Topical Present Idea

One of the biggest risks that you run when planning a present that references an element of pop culture is the timing. Buy it too early and the joke could be kind of stale come Swap time. Buy it too late and you’re cutting down your window for finding something that is amusing, under $20, makes an obvious reference and is capable of being wrapped, transported to Perry S. and placed under the tree.

The big news that is permeating the interwebs lately is Tiger Wood’s alleged affair. Sure there is a reputable news source reporting that he sent text messages to Ms. Jamie Grubbs that said “I will wear you out…when was the last time you got fucked?” TMZ and perezhilton are abuzz with this, as are the mainstream news and sports sites. But why does it matter to us? We weren’t married to him. All it does is provide inspiration for choosing Yankee Swap gift ideas.

One of the easiest items to associate with Tiger is the video game that bears his name. On eBay.com, you can easily find both the 2009 and 2010 versions of his “Tiger Woods PGA Tour” series for the PS2 for under $20. I’d recommend purchasing either right now as both are in auction format and you don’t want to be that guy or girl who breaks the $20 barrier. Granted this gift would be thought of as crappy once the initial amusement of it has worn off. I mean who owns a PS2 these days? If I were a betting man I’d say that the person who would want this present the most would be Dave, but chances are he already owns it. I could really see this getting tossed in the fireplace around 2am. But nobody will know you brought it, so you’re in the clear. Additionally there is the potential for someone to do the Tiger Woods fist pump upon receiving it. Good times had by all.





A little bit more practical of a Tiger Woods present would be the animal head golf club cover, in this case the animal is a Tiger. Some of the golfers would find it useful, or people could easily regift it to their father. Additionally you can bring on the humor of hitting people with it or making comments about Tiger’s wife’s use of a golf club to beat his ass. While we know it was an iron (a sand wedge apparently) the joke would still work. Less than $20 on Amazon. Easy click shopping and you can even get it giftwrapped. Problem solved.



Lastly, we’re going to suggest purchasing Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” CD. Yes, CDs are a dead technology and you could easily just download all of the songs, but what’s the fun in giving someone a shitty ass homemade CD? $0.20 is under the $20 limit, but I don’t think that it’s in keeping with sprit of giving that the Swap embodies. I’m kind of out of jokes about the scandal for today, but I’m fairly certain that by the end of the week there will be a few ways that tying this into Tiger Woods will be amusing.



On a final note, I’d just like to urge all of those who are planning on participating in the Swap to RSVP on facebook or at lease email one of the hosts. While the abundance of booze from years past would suggest that it is a virtual impossibility to run out, we’d like to be proactive in preventing that. So let us know if you’re coming and we’ll be sure to have enough jello shots for everyone.

Until then, happy shopping Swappers. The tree is up and decorated, stockings have been hung with care and a few special surprises have been ordered.