Gifts given and received....

[accordionMan]

What kind of gifts worked for you in the past?

Helping a neighbor is wonderful. A little piece of your art is nice.

One year I gave out crystals... folks loved it, but I found that besides carrying almost 20 pounds of accordion, I was lugging ROCKS with me. Nope, not going to do that again.

Anyway... here's a gift for you... for the past few years I've been designing "money" for the playa.

$1,000,000.00 dollar bills that say "Gift to the bearer a MUTUALLY SATISFYING experience worth a million bucks."

If you want, download the file and print them out on matte photo paper for best results.

NO they don't turn into MOOP. My experience has been that folks treasure the gift and protect it as one of their mementos of BM.

http://www.digitalartist.com/art/burningman/money.html

What gifts were most touching that you received, which gifts did you enjoy giving?

Curious minds want to know!

[Token]

Fargin Sweet!

[MoonSplash]

On the playa, I've been given as gifts:

The best hugs in the world
a barbecued turkey leg at 2 am while walking randomly in the dark
A bottle of water when I