View Full Version : Goodie swap
Still reading Mort by Terry Pratchett but a USA friend has just sent me The Pink Carnation - arrived this morning in a 'goody' parcel so I'll pick that up next - forgotten the author and book is downstairs at the moment.
p.s. self and a few internet friends swap 'goody' parcels from our own countries. We enclose stuff like pens and serviettes postcards, notebooks, bookmarks, inexpensive little fripperies peculiar to our own cultures. Chuck in a couple of books and then send them out a couple of times a year. It's great fun and the biggest cost is probably the postage. You never know what's going to turn up and it's great fun sorting out the thoughtful and the silly on a miniscule budget.
michellemoran
09-26-2008, 03:51 PM
self and a few internet friends swap 'goody' parcels from our own countries
I love that idea!!
What a great idea!! I wonder if we could start something like that here!!
SonjaMarie
09-26-2008, 04:54 PM
What a great idea!! I wonder if we could start something like that here!!
I've thought about suggesting a Secret Santa in the past but with all of us spread out in so many countries how many can really afford to send something to say Australia or UK or in their cases the US or Canada, etc.
SM
Vanessa
09-26-2008, 08:03 PM
It would probably have to be organised quite early so parcels could be sent by sea rather than air, thereby keeping costs down. Too late for this year, I think. For some reason it seems quite expensive to post via air from Australia to the UK from what I can gather. My daughter has a penfriend in the US and she sent her a little gift a while ago - postage didn't seem that expensive.
On the other list we only do it when the moment strikes and very informally. I do find myself going into tacky gift shops though and thinking 'Hmmm, I'm sure G. would just love that 99p. pen in the shape of Robin Hood's arrow.' Another listmember sent me an Elvis Presley pot holder (oven glove) and a 'Burnin' Love' fridge magnet! There's an unwritten contest for the 'tackiest ever' pressie!
diamondlil
09-26-2008, 10:44 PM
What about we try a holiday card swap for this year and see how it goes, and then we can move forward from there?
We can use this thread to brainstorm a few ideas and go from there.
Divia
09-26-2008, 11:01 PM
Lovin all the ideas!
While it might be too late for Secret Santa say to for the US to Australia that doesnt mean the Australians can't swap gifts and the Americans can swap gifts etc.
I also like the idea about the random gifts. :D
Cool idea about the cards too!
I'm totally in.
Love the idea! However, I do agree about the cost from here to UK! I still send presents back for certain friends and children and postage can cost more than the present! If things can be put into a card then that would be easier!
Divia
09-26-2008, 11:38 PM
We could send postcards from where we live.
diamondlil
09-26-2008, 11:51 PM
I think that overseas postage for Christmas closes in October some time. Maybe one option is that people are given the option of saying whether they want only someone in their own country or that they are happy to post overseas?
I have just had the thought....how can we give out our home address safely but keeping the idea of the randomness?
Could we PM all those willing or has anyone any other ideas?
Divia
09-27-2008, 12:09 AM
We could always have someone that has all the addresses. Ex. I have all the addresses and Pat wants to send something to EC then she can PM me and I'll give her the address without EC knowing. That way it could be kept safe and not posted on the internet.
I just threw my name up there. It could be a mod if people are more secure with that..or someone else we all agree on.
SonjaMarie
09-27-2008, 12:14 AM
On a site I was on a few years ago, the way we did it was we did eventually get the name and address of who we were buying for, so not strictly speaking the exact way Secret Santa is usually run but only because of the neccesity of having to be able to mail gifts.
If I remember correctly we sent our names in to one person who was organizing it if we were interested in participating, and we had to submit a list of things we were interested in. I think the gift cost was limited to $20, though I'm sure if people wanted to spend more they could. Then she randomly chose who bought for who and only then did we get the name and address of the person we were gifting.
The woman I got liked Shelties and I found her a cute mousepad that had Shelties on it. I got a Amazon gift cert because I wanted one of the Pirates movies, I think it was #1 at the time.
