I don't know who drives these things. I would much prefer to exchange charitable donations, or even say that we'll save presents for the kids and close family members.
My family does this awful yankee swap. Normally they are fun, especially if the limit is low (like < 25$) and the idea is to have a funny gift. Instead, we have a limit of 50$. Of course, that's a lot of money but you have to find something that will have a broad appeal rather than a limited appeal, so you can get something that someone REALLY wants. Usually it ends up being an exchange of gift certificates, lottery tickets, and 50$ of chocolate. It feels like a huge waste of $$$ to me.
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My family does this awful yankee swap. Normally they are fun, especially if the limit is low (like < 25$) and the idea is to have a funny gift. Instead, we have a limit of 50$. Of course, that's a lot of money but you have to find something that will have a broad appeal rather than a limited appeal, so you can get something that someone REALLY wants. Usually it ends up being an exchange of gift certificates, lottery tickets, and 50$ of chocolate. It feels like a huge waste of $$$ to me.