Tinkie-Winkie.
Reading Jennie’s white elephant story reminded me of the great gift exchanges that we had with friends in Boston.
There was all sorts of fun stuff included in these swaps. People used this time as an opportunity to unload tacky wedding gifts, to clean out closets, to dispose of unwanted Christmas gifts from previous years and what-have-you. There was enough good stuff to make it interesting as well, so that some things got swiped on every turn.
Bottles of wine. Lottery tickets. Austin Powers videos. A gigantic jar of pickles. Homemade fudge. A No Parking sign. A bowling ball with shoes and bag. A pair of boxers with a bear on the butt that said “Bear Naked.” One of those flapping lobsters that sings and that you hang on the wall. These are some of the memorable gifts.
The first year we participate, I wasn’t sure what to get. At the last minute, I was out shopping and with J’s urging decided to purchase a Tinkie-Winkie doll. You know Tinkie-Winkie, right? The purple Teletubbie with the triangle on his/her head who was rumored to be gay.
Among our friends, there was a guy who was single and had had a string of relationships that hadn’t gone anywhere. No one thought he was gay or anything, but of all people who could have unwrapped the precious Tinkie-Winkie doll, Bruce was who everyone would have thought to be the funniest recipient. And guess who got it. He was a good sport about it, but kind of embarrassed, too. In the end, somebody else took it from him on their turn in order to pass it along to a niece. Bruce was quite relieved.
Good times.
I love the white elephant game/gift exchange. We do it every year with my family and it’s so fun to see what gets put in the pile, and what people actually want.
I think it’s quite funny that your friend got your Tinkie-Winkie doll!
Comment by Cyn — December 1, 2005 @ 4:03 am