I like the idea of having people decide if they want to mail to a foreign country or to keep within their own.
SM
diamondlil
09-27-2008, 12:18 AM
I think the tidiest way would be to have one person to coordinate the addresses etc.
Misfit
09-27-2008, 12:21 AM
Interesting idea, I liked the mention in the earlier thread about trying to out-tacky each other. That's a challenge I might like to take on :D
What about a postcard and souveniers (sp?) from where one lives?
We'd also have to figure out a way to draw straws, so we end up getting blind choices as it were.
diamondlil
09-27-2008, 12:26 AM
That's where having one person coordinate helps. That way there is only one person that knows who got who and for everyone else it is a surprise.
Divia
09-27-2008, 02:20 AM
I throw my name into the ring to coordinate if people feel comfortable with that. If not no offense taken. ;)
Of course someone else will have to have my name or else i wont get to play.
Definitely prefer random, this is the lady who has only remembered her own anniversary three times in over thirty years!
I have a friend who sends me the oddest newspaper articles about animals she can find. I've gotten some good laughs -- like the elephant keepers in the Chiang Mai zoo building a huge toilet and training their charges to sit on it because it saved so much work for them!
Vanessa
09-27-2008, 08:38 AM
I'm quite happy to join in and to send to other countries. If we're sending cards, do we have to put a clue in it as to who it's from so it's a sort of guessing game? Could be fun. Mind you, I suppose the stamps on the envelope might give it away. LOL.
boswellbaxter
09-27-2008, 11:08 AM
Stopping in from my hotel room . . .
It does sound like a fun idea. If we just send little things, I think there's still time to exchange via air mail without it being terribly expensive.
We did something like this in another forum. It started out as a holiday book exchange, with just one book. But people added a bunch of stuff to it so some people just got a book (which is in itself wonderful) while other people got chocolates, jewlery, and all sorts of other things. And there were people who couldn't afford to send more than just a book, so felt badly about it all. So - my suggestion is to either set a minimal and maximum price limit. It won't always be followed, but it will give us some guidelines (esp for those of us who tend to get a little carried away...)
Telynor
09-27-2008, 11:03 PM
Count me in. This sounds like great fun. I'd take either overseas or just in the US, doesn't matter.
This does sound fun! Count me in for whatever! I love the idea of Secret Santa between those in the same country. I have a group of friends that are all spread out over the whole country and we do Secret Santa every year...we mostly all get jewelry, lol! The way we do it is to pick one person to draw names out of the hat and then inform everyone else who's buying for whom. So one person ends up knowing who their SS is but it's still a lot of fun!!
I am happy to help co-ordinate too. If prople are happy not to recieve a book (that can be costly to post) then it does open the gifts to worldwide as jewelry and other smaller items can be sent without breaking the bank. Alternatively, a book supplier in the recipients country could be used to get one that is longed for without the additional postage costs.
Just some ideas....
Divia
09-28-2008, 04:43 AM
It might be good to have two people. Because say if someone wanted to give a tacky gift to the person with all the addresses then they know what they were getting. That way the person could contact the other person with all the addresses.
Plus its always good to have a backup. :)
PS. I love tacky!
I used to have a pen pal here in Aus, we sent things like tea towels and key rings from places where we had been.... I still have a red tea towel with a koala on it...its a bit holey as it is over 15 years old! We also made things, cross stitch and things for eachother.
Wonder how she is? She was poorley and stopped writing, then moved and didnt give me her addy, a paramedic that had an accident at work... sorry, gone off on a tangent!
Tanzanite
09-28-2008, 04:29 PM
I think this sounds like fun! Count me in for whatever it is decided on - I have no preference.
this sounds like a fun thing to do count me in
Carine
09-29-2008, 06:17 AM
Sounds great ! Love all the ideas, count me in and I don't mind posting overseas.
