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Yankee Push: a Yankee Swap alternative
Dec. 16th, 2007 11:50 amLast year some friends and I were talking about a gift swap that would be kind of like the Yankee Swap, but different. We asked ourselves whether a workable swap could be arranged around giving rather than around taking, and hopefully could avoid some other annoying features of the Yankee Swap. This is what we came up with this year; I typed out the rules, we tried it last night and it worked. Try it and spread the word!
YANKEE PUSH
People pick numbers. Like the Yankee Swap, people take turns opening presents according to their number, with #1 going first. Each person's turn kicks off a round of possible gift-passing.
#1 opens a gift from under the tree. Person may keep it (which ends the round) or give it to someone else (which also ends the round).
#n opens a gift from under the tree. Person may keep it or give it to someone else. If a person who is given a gift already has a gift, the person must accept the new gift and give away their old gift. A round ends naturally when someone who did not have a present at the beginning of the round receives one. A gift may not change hands twice in one round.
Q: Are giftbacks allowed, like if I give you a present and then you give me the one you already had?
A: Only if you just opened one from the tree. In that case, you give me the gift, I give you my old gift and that ends the round. Otherwise, a giftback would cause a gift to change hands twice, so it can't happen.
Q: What if person #n already has a present when it's their turn to open one?
A: Person #n still opens a gift from under the tree. He or she then momentarily has two gifts, and must give one gift away, but gets to choose which.
Advantages of the push: focus is on giving and generosity, not on taking. Everyone is "in the game" from the first round. Everyone gets to open a present from the tree, without any risk of getting stuck with something. Also, nobody is necessarily "out of the game" at any time just because they got a less desirable gift -- in fact, we might get the opposite effect. Still, some friendly malice can be expressed through gag gifting.
Disadvantage: people might be more likely to end up with the gift they put in, assuming they put in something they would like.
YANKEE PUSH
People pick numbers. Like the Yankee Swap, people take turns opening presents according to their number, with #1 going first. Each person's turn kicks off a round of possible gift-passing.
#1 opens a gift from under the tree. Person may keep it (which ends the round) or give it to someone else (which also ends the round).
#n opens a gift from under the tree. Person may keep it or give it to someone else. If a person who is given a gift already has a gift, the person must accept the new gift and give away their old gift. A round ends naturally when someone who did not have a present at the beginning of the round receives one. A gift may not change hands twice in one round.
Q: Are giftbacks allowed, like if I give you a present and then you give me the one you already had?
A: Only if you just opened one from the tree. In that case, you give me the gift, I give you my old gift and that ends the round. Otherwise, a giftback would cause a gift to change hands twice, so it can't happen.
Q: What if person #n already has a present when it's their turn to open one?
A: Person #n still opens a gift from under the tree. He or she then momentarily has two gifts, and must give one gift away, but gets to choose which.
Advantages of the push: focus is on giving and generosity, not on taking. Everyone is "in the game" from the first round. Everyone gets to open a present from the tree, without any risk of getting stuck with something. Also, nobody is necessarily "out of the game" at any time just because they got a less desirable gift -- in fact, we might get the opposite effect. Still, some friendly malice can be expressed through gag gifting.
Disadvantage: people might be more likely to end up with the gift they put in, assuming they put in something they would like.
