Playa gift ideas

[DoriumLux]

Best Gifts: Plane Ride in 2003

Worst Gift: Unsolicited Naked Hug

High fives are always welcome though.

[alexn20]

Best gift I provided: Asprin & a bandaid for a poor girl that cut her ankle on some rebar. She was sooo sooo greateful.

Best gift received: Foot bath


Stay away from the material gifts unless it will be used and appreciated. I ended up with a freakin garbage bag full of absolute crap (beads, glowie things, condoms, trinkets, etc...) last year. Not fun to have twice the amount of trash to haul out.

I think the best gift is something you do to help someone. I agree with the posts here.

[JezebelinHell]

My favorite gift is always ALWAYS stumbling across a camp serving good coffee. I know it must cost you guys a fortune, and I just want you to know that you're all my heroes.

[ygmir]

so,
would it be rude to politely turn down a gift you know you don't want, and won't use?

I'd hate to be rude, but, the story about a trash bag full of stuff hits home...........

[gyre]

If you don't want it, turn it down or give it away.
The folks at the Paiute taco stand were thrilled to have some stickers I was able to find in my luggage.
They came last year, but didn't really understand how it all works.

You never know what someone will like.

The best trinket I got was in the dark and I thought it was a joke.
Intensely cool when I discovered it in my pocket.

[ygmir]

discovered it in your pocket?
HHmmmmm.......
there's joke about being happy to see someone there.......I think.......

hahahaha

do tell, though.....

[gyre]

They said it was a button.
I thought it was a joke, like they were tipping me.
It was very dark.
When I found it, I couldn't figure out where it came from at first.
It was a hollow brass pin like a button, very nice.
It wasn't until I got home that I realized it had the imprint of the man in it.

Very cool and very subtle.
If you want something to wear at a board meeting that only burners would notice, this is it.
I love it.

I wish I knew who gave it to me.
All I know is that they had an art car.
This was in 2006.

[Colonel Monk]

[quote="steveboy"]Two things stand out for me from last year (well, more than two, but I mean in this context!): One was a guy on the Esplanade late in the week handing out multivitamin packs. What a great idea! I took one and could practically feel myself soaking them up like a sponge. quote]

Indeed. Last year a guy gave me a bandana that you soak in water -- and the crystals inside soak up the water and bulge like gel -- tie around your neck and keep rotating to keep cool. Excellent!!

I saw a guy trying to push his bike with the handlebar broken off. I was able to fix it with simple stuff I had in my McGuyver box. He was so happy!

This year I'm bringing a bunch of electrolyte tabs -- they are amazing in the desert everyone should bring them.

Steve, dig the tunes - where are you (are you?) dj'ing?

out

Monk

[phil]

> would it be rude to politely turn down a gift you know you
> don't want, and won't use?

I'm happy when I offer something and I get a "no thanks." It's a gift, and if the recipient doesn't want it, that's fine. I'd rather my intended gift not end up a burden because they don't want to hurt my feelings and had to take it home and toss it. Someone else will want it.

If I may make a suggestion: if someone offers anything you don't want or asks to take your picture and you don't want them to, a pleasant "no, thanks" is all you need to say. You don't need to explain further, you don't need a reason, not even an excuse. Just a pleasant "no thanks" and stop.

[dust devil]

Every year I bring a batch of picture postcards. One year they were desert landscape photos, another year Hubble space photos. I put postage stamps on each postcard.

I tell each recipient they can write on the card and address it and take it to the BRCPO in Center Camp. If they look puzzled I ask if they can think of anyone who would like to know...that someone is thinking of them at Burning Man. This usually makes the person's face light up and they are happy to take the postcard.

Writing a postcard is like time travel for people who use IM.

[rediknight]

Best Gift I've received: 2009 was my first burn and my favorite story is when I stumbled across a ball pit and while chillin' in the balls some amazing guy put a plate full of flavored wrap streak burritos in my face. Best burrito I had all year.

Best Gift I Gave: On Friday night I was sitting in the Temple with my new friends from England who I just met a few days prior to Burning Man. They were friends of the girl I was dating and the whole reason why her and I decided to go. Well I randomly busted into a Magic trick with a coin and my new friend Daryll was ecstatic and said it was the coolest thing he saw all week. The words made me feel special because, one we were sitting in the Temple! And also because prior to that point I felt like I was more spectator than participant and felt like I should've done more in the gifting dept.

[Elliot]

Music! Burning Man needs strolling minstrels.

[Shambala]

I'm glad this thread came back to life.
I love my BRC oval bumper sticker. I have a spare should someone hit my car.
The worst thing that can be given is plastic crap, brought to BM just so it can be passed out. I do end up just tossing the plastic junk, but appreciate things made with some thought.

[FaeTora]

I saw a BRC sticker the other day. It made me smile. I am thinking of giving hand and head massages. I also need to look more into finding a contact at the med. tent to see if they could use/want stuffed animals for sick kids on the playa.

[Fire_Moose]

Hand jobs with your mouth are great gifts out there.

[thk127]

I was thinking of making a ton of Hemp bracelets, anklets and necklaces. I’m sure it’s already been done before, but they never seem to go out of style!
Also I’m trying to make up 2 “Pass it along Journalsâ€

[FaeTora]

Hand jobs with your mouth are great gifts out there.

Je suis un homosexual.

Does that make it more clear?

[Playa Foot]

I have gifted earings that I made, they were fairly well received.
Last year I gave away little bottles of playa dust.
My favorite thing is to take my bucket and squeegee and wash the windshelds of cars leaving Burning Man, its even more fun when I wear my pink petticoat.

[Savannah]

I must be the only person out there who has never received a plastic trinket. (I'm not counting glowsticks; those were useful.) I admit that I am glad not to have received a poem, either. I wouldn't turn up my nose at a poem written expressly for me at the end of the week, but I don't want 1 of 100 copies of the same poem that someone is just handing out. If someone has a poem they need the world to see they should paint it on a wall and let us all read it and digest it (and maybe take a picture).

Best presents I've received:

* the chance to drive an amazing art car. dream come true.
* thoughtfully designed necklaces, esp. of the Man
* cold fresh fruit
* cold canned beer (esp. Sapporo), a mimosa, champagne
* amazing fresh-caught salmon, right off the grill. Holy cow.
* a misting with cold water - when asked first.

* the swift change of my bike tube. I brought an extra; just never changed one before. My neighbor swapped the tube so fast I didn't learn squat. (Sorry, Rob.) I will have to watch a youtube video.

As far as what I give: things I always have for my over-prepared self, but would be unhappy without: Drinks. First aid. 1-ply Camping t.p. Hand sanitizer. Lip balm. Toothbrushes. I don't bring a huge batch of most of those things, just extras of everything. Last year I also made necklaces for the first time--amazing how frightening it was to learn a new skill, & put myself out there creatively/socially. (I was afraid they would not be well-received. I was wrong.)

This year I will make a new style of necklace (to my great terror . . . probably again on a very small scale) and continue with my perennial favorites.

[Fire_Moose]

Hand jobs with your mouth are great gifts out there.

Je suis un homosexual.

Does that make it more clear?

Does that make what more clear?

No, I don't think it does.

[theCryptofishist]

Hand jobs with your mouth are great gifts out there.

Je suis un homosexual.

Does that make it more clear?

Does that make what more clear?

No, I don't think it does.

French is a pretty muddy language.

[theCryptofishist]

The worst thing that can be given is plastic crap, brought to BM just so it can be passed out. I do end up just tossing the plastic junk, but appreciate things made with some thought.

Shambala, I am lucky in that I can take plastic trinkets (and I love trinkets, although plastic is not my favorite material) down to the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, which sells them to teachers, and crafters to use in their own projects. If you don't have such an organization near you, there are always elementary schools and senior homes that would love to have them; even the hospital where I had rehab would have accepted them.
If someone out there is just on fire by the idea of such organizations, here's instructions for starting one yourself. (well, with friends.)
Of course, I cannot be so crass as to say that I have an event that might be a partial answer to your problem, so consider it unsaid.

[peachandpapa]

Whenever possible, we taxi burners all over the playa at night It is a shame to hear how many art cars turn people down for rides. We have a small art car -- Peach's Verdant Box -- with three 20 ft. high glowing flowers. If you see us, ask for a ride! ALSO, whenever we are driving across the playa in the dark and come across burners without any type of light, we hand them blinkies. They may be made of plastic, but all art car drivers love to see them! Notice to all burners: Please wear some type of light out on the playa at night! That may sound obvious, but you would be amazed how many people don't.

[Bounce530]

I've sat at my camp with glowies/blinkies and tryed to hand them to darkwads, and the responce is mixed, about half the people are thankful for them while the other half says "no, I don't need them" um ok, you might not want them, but yes you need to have at least a little something so that everybody else see's you!

[Shambala]

Hand jobs with your mouth are great gifts out there.

Put me down for one Fire Moose. Please try not to bite down so hard next time!

[Boijoy]

I had a gal give me glowies when mine had apparently died around my neck. The gift was much apprciated esp. after her nice kiss on the cheek when she called me a "dark wad".

I thought I was lame giving out bandanas my first year until it was 110 in the shade. Then I dipped them in clean ice cold cooler water & they were a HIT! I'm still giving them out. I ordered 500.

oh, btw. don't bring TOO many gifts.

[dragonpilot]

First year Best Gift received: Mardi Gras beads

Sixth year Worst Gift received: Mardi Gras beads

[Shambala]

I've sat at my camp with glowies/blinkies and tryed to hand them to darkwads, and the responce is mixed, about half the people are thankful for them while the other half says "no, I don't need them" um ok, you might not want them, but yes you need to have at least a little something so that everybody else see's you!

I was passing out dusk masks during a very bad dust storm, and was rebuffed by a lot of people. The same thing with bike locks. My favorite response when passing out bike locks was, "how much are they?"! During the Friday dust storm in 2007, I found an older Oriental couple wandering around bewildered with the storm. It was so bad we couldn't speak or hear in it. They had no dust mask or face covering. I dug into my backpack and found 2 spare bandanas for them. They weren't brought to be gifts, but these poor people REALLY needed them. They were very greatful, but we never spoke a word to each other.

[jeskalgh]

My gift this year.... ice cold cans of my favorite east coast microbrews and my own personal homebrews to be shared and enjoyed over good conversation (:

My favorite gift last year.... fresh cold California peaches...mmmmmmm!

[Fire_Moose]

Jesk, I hope and look forward to meet you in the dust!