bazooka one, blimey, that one does sting

ladygwennie

Not if you're drunk

and on a side note, if it's a good xmas party, you should never be sober at the end of it

Bob

It'll be my first...and as it's a family event, don't know what to expect *lol*...but it'll hardly be a knee's up like back in blighty where you'd get the bus home afterwards

ladygwennie

Yeah, ive noticed this here. Although last job hubby had, was a bit of a knees up. A ghetto one (they used an empty basement, which used to be a bar, but was pretty much stripped of the good stuff and was everybody for themselves) lots of alcohol (keg, wine boxes, and some hard liquor). Ended up getting pretty tipsy and going to a bar afterwards. Don't remember much else, although apparently there are pictures somewhere... :scared:

AmerLisa

Yeah? What, you're swapping Americans? Is it like Wife Swap?

Bob

well if you haven't heard of these customs, there ain't much help for johnny foreigner having much of a clue....I thought these, along with secret santa's were pretty large work thing around here....I'd certainly never heard of them till I cam here though.

anabella

Secret Santa is popular in the UK too.. I'd never heard of Yankee Sawp.. I'll ask hubby when he gets home..

Celsius

aka Dirty Santa!