Is everyone happy about Divia and I co-ordinating this?
Carine
09-29-2008, 08:09 AM
Is everyone happy about Divia and I co-ordinating this?
Yes, that's OK with me. No problem.
Vanessa
09-29-2008, 09:55 AM
Fine with me.
Misfit
09-29-2008, 03:02 PM
Works for me. I'm beginning to see a visit to the Old Curiosity Shop at the Seattle Waterfront for touristy stuff in my near future :D:):p
sweetpotatoboy
09-29-2008, 03:12 PM
I like the idea of this in theory. On a music-related forum I'm a member of, we used to send each other packages of CDs and other goodies. But this was done intermittently at whim whenver one of us fancied doing so. However, it did require a degree of familiarity with each other's tastes.
It would certainly be nice if we could duplicate something like that over here, but I would not like it to be anything but spontaneous. I would not like there to be anything regimented or decreed about it. Otherwise, it spoils the surprise element in receiving a package, and destroys the pleasure one gets from sending one. It should be completely up to everyone who they send goodies to, what they send, and how often, if at all.
Granted, for the sake of privacy re addresses, it would be good to have someone who will collect names and addresses of those who are interested in sending and being sent, and take it from there.
I sometimes find myself with a second copy of a book or CD and it would be nice to just find a home for it without having to go the bother of ebaying it. Likewise, I sometimes see a bargain copy of a book I love but already have, so I don't buy it, even for a few pence. Now there might be a reason for doing so...
Hastening by on a tea break to say me too. And to add that on the other list we very often do tacky. Even if not tacky it's never expensive or too weighty. I'm just about to send one out to my Australian medievalist friend. She's getting
(and I hope she's not a secret member of this list and listening in!)
Information flyer for a stately home in Norfolk. Ditto one picked up at Norwich Castle (both free).
A cross-stitched bookmark I picked up for 50p.
A small notebook with jousting knights on it
4 postcards.
A tiny little sparkly chiffon drawstring jewellry bag (no jewelery in it, it was one sent me with a purchase on e-bay, but it's very pretty).
A small bar of English lavender soap
An English policeman keyring,
Finally a pass-on present from one of the other members of the list. A pair of thong panties (still in packaging!) bought in London with the London underground symbol on them and a slogan saying 'Mind the Gap.' I can see the latter doing several more rounds yet! There is a private joke re Archbishop Thomas Becket and the last item too!
boswellbaxter
09-29-2008, 04:51 PM
Is everyone happy about Divia and I co-ordinating this?
Fine with us.
Rowan
09-29-2008, 08:11 PM
I think this is a fun idea, but I would like to inject a thought. I'm a member of a pagan forum and we've done gift exchanges for all of the Sabbats. There, too, we're spread out over the world. When we each signed up to do this, we indicated whether or not we wanted to exchange always with someone in our own country or outside the country. Perhaps something like that could happen here? Those that can afford to send out of the country are given the opportunity and those who can't, can still participate.
diamondlil
09-29-2008, 08:27 PM
Finally a pass-on present from one of the other members of the list. A pair of thong panties (still in packaging!) bought in London with the London underground symbol on them and a slogan saying 'Mind the Gap.' I can see the latter doing several more rounds yet! There is a private joke re Archbishop Thomas Becket and the last item too!
That Mind the Gap statement is very useful in lots of circumstances. At one point in time we bought stickers from the UK to indicate the great canyon that there is between HR and Payroll in our organisation! The HR people didn't necessarily know why all these stickers suddenly appeared but it entertained us no end!
Divia
09-29-2008, 09:12 PM
When we each signed up to do this, we indicated whether or not we wanted to exchange always with someone in our own country or outside the country. Perhaps something like that could happen here? Those that can afford to send out of the country are given the opportunity and those who can't, can still participate.
I think this is a fair request. I'm sure some people are willing to do their country and outside while others only within their country. I dont want to elimante anyone because they don't want to ship overseas.
