Gift Exchange

Hello, K..
Every one's response is great. I would do the gift card thing, also. I would do one for Best Buy, Sears, Home Depot, etc.. All the "Guy" stores. That would be the best way to go. And if you want to disguise it so they don't know it's a card, put it in a gift bag, or something. This way it may look like it's worth something. I would not stress. My husband did not know what to get for the company party, and we did a gift set with wine and glasses. The person that got it, was happy about it. I would not stress, like I said.

Hello,
If you are doing the christmas exchange where the first person picks the gift and then the next person gets to either take that persons gift or pick one from the pile that is totally fun... That said & and I dont mean to upset anyones sensibilities here, but the gifts that seem to get "stolen" the most seem to be liquor or wine or even a nice basket/bucket of local micro brewed beer.
:) Have Fun!

I made a gift set with a pound of good coffee and some coffee mugs and it went over really well.

Go to Thinkgeek.com
They have hilarious gifts and can ship fast.

Buy a nice pair of gloves!

A gift card for a local movie theater might be a good idea. Around Christmas, some theaters have packages that you can buy that include tickets and popcorn. My husband has recieved them a few times and we always love it when he does.

MY HUSBAND HAD A C GIFT EXCHANGE AT HIS WORK. AND BROUGHTHOME A REALLY NICE GIFT. IT IS A BOTTLE OF WINE AND 2 GLASSES, BATH SLATS AND BUBBLE BATH AND CANDLES. I THOUGHT IT WAS ANICE GIFT CAUSE ITS ONE WE CAN BOTH SHARE.
go to marshalls or rtoss stores. they have some really good and cheat ( in the 20 range) gift baskets with food or tools and stuff like that. i always buy my staff ( im manager of the ER) gifts at christmas and with 12 of them i can only afford about 10 dollars each so i go there and find all kinds of neat stuff like cups with cocoa mix. coffee mixes, cologne and bath sets and golf and tool stuff for the guys.

The gift is for a guy?
$20 gift card for:
Best Buy (or any electronics store)
Blockbuster (throw in a box of popcorn & a 2 liter of soda to gussy it up)
A near by Steakhouse (you could trow in some jerky for kicks)
Bass Pro Shop/Sport Chalet

or

A classic war movie/documentary (w/ gift receipt)
A subscription to an electronics/gadget magazine
$20's worth of liquid air (don't electritians use a ton of that?)
A set of pint glasses/shot glasses

What about $20 worth of lottery tickets - the scratch kind? A gift card, a round of golf somewhere (you can get good deals at courses with coupons, etc), a half hour massage, movie tickets, tool set, there are even gifts for men with AVON that are really affordable: www.youravon.com/ckinstle

Happy Holidays!

I would look at Home Depot. They have a selection of things in the front of the store. We were able to get a few things for our gift exchange there.

Kathleen has an awesome idea. I would like to add some other suggestions as well...
Car Emergency Kits
Armorall Gift Set (I saw this at Target. It has everything you need to detail your vehicle)
Motorcycle Cover
Utility Knife
Lunch Cooler
Remote Control Car (saw some nascar ones at Kohl's and they're for kids, but hey...guys are big kids too and they love remote control cars) I got one for my Dad. :-)
Belt Organizer Wheel (you can hang belts on this, mount it on your wall in the closet, and it turns/rotates)saw this also at Kohl's.
Watch

Hope these ideas help you. :-) Have fun!

A box or 2 or Sees candy.

I think "set" gifts are great, his n her lotion sets, that kind of thing. Candles (as in a semi gag gift, being an electrican), grab a basket at the dollar store and fill it with a "theme", movie theme, bath theme, picture frames etc. Hot chocolate with mugs is a great standby, as is the movie with popcorn.
Last year some friends gave us a christmas book with little christmas ornaments, candles, holly, candy canes etc.
Hope this helps :)

I think that a gift card from Best Buy, Target, Starbucks or a book store is great. Another think you can do is go somewhere like Starbucks, and purchase a mug and put a $10 gift card inside w/ Starbucks mints or something...you should be able to keep it at your limit! Good luck!

K.,
Try a gift basket with a movie night out theme. Blockbuster card, popcorn, candy and everything you need for a quiet night at home. Maybe even a pizza coupon so no one needs to cook. Or a basket of chocolate goodies or specialty jams and jellies. Good Luck!
C. B

Hi K.,

I would relay on the old standby gift card from Home Depot or Lowe's. It might not be that personal but they can always get what they want! And to be honest most people would rather a gift card, it saves the hassel of exchanging unwanted items.

K.,

Movie theater gift certificates! A really good, cheap, all purpose gift that pretty much everyone enjoys!

:-)T.

K....

I am sure you have a ton of suggestions aleady, and I'll probably be copying some of them! We just attended my husband's party and we had the same situation. A gift card goes a long ways when you don't know the person. Since they are electricians, you can try a "manly man" store like Home Depot, Lowes, or you can go with a gift card from Starbucks. My hubby just got one from this party and even if you don't drink coffee, there are others things that can be purchased..

Good Luck!

L.

Why not try the new Black and Decker auto adjust wrench? It might come in handy for someone at home or on the job. You could also look at maybe a few picture frames or a photo box. If most of his coworkers are married, it might be a nice way for them to get more picture of family and friends displayed. I also saw on QVC a photo ornament, it can hold up to 70 photos and displays them all.
Hope these ideas may help you! Happy Holidays!
CJ -Las Vegas, NV

Hi K.,

My daughter just came from a gift exchange party. Some of the gifts were well received. A Starbucks gift card in a Starbucks mug, A month subscription to Netflix. A Movie git certificate at the local theater...Cheesecake factory gift card, a Home Depot gift card. etc. Hope this helps!
Have a wonderful time, and Merry Christmas!
C.

Buy 20 dollars worth of lottery tickets, arrange them in a fun way like a collage or something and then put a bow on them! Its a fun gift and everyone will be wanting it! :)

I went to a gift exchange when I was in college and everyone brought a $20 gift, and then they played a game to see who got what. It was hard to find a gift as everyone was so different. The most popular gifts, though, were the "gift sets"

One person did an ice cream gift set and had picked up cute bowls for ice cream and the scooper as well as every topping you could think of

Someone else did a movie set where they got a $10 movie along with microwave popcorn and a 6 packer

Someone even did a waffle set where they gave a waffle iron as well as the mix, syrup, butter, etc.

I don't know the guys your husband works with, but these kits are really cute and fun! Good luck! I never know "generic" gifts to give either!

P.S. Incase you were wondering, my gift was NOT very popular! lol
:)

A gift card is always a great idea, but spruce it up a bit. put it in a small basket filled with candy,mints,or something involving the place where the gift card came from. Example: A gift card from Texas Roadhouse; famous for peanuts at the table. Fill the basket with peanuts and stick the gift card on top. Texas Roadhouse will even give you peanut bags.