First you have to tell what a Yankee Swap is.

In Yankee Swap, each participant brings a wrapped, unmarked gift and places it in a designated area. Guests are given numbers as they arrive, or their names are randomly drawn, and they select and unwrap gifts from the pile in that order — with a twist.

The person who receives the number 1 will pick a gift (that is not their own) from the pile and open it for all to see (or models it, reads it, or demos it). During the selection of a wrapped gift, the participant may visually inspect the gifts, pick them up and/or gently shake them.

The person who receives number 2 then chooses a gift and opens it, and then must decide whether to keep it or swap it for the first player’s gift. Each person in order then gets to select a present, open it and decide whether to keep it or swap it for any other gift someone has already opened.

Opening of gifts and swapping takes place until all the presents have been chosen. Finally, the person who picked first gets to choose from all the gifts or keep what he/she has already received. In the end, the gift you are holding is the gift you take home.

I've seen stuff like holiday mugs with cocoa mix....casserole dish with insulating cover...if you drink, a nice bottle of booze like brandy...nice chocolates...scented soaps, candles, loofa, bath bombs...kitchen towels and pot holders....napkins and napkin holder...wool hat and scarf....that kind of stuff.

Ok! Sorry, I didn't realize that not everyone knew what a Yankee Swap is. Ok, so everyone brings a gift of a certain (approximate) dollar amount. Wrapped up. Then everyone picks a number from a hat. Whomever gets #1 picks one of the wrapped gifts from the pile and opens it. Then person #2 picks one of the wrapped gifts, opens it, and can decide whether to keep it or to swap with person #1. Then person #3 does the same and, upon opening the gift, can decide to keep it or to swap with either person #1 or #2, And so on.

Then, when all gifts are opened and all of the swapping has happened, person #1 can pick any one of the gifts they want and therefore swap with the person who has that one.

I, personally, don't enjoy these. But .... that's the plan for our small group this year. So .... looking for ideas for something that people will want!

ETA: Thanks, Annie - by the time I had my description typed out you'd already done so. Super!

Remember - $25. And we're all in our 50's / 60's.

Baileys Irish Cream liqueur, or something similar

I would love a gift card to Menards or Lowes. Oh so many options at that price. New set of towels for kitchen or bath. Nice assortment of new spices. Manicure or pedicure certificate. A couple of bottles of nice wine. Large pack of TOLIET PAPER and PAPER TOWEL LOL.

So it is just a swap rather than a special type of things being swapped.

It's like a structured grab bag...

A neutral colored fluffy/cozy throw or soft scarf. Anything that evokes the feeling of coziness. Not scented candles, though, since tolerance varies.

Really good coffee! Gloves. Jigsaw puzzle. A purse organizer. Tea towels.

Bailey’s!

edit to add, I received a lovely trio of embroidered guest (powder room) towels one year. God help whoever actually uses them, but they are simply lovely. Not something I would ever buy for myself, but if I were to receive them or be able to swap for them, oh yes.

Gift card at the local bookstore.

At a yankee swap (or whatever you want to call it) it seems that a gift card is in a different spirit. To one such swap, I brought a crystal picture frame (it was a part white-elephant party) that I slipped a Mary Engelbreit image into (from a calendar, because it needed something suitable to the occasion), and it got co-opted a couple of times. I say, go for the fun!

Ooh, or, a basket of pine cones and matches for the fireplace, the pine cones that glow colors in the fire, We enjoy ours even with our gas fireplace. Not up the to $$ value? Add popcorn, or s’mores fixin’s.

Women were fighting over a nice neutral eye shadow kit at one of the ones I went to. The really nice throw blanket was popular too. I like to bring a nice Christmas decoration.

Auto safety something such as one of those “emergency” combination flashlight - seat belt cutter - windshield window breaker (a spring loaded steel point that with a press of a button when it’s against safety glass, will cause the windshield or window to fracture into a bazzillion tiny pieces., enabling a trapped occupant to escape the vehicle.

A bunch of quality nuts; or chocolates.

A frozen duck with a printed out recipe or links.

Interesting coasters with something else — glass beer mugs (keep in freezer)

Have fun with your friends.

A beautiful white orchid with a red bow. One of my favorite gifts a friend brought was an amaryllis bulb in a lovely container. I followed the directions and in a few months I had the most beautiful flowers. It brought great joy even to DH. I think she bought it through a catalogue. Maybe some Christmas paper hand towels and a pretty holder to put them in.....usually can find something like that at T.J. Max or Home Goods.

Oh how about a gift box of spices from penzey's....

Or a nice selection of teas.

At Walmart they have these great Better home & garden canisters that seal really well. I got a set for DIL for Christmas LOOK Canisters

Walmart has a 12" pre-seasoned cast iron pan for $9.88. Then an assortment of salsas or spices as mentioned above or a couple of cookbooks to go with it. $3.50 Plum Gorgeous by Romney Steele or paperback $10.49 Cooking For Friends Gordon Ramsey

A variation of the above. A Lodge cast iron pan(name brand) for $20 and go to Dollar Tree to get a few hardback cookbooks. My Dollar Tree just got in a bunch of good ones. It's hit or miss, depending on what your store got in.

Or...JCPenney Cuisinart stainless steel pan $17.49

What a bunch of great ideas! I knew that I can always count on the kitchen table. Thank you.

Not as personal or gender- specific, but how about a remote weather station? My new one shows day, date, time, forecast, temp (indoor and outdoor) and humidity.