Should we also put a price limit on things or should we leave that up to each person?
Im fine with you organizing things
>That Mind the Gap statement is very useful in lots of circumstances
Hee, since reading Neverwhere, I will never hear that announcement in quite the same way again.
I do think we need to consider price minimums, maximums, at least if we are going to do it for the holidays. Other times of year, everyone is on their own.
Suggestion: those who participate, put something in their profiles as to hobbies, favorite colors, scents, flavors, occupation, and whether they have an Amazon wish list. That way you can just check the profile to get an idea of what to send.
Divia
09-30-2008, 12:59 AM
Oh, thats a really good idea about the Amazon wishlist! Who doesnt want to recieve a nice little box from amazon :)
SonjaMarie
09-30-2008, 01:00 AM
Gift Certs are even better, you get them in Email no shipping and handling charges to worry about!
SM
Divia
09-30-2008, 01:06 AM
I just PMed Pat and I hope that we'll be able to start this soon since everyone is willing and able. :) I think it will be a blast. Be on the lookout for a thread by one of us in the near future :D
Misfit
09-30-2008, 01:42 AM
I'm thinking it would be perfect if you set me up with Ash and I sent her POTE. Kiddding..... :D:D:D:D:D
SonjaMarie
09-30-2008, 01:48 AM
POTE? Explain please.
SM
boswellbaxter
09-30-2008, 02:42 AM
What about a price limit of about $20 US? I think that would cover the cost of a trade paperback.
diamondlil
09-30-2008, 02:50 AM
Gift Certs are even better, you get them in Email no shipping and handling charges to worry about!
SM
Gift certs don't really work for anyone overseas, because the shipping costs eat up so much of the value.
SonjaMarie
09-30-2008, 02:53 AM
Gift certs don't really work for anyone overseas, because the shipping costs eat up so much of the value.
I was thinking mainly for Americans or UK'ers, if Amazon UK offers Gift Certs.
SM
Divia
09-30-2008, 03:05 AM
What about a price limit of about $20 US? I think that would cover the cost of a trade paperback.
Works for me. :)
This is supposed to be fun tho; gift cards are impersonal to me (and its what my family has been doing the last few years. I miss the sometimes strange sometimes wonderful gifts we gave each other)
POTE is Pillars of the Earth, a book that Misfit and I both hated and both reviewed on Amazon. Little inside joke :)
Just thinking I need to clean out my wish list; I have much in there that is outdated, and my husband has put in some of his things as well.
SonjaMarie
09-30-2008, 03:20 AM
True, but some people may just want a book. I would want to do something more unique, and I would want something more unique.
At the pharmacy on my island they have stuff made on Vashon, it might be fun to buy a couple of those and send to someone.
SM
diamondlil
09-30-2008, 11:31 AM
I've moved the announcement thread about this to here (http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=541)
Misfit
09-30-2008, 01:32 PM
POTE? Explain please.
SM
Pillars of the Earth. A little joke between Ash and myself - we are the #1 and #2 one most helpful one star reviews on the item. :o:p
SonjaMarie
09-30-2008, 05:00 PM
Ah ok, thanks!
SM
Divia
10-21-2008, 12:23 AM
Anyone else want to get on the ship before it sets sail ??? Say so now or forever hold your peace. ;)
Amanda
12-30-2008, 11:38 AM
My goodie swap arrived today!
I got a groovy book called Sleeveface, with photos of people using album covers as their faces. There are some classic album covers used, and some great poses. My husband is a big music nut, and he has been flicking through it too.
Thanks sweetpotatoboy! I figured out that it was you...mind you, it did take me a few hours of puzzling it out! And then I had to check with Pat to make sure I was right!
Misfit
12-30-2008, 01:15 PM
Nope I'm still waiting for mine. I believe there was a delay in shipping as I was home bound - hopefully it's not lost in the snow :o
sweetpotatoboy
12-30-2008, 02:41 PM
My goodie swap arrived today!
