"yankee trader" gifts that are not ridiculous

Our family does a Yankee Trader every Christmas. For those who are not familiar, everybody brings one present and puts it in a pile. Then you have a sack with slips of paper with everybody's name on it, and somebody pulls the names one by one. When your name is called,  you pick a present out of a pile and unwrap it. If you like it, keep it. If you don't, and you like a different present that's already been unwrapped, you can "steal" it - in other words swap yours for theirs. So the best person to be is last, then you can pick whatever you like.

My family are all very creative and think of great gifts every year. The whole thing is pretty fun. But I can never ever think of a thing to bring. I have looked up gift ideas under $30 (this year's price limit) and all I can find are stoooopid joke gifts having to do with booze, poop, or really dumb sex jokes. Or really, really dumb gadgets that will just clog up people's kitchens.

I have to get three gifts because my husband and adult kid are not into this, even a little. The only thing I found so far that appeals is a gift tin of different teas from Republic of Tea.

In prior years I've done things like adult coloring books & pencils, art sets, makeup sets, etc. But I can't keep bringing the same things. I am just flat out of ideas. A challenge is that it's a pretty diverse group in terms of interests, tastes, etc. We're all pretty outspoken and all Democrats, which is a blessing these days. We're also all animal lovers, for whatever that's worth. I can't think of what else we all have in common, though amazingly enough we all get along pretty well.

Any ideas at all appreciated.


Monopoly for Millennials - someone I know was gifting this recently - sounds like fun.

Money doesn't always buy a great time, but experiences, whether they're good -- or weird -- last forever. The Monopoly for Millennials game celebrates just that. Instead of collecting as much cash as possible, players are challenged to rack up the most Experiences to win. Travel around the gameboard discovering and visiting cool places to eat, shop, and relax. Interact with other players via Chance and Community Chest cards, (which are super relatable). And players don't pay rent -- they visit one another, earning more Experience points. This board game is a great way to bring a fun and relaxed vibe to a party or casual get-together.

That is really cute. My millennial nieces might like that. Thanks for the reco!


I'm going to store today (hopefully) that might have some good choices.  Tons of Toys in Madison. I'm hoping to find some retro toys there.


I bought a soft throw blanket for a similar work “white elephant” that was a huge hit.  Also booze of any kind is always the most popular gift at that function.


Something that goes away?  Tea, coffee, cookies or ?, candles, tickets....  Williams Sonoma used to have some nice things - are they still in business? Or a local place....

Or something seasonal that gets put away - ornaments etc. (if everyone celebrates the same holiday)?

Ooh, yes, i would have kept wendyn's blanket!


A good selection of TM Wards coffee from Newark.  Tasty, fresh, and local.


Books, games, puzzles - all can be found within the price range you mention.

An organization I work with is encouraging those of us still looking for gift ideas to select something pedestrian friendly: flashlight, reflective vest, bright colored hat, etc.  These items can also be found within your price range and could literally be life saving for the person on your list who goes walking before dawn and/or after dark.


Try to shop in town. I found some wonderful gifts at#165. The sales people are so helpful,the gifts are really reasonable and the packages are wrapped with beautiful ribbon.


These are all great ideas. Thank you. I hope that others besides me are inspired too ... I find it so difficult to think of really nice things especially when it has to be sort of generic. The lists you can find online are universally awful.

galileo, thank you for suggesting shopping in town. I am embarrassed to admit that this did not occur to me, but now it has. I am going to try to get down to the village  this weekend and use that as a starting point.




For shopping in town Kokoro is also very good.  Same thing as 165 with reasonable gifts, nice salespeople and pretty wrapping.  



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