2006 Chud Holiday Gift Exchange

I searched but couldn't find any posts about this. I don't want to step on any toes if someone else wanted to organize this, but I'll be happy to take the reins if no one else is so inclined.

It was fun last year, and I'm looking forward to this year's swag exchange.

Okay, here's how it works (thanks to Matt Goldberg, whose words I stole verbatim from last year's thread, except for changing the date):

"For those that have never done this before, it's like any holiday gift exchange. People are randomly paired up with each person giving to someone and receiving a gift from someone else. So if Bill Dings, Dick Scrubs, and Face Repair all decide the want in, I'll put their names into a hat and will come up with an order like so:

Bill Dings gives to Dick Scrubs
Dick Scrubs gives to Face Repair
Face Repair gives to Bill Dings

If you want in, just post your name and your city, state like so:

Kerry Martin
Madison, WI

This thread will stop accepting submissions on November 24th at Noon and I will post the pairings soon thereafter. I've kept the window short not because I want to stop people from participating, but because I want to get the pairings out as soon as possible so people have time to get addresses, potential gifts, etc. You will then have a month to get your gift to whoever, so there's time to find something and mail it out.

This is supposed to be fun so I will say that even if you don't receive a gift, remember that this really should be more about the giving than receiving and that's in the spirit of the season."

And as for price limits, I think last year's policy was good (Thanks, Matt, for doing all my work).

"As for price limits, I think a $10 minimum and then people can be a generous as they want. Folks know it's not a competition and I can't control what every single person on these boards believes is appropriate in accordance to their budget. Like I said before, it's not about the gift, it's about the giving and I think it would be hypocritical of me to then to try and say "all gifts must be in this price range". No one with half a heart is going to be embittered for giving a $40 gift and only recieving a $10 one and no one should feel guilty about giving a $10 gift and recieving a $40 one. I know it sounds corny as hell but it really is the thought that counts."

So sign up!!

Great! To sign up just post your name and your city, state like so:

Kerry Martin
Madison, WI

That will help me organizing all the names.

(I got you, Mr. Singer, but everyone else please follow the Gift Exchange protocol. It has been ratified in 11 out of the 13 states)

You don't have to post your real name if you don't want to. I didn't ask for it. My example was my username (which also happens to be my real name). As for location, I only ask that because I will try to keep people on the same continent together to cut down on shipping costs (although I realize that will probably be impossible). Plus, I just find it interesting to see where everyone's from.

Regarding timing. I agree with hating the pre-American Thanksgiving Christmas orgy. I would rather not see anything to do with Christmas before the first of December. But many people do their shopping the weekend after Turkey day, and I wanted to have the list out by that Saturday. Plus, with some having to ship overseas, we need to be ahead of the game.

So, you in?

I'll see if we have a healthy list by then. Again, I want to give people time to shop, and people have all this weekend to see this. Pretty soon, this will be off the front page anyway, so the only people left to sign up will be those who are looking for it. This is the third year it's been announced the the week before T-giving, so this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

Then why bother to write anything, since your username is already at the top of your post, you might ask.

The answer is that it is a lot easier for me to select and copy from within the body of the post than it is to select and copy your hyperlinked name at the top of the post. My master's thesis is due November 26, and the last thing I will want to be doing is retyping a hundred names when I could just copy and paste.

So, please when signing up, follow this format:

Name
Location

Don't just type, "I'm in."

Hmmmmm.......

And I'm making the pairings......very interesting.