I got a groovy book called Sleeveface, with photos of people using album covers as their faces. There are some classic album covers used, and some great poses. My husband is a big music nut, and he has been flicking through it too.
Thanks sweetpotatoboy! I figured out that it was you...mind you, it did take me a few hours of puzzling it out! And then I had to check with Pat to make sure I was right!
You're very welcome!! And full marks for your detective work. I had read about that book in a magazine article and it looked like something fun and unusual. Glad you and hubby have enjoyed it.
Nope I'm still waiting for mine. I believe there was a delay in shipping as I was home bound - hopefully it's not lost in the snow :o
Wont be long now!!
Misfit
01-20-2009, 11:56 PM
Wont be long now!!
I am here to say that my package has arrived today. I am certain that with all the snow and floods we've had here in Washington it must have been seriously delayed in the mail :):o:p
Rowan sent me a lovely pin (is that the Saints' logo? I have a sweater with the same design on it although in gold), a beads of wisdom bracelet with two book marks (sorely needed, Misfit the kitty cat does serious book mark damage :(:o), and a historical romance called Lace Curtain that is billed as "A romantic, tempestuous sage of an Irish family in antebellum New Orleans. Woohoo, Rowan says the author's a well respected local historian. I don't think I've read much set in that city outside of maybe a Kathleen Woodiwiss novel or two, and I always like delving into an unknown out of print paperback. It's like a mystery package.
Thanks very much Rowan, especially for the book marks that come with the ribbons. You have no idea what fun my little darling can have with those.
SonjaMarie
01-21-2009, 12:10 AM
Dang Misfit, that took forever didn't it!
SM
Rowan
01-21-2009, 02:47 AM
I am here to say that my package has arrived today. I am certain that with all the snow and floods we've had here in Washington it must have been seriously delayed in the mail :):o:p
Rowan sent me a lovely pin (is that the Saints' logo? I have a sweater with the same design on it although in gold), a beads of wisdom bracelet with two book marks (sorely needed, Misfit the kitty cat does serious book mark damage :(:o), and a historical romance called Lace Curtain that is billed as "A romantic, tempestuous sage of an Irish family in antebellum New Orleans. Woohoo, Rowan says the author's a well respected local historian. I don't think I've read much set in that city outside of maybe a Kathleen Woodiwiss novel or two, and I always like delving into an unknown out of print paperback. It's like a mystery package.
Thanks very much Rowan, especially for the book marks that come with the ribbons. You have no idea what fun my little darling can have with those.
Well ya know, when you send a local postman to a foreign part of the country, he's bound to get lost or frozen stiff. :D The pin is the fleur de lis which is actually the general symbol of the city and has been used as the symbol of many of the royalty of France. :)
Misfit
01-21-2009, 02:24 PM
Well ya know, when you send a local postman to a foreign part of the country, he's bound to get lost or frozen stiff. :D The pin is the fleur de lis which is actually the general symbol of the city and has been used as the symbol of many of the royalty of France. :)
Perfect! I'd rather have a fleur de lis than the symbol of a football team :rolleyes:;)
Rowan
01-21-2009, 06:51 PM
Perfect! I'd rather have a fleur de lis than the symbol of a football team :rolleyes:;)
Wellllll... it's actually everywhere. LOL It's the symbol for the Saints. The Hornets' team logo is the hornet in the shape of the fleur de lis. It's on the City Flag. It's just everywhere. LOL
Misfit
01-21-2009, 07:07 PM
Wellllll... it's actually everywhere. LOL It's the symbol for the Saints. The Hornets' team logo is the hornet in the shape of the fleur de lis. It's on the City Flag. It's just everywhere. LOL
Oh I believe that. I've got a co-worker who was born there and that's the first thing that came out of his mouth when he saw my FDL sweater that I was wearing a Saint's outfit.
Love the new avatar BTW :)
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