35,786 bytes to say 48 bytes of sentence, 22 bytes of attribution, and (hand-wave) maybe a whole 128 bytes of context.
That ranted, I agree wholly with the sentiment, and I ostensibly am a yankee. It's a vile tradition, and I don't know anyone who actively enjoys it. Those who prolong it claim that "it's traditional", but so is child abuse.
The one we just had here at work was actually fun. The variant we used that I liked more than any I'd seen before was you had to swap BEFORE opening... Pick an unknown or take a known and give an unknown. It worked well.
And I found out who all the board-game geeks in my company are. :)
I think it really depends on the group culture of the folk having the swap. I like the ones we have at my workplace. We use the variant where each round, if you get your object hijacked by someone swapping with you, you then get to hijack from anyone else who hasnt been involved in a swap that round. this continues until someone says "i'll keep this" or you run out of people. A clear hierarchy of objects develops, and it's neat to watch them dribble down.
Of course, the type of things people are willing to enter into the swap can make all the difference between a boring event and a fun one. Two years ago i ended up with a gift set which contained a scented candle, a blindfold, and a USB powered vibrator. [yes, this was the *office* yankee swap.]
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Date: 2006-12-20 06:51 pm (UTC)That ranted, I agree wholly with the sentiment, and I ostensibly am a yankee. It's a vile tradition, and I don't know anyone who actively enjoys it. Those who prolong it claim that "it's traditional", but so is child abuse.
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Date: 2006-12-20 07:26 pm (UTC)And I found out who all the board-game geeks in my company are. :)
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Date: 2006-12-20 09:22 pm (UTC)Of course, the type of things people are willing to enter into the swap can make all the difference between a boring event and a fun one. Two years ago i ended up with a gift set which contained a scented candle, a blindfold, and a USB powered vibrator. [yes, this was the *office* yankee swap.]
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Date: 2006-12-21 06:06 pm (UTC)