So yesterday we went down to Philly for some Chanukah festivities. Our first stop was at my Aunt’s where basically my mother’s family and some extras got together for a deli tray. (Do me a favor – don’t ask about the deli tray – if you don’t know, you don’t want to know.) In the olden days, we’d all get together at my grandmother’s for Chanukah and a deli tray, but Grandmom’s not into entertaining anymore and my aunt seems to be all into the family thing these days. One of the things she requested when she sent out the printed invitations was that all the adults bring a $5-10 gift for a pollyanna type exchange. Normally, I DO not like to participate in these things. First off, I can’t stay within a budget (as any of my secret pals might attest to) and also, what the hell can you buy for $5-10? Apparently a lot.
After eating and the kids opening their presents (I mean, c’mon, how much happier could my grandmother have been when my nephew jumped up and said “How did you know? It’s JUST what I wanted!!! My sister was pretty stoked too since she bought the gift for my grandmother. Good deeds all around. Warms my heart!) it was time for the adult gift exchange. Have you ever done this? Everyone gets a number and you go in backwards order – person #10, for instance, picks a gift. Then person #9 can either pick a new gift, or any other gift. So if you’re #1 you basically can choose from anything. These things can get kind of raucous. Especially when a NON-relative takes away your 85 yr old grandmother’s jet propulsion foot massager and said grandmother winds up with a flask. Fun, fun, fun! Anyway, to make a long story even longer, G’s gift ended up being one of those 20Q toys. Have you seen these?
You think of something, and then the artificial intelligence machine asks you 20+ questions until it guesses what you’re thinking of – the thing is freaking freaky! It pretty much always gets it right from Aardvark to Tampon. I shit you not. My sister was the one who contributed the gift and we had many hours of fun before the exchange. Anyway, so G is in line at Dalessandro’s Steaks (because one of our agreements when he comes to Philly is that he gets to try yet ANOTHER cheesesteak place. He fancies himself a connoisseur. If I’ve told him once I’ve told him a million times: no matter if he married a Philly girl, no born in Boston raised in Chicago and Jersey City boy is EVER going to be a cheesesteak connoisseur!) and he’s completely engrossed in his 20Q game when some guy, with his kid standing next to him, starts tapping G on the shoulder. He looks up and the guy pulls his own 20Q game out of his pocket and proceeds to say: “Last night I thought of the most vile disgusting things and it got them all right!”
If that’s not an endorsement for a toy, I don’t know what is.
Okey dokey. Because it NEVER gets old, The Hard Rock Jaywalker:
Socks That Rock – Hard Rock Colorway. ‘Nuff said.
And in the it’s getting REALLY old it’s multiplying category:
Yup! That’s right folks! We’ve ADDED gifts to the pile that can’t be opened until my birthday. I’ve blogged about this before, but my Dad gives us all a birthday book – a special book from him – since we were born. So when I saw him yesterday he gave me my book(s). With explicit instructions NOT to open them until Jan 1. He does this every year actually, so it’s a no brainer. And usually it’s the only present I open in the morning (G gives me his presents at midnight) so I don’t mind waiting. Now I’ll have a BONANZA! Yippee!
Off for a much needed haircut and lunch with my honey today! Have a great one!
That sounds like a really fun Hanukkah! I’ve never done a gift exchange like that, sounds like it could get physical at the end.
And your socks seem to be multiplying very quickly. Are you actually knitting these things, or do you just put them into a drawer and let them reproduce on their own? 🙂
Feather. Our 20q guessed that I was thinking of a feather. I mean really. Aren’t you impressed? I was!
🙂 We have had more fun with that silly game. We play it like a party game.
You think of something and I’ll ask the questions kind of things. We, as humans, have no idea what they have thought of, but a small machine guesses. I blame aliens.
🙂
Happy Channukah. I hate those kind of gift giving things. I won’t take any away and I get stuck with anisette alcohol that I wouldn’t drink in a million, scazillion years.
🙂
My boys got those for Christmas – they are kind of freaky.
We did one of those gift exchanges as well – our first year. Turns out the most coveted gifts are the alcohol. We came home with Kahlua & Vodka. Guess we know better for next year!
I’ve seen those 20q things too – very freaky indeed. Its quite a fun diversion to try to stump it. Haven’t yet!
Your traditions sound really cool. It’s hard not to ask about the deli tray. It’s 10 am and I’m thinking uuuummmmm deli. Sad, really. Please don’t tell me pepperoncini’s were involved. It will put me over the edge.
I still love seeing the Jaywalkers. Fabu!
Jaywalkers rock as do 20Q.
I actually really enjoy those kinds of exchanges, especially if you’ve got a good group of people to participate!
It sounds like you had a fun Chanukah. 🙂
Oh – Mike thinks he’s a cheesesteak connoisseur, too, and he’s a New Hampshire boy. 😉
Being a Pennsylvania girl myself, I’d never heard of those “Yankee swaps” before a few years ago (never did them in PA) and I have to tell you, I think it is a demented idea. My friend from New Jersey and I were shocked, SHOCKED when we were at a party where they did one. I still think they are kind of rude and obnoxious.
I LOVE that hard rock colorway, i loe reds and pinks with black. Of course, they look fab as always.
My dad’s 20Q guessed Emu. Emu! Freaked me out.
As the card I got for my bro said, Chappy Chanukkah!
What until I tell Smith he can’t be a cheesesteak connoisseur…poor Utah boy. You really got into the spirit of the season and had loads of fun. People become attached to a gift in such a short time. That’s what makes it fun for some and hard for others. The JW’s are fabulous….just fabu.
I grew up with “Yankee swaps”, sometimes several in a season. I hate them with a passion and now that I’m an adult I’ve vowed never to do another.
We love Yankee Swaps — that’s the name for your gift exchange. But it sounds pretty much like nobody stayed within the ridiculous budget, which is good. Indeed what CAN you buy with 5-10 bucks? I need to see those 20Q toys! I have never seen one. How much are they? Maybe for our New Year’s party?
Just wanted to say that I really love all of your Jaywalker socks, but this colorway might be my favorite of all! Happy Chanukah, my dear. 🙂
Dalessandro’s is my favorite cheese steak place.
And who doesn’t know what a deli tray is?
wow, this post gave me a real boost just when i needed it this afternoon! thanks for sharing it. got to get one of those 20q thingummies. very glad that you had a good time.
hey, I looked at youre chanukkah pictures and thats how I light mine as well but my friend said its right to left to burn, places in right to left (confusing right??) but I did mine like yours lol!
Have you gotten you’re wheel yet? I am calling them right now to get my shipping info, they never sent it to me! 🙂
They had one of those 20-question-like things on the internet as a tie-in for the third/sixth Star Wars movie. I fooled it using planketon (I think). Planketon was always my favorite for 20 Questions.
I haven’t said anything, but I’m _really_ impressed by how many lovely socks you’ve made recently.
Your Hard Rock Jaywalkers are lovely!!
I’ve not heard of a “Yankee gift exchange” before, but we do something similar around here (Minnesota) called a “white elephant gift exchange.” You can’t spend money on the present – it needs to be something lying around your house (I included a horrifically overfelted and twisted clog) and when you steal from someone else, you’re basically doing damage control and trying to get the least bad gift.
lmao…my sister and i each got one of those (20q) this year…all you could hear for about 30 minutes was laughter and “damn…i don’t believe it figured out _______”…it figured out DRAGON ffs lol
i did manage to stump it with spleen (though it was very close with heart and blood) and paramecium (it came up with amoeba though!)…sister beat it with potato peeler ;o)
yet another beatimous pair of jaywalkers…now that 99.5% of my christmas knitting is finished i can start on mine wheeeee!
Your socks look great! And I admire your restraint with your birthday gifts — don’t know that I could wait! I see my niece tomorrow whose birthday is also January One, and I know I can’t wait for her to open MY gift!
We bought a 20Q as a gift for a kid in the extended family. Everyone in the house played with it before it was wrapped. Everyone in the house where it was unwrapped played with it too.
Love the jaywalkers!
Young Man has now received three of these and I have regifted one. Even funnier, the person to whom we regifted the birthday 20Q sent us a 20Q (they crossed in the mail). I imagine that they had as many laughs on the 25th as we did when they opened it! The things are amazing! Totally cool toys for cheap.
We play the swap game…but around here (Oklahoma) we call it Dirty Santa. My 3-year old cousin kept going around saying that those were the yucky dirty presents!
Oh yeah, that’s the colorway that I really liked, isn’t it? Love it! So cute and stripey! I’ve put them in the gallery (let me know if you object).
No matter what other cheesesteaks I try, we always go back to Pat’s.
Being a weird, veggie-liking person, my favorite is the chicken cheesesteak with lots of veggies that I get at a truck by HUP.
Happy Chanukah!
We gave a 20Q to my father-in-law. That thing is downright eerie. It got carburator, plutonium, leprosy, brussels sprouts, and boogers. I finally beat it with oscilliscope. It guessed photocopier.
I stumped the 20Q with knitting needle :o) I haven’t tried it again. Must go get it. My dd just threw it down the stairs cuz it keeps guessing her object!