I'm in another Secret Santa on another website, so I cheated and copied my other post.
Beverages:
Coffee: anything in a bag (no keurig pots in this house) caffeinated and not flavored with anything other than coffee. I'll even drink Starbucks, nasty as their dark roasts can be (i.e. burnt). Decaf is not coffee.
Tea: any and all. I'm an equal-opportunity swiller of black, green, white, herbal, etc. My absolute favorite is toasted Japanese green. Least favorite is chamomile, followed by mint ... yick.
Food: anything produced locally to you. I'm a hard core ginger junkie. Not fond of jerky.
Dark chocolate, including unsweetened. Milk is OK. White is cocoa butter that ought to be in hand lotion, but it has sugar in it.
Scented products: smarter not. I only burn candles when the power goes out. I'll use a lotion but not often.
Clothing: I'm allergic to animal fibers and I wear a woman's XL-tall shirt or a 1X-tall. Probably safer not, unless it's a menswear Large or XL t-shirt or something. Cotton knits are OK.
Sports teams: I'm officially a Giants/Mets/UConn Huskies fan. I love anything from minor league teams, little league, high schools etc. Any and all from outside the USA too. British and Euro footie stuff is always a blast.
Cat toys/treats: Genie does love a good dose of kitty ganja (catnip) and eats chicken. She'll condescend to eat turkey on occasion, but Dumbcat doesn't eat fish. I've given her fresh salmon once or twice and she's looked like "what is this smelly yuck?"
Stuff:
Anything you make
Anything your kids/grandkids make
Things local to you - my favorite gifts from a Secret Santa have included a Lake Huron coffee mug and a New Jersey railroad spike. Transportation-related items from your neck of the woods are good too.
My late dad was a hard core rail nut, and train related items (live steam, models, even Lego) tend to want to follow me home.
Busted jewelry, single earrings etc - pieces I can make into other pieces.
Crazy copper jewelry
High karat gold and sterling (a girl can dream, right? )
Screwback, wingback, etc earrings (no holes in my ears ... or nose!)
Anything pre-1980, I'll probably like
Can't wear: pierced earrings, and I often react to plastics other than bakelite. Acrylic gives me problems as often as not.
I am a crafter type too so...
Acid-free paper, glues, books of designs etc - I make cards among my other problems.
Quilting fabrics - mostly cotton (including flannel) any color. I've made scraps into cards that were made from other materials too.
Beads, including any and all busted necklaces. (I can give the plastic stuff away once I've made it. Most of what I make is given away no matter what it is.)
Single earrings, pendants, etc too.
Things to make into other things - any and all.
Books: bilingual cookbooks, newer science fiction, books on jewelry, history, etc.
Music: if you recorded it, I want it. Other than that: anything but pop country. Jazz, blues, rock, contrapuntal etc. I even do opera, especially modern stuff by Somtow Sucharitkul (he's also Science Fiction writer, currently the director of the Royal Thai Opera). I'm a big Steely Dan fan, but I range from the Renaissance to EDM.
Nope, Nyet, please don't waste the postage:
Decaf. White chocolate, turnips, raw tomatoes (probably not a problem)
Wool, cashmere, alpaca, etc
The NY (makes sign of the Cross) Yankees
Candles and other scented items
If the postage looks crazy, make a donation in my name to a local charity and just send me a card with Secret Santa written on the outside so I know not to open it.
She who dies with the most toys still dies; when's the estate sale?
