Useful gift exchange ideas

[lilcruzr]

We will be having a gift exchange during our M&G in October. Does anyone have any good ideas for useful gifts that represent the state you are from?

[Mary Ellen]

Can you think of anything you'd want that would be worth hauling home?? Maybe then someone else would too. :rolleyes:

[sail7seas]

I didn't attend a M&G because of gift exchange. I didn't want to lug a bunch of useless things to the ship and then have things to bring home.

 

Not to sound so negative, but really...... do most people really want to do that? :confused:

 

Truthfully, it kept me from signing into a roll call.

 

[cb at sea]

I have to agree...not into "gift exchanges"...I'm not real innovative when it comes to buying things for folks I don't know...and I generally need and want nothing as a gift....

We didn't do an exchange....it was lovely!

[paul929207]

For our Meet & Greet, the gift exchange is optional. Most have signed up for it. Some are doing a gift for the cabin and others are doing one for each person. Ours is an Australian cruise, but we are from South Carolina. My wife has bought a box of grits to be her present. I declined to participate.

[aohkay]

I can't think of anything useful that I would want from any other state or province.

 

But, if you have to exchange, how about a food/ wine/ chocolates product, baseball hat of local sports team, inexpensive book of photos of your state.

[sparky-elpaso]

One thing I can think of that would be useful and not take up much room would be a calendar with pictures of your state, area, etc.

[montekat]

I received a wonderful tote bag on one cruise that the person had embroidered with "Cruisin" and it also had a wrap around koozie that had "cruising" on it. I love it! I also have a foam koozie from Kentucky that came with lottery tickets (didn't win anything, darn it!).

[Essiesmom]

I think it depends on the intensity of bonding with the roll call members. I am not into most of the activities they plan - I love a cabin crawl, but no slot pull, pub crawl, gift exchange. I have participated in the exchange before...Here in Savannah we have a gourmet food store/factory called the Byrd Cookie Company. Love to go into their showroom and walk around sampling the cookies...They sell very small packages of the cookies, and if I participate, I boy a package of two of their signature cookies : Scottish Oatmeal, and Key Lime. Those from a coastal community might bring saltwater taffy. EM

[navybankerteacher]

Coming from Guilford, on Long Island Sound, where we have an active lobster fishery, I would be inclined to bring a 1 1/2 to 2 pound lobster.

 

Of course, I might have difficulty understanding a large slab of cheese from someone from Wisconsin - but then we would both be in a location where there would be a large ocean in which to deposit things.

 

Seriously: exchanging ideas is great -- but local produce? Come on!

[irishred]

Coming from Guilford, on Long Island Sound, where we have an active lobster fishery, I would be inclined to bring a 1 1/2 to 2 pound lobster.

 

Of course, I might have difficulty understanding a large slab of cheese from someone from Wisconsin - but then we would both be in a location where there would be a large ocean in which to deposit things.

 

Seriously: exchanging ideas is great -- but local produce? Come on!

 

LOL. We're from Wisconsin, and when I brought up the "hometown gift exhange" to my mom, she said "what, are we going to bring a wheel of cheese?" (quite jokingly, of course).

[BlueRiband]

Gift exchanges would keep me away from a M&G. Call me a party pooper but ths is something that I really don't want to do. There are enough details to think about before boarding without added shopping for trinkets to the list.

[sail7seas]

I received a wonderful tote bag on one cruise that the person had embroidered with "Cruisin" and it also had a wrap around koozie that had "cruising" on it. I love it! I also have a foam koozie from Kentucky that came with lottery tickets (didn't win anything, darn it!).

 

 

If you are not from Kentucky but the ticket was a winner, how would you have redemmed it? :confused: Can it be done by mail? Seems risky that whoever opened the envelope didn't keep it as their own. :D

 

It's hard to bring food items. So many food allergies, diabetics don't want candy or cookies, some people don't drink so no wine.....

[wrp96]

I've done small cookbooks of local/regional recipes, a small matted print of local landmarks, etc. When I do participate, I try and stick with small, lightweight items that don't take up too much room in a suitcase.

 

Food goods can be nice, but only if you know that the recipients will welcome them. As mentioned above, you never know if someone has a food allergy, is diabetic, doesn't like seafood, etc.

 

As to the lottery tickets, yes lottery tickets (at least from most states) can be redeemed by mail. My mother always buys lottery tickets when she goes out of state just for fun. She was able to get her $10 from Texas by mail.:p

[kent05]

We've received American football T-shirts. I'm considering an aboriginal dot-painted dish for our next cruise. I saw a Scottish bear with a small bottle of whisky, and an Inuit statue from a Canadian person. Try and make it unique to your area.

Cheers Anne

[SadieN]

You guys that can bring cheese/lobster/cookies etc from your hometown consider yourselves lucky.

My hometown's claim to fame is Spahn Ranch and the adult movie industry.:eek: Easier not to bring anything. :p

Sis will bring postcards that have ridden in that year's Rose Parade float.

[78232]

I'd enjoy a local cookbook, local food items like maple syrup, jalapeno jelly etc, or placemats with local pictures on them.

Marcia

[LHT28]

For our Meet & Greet, the gift exchange is optional. Most have signed up for it. Some are doing a gift for the cabin and others are doing one for each person. Ours is an Australian cruise, but we are from South Carolina. My wife has bought a box of grits to be her present. I declined to participate.

Hope you are not flying to Australia with grits??

They may not allow them into the country

[LHT28]

I would decline also

I have enough STUFF I am trying to get rid of

 

We just have a plain old M & G ..suits me fine

[Waihekean]

Think it would be nice to give/receive a souvenir at a M & G.

As long as it was small, it would be a lovely memento.

It is the thought that counts!:p

[Sharon I]

We swapped gifts on just one of our cruises and I enjoyed it. We did fridge magnets from the state you came from. I got Nova Scotia and still have it on my fridge. Of course I enjoy refrigerator magnets. To each their own.

If the group I joined came up with an idea I would certainly participate.

Sharon I

Edited September 1, 2011 by Sharon I

[spookwife]

I'm with Sharon: magnets

 

small, light, THIN

 

in fact should i ever be in a position to participate I think the coordinators would do well to stipulate it needs to be something along those lines..easily portable and won't break the weight limit on airlines.

[lilcruzr]

Thank you everyone for the positive and useful ideas! I will post them on our roll call. I will be the one organizing the gift exchange. We did this on another cruise and it was quite entertaining. I "stole" an insulated lunchbox from Texas. I still use it. I did read opinions on another thread about gifts that were thrown away or not useful. Thanks again everyone for the great ideas!

[sail7seas]

Thank you everyone for the positive and useful ideas! I will post them on our roll call. I will be the one organizing the gift exchange. We did this on another cruise and it was quite entertaining. I "stole" an insulated lunchbox from Texas. I still use it. I did read opinions on another thread about gifts that were thrown away or not useful. Thanks again everyone for the great ideas!

 

 

:confused: What do you mean you 'stole' a lunchbox from Texas? You took someone else's swapped item? :eek:

[artypharty]

Living near the house of Mickey Mouse, I gave a Mickey pen and a Mickey and Minney Post it note pad for a gift. Useful in the cabin and at home, and teeny tiny to pack. I'd have loved a similar gift....got a mouse pad with some bridge (not even an interesting bridge) on it...:( ....I think I left it in the cabin...by mistake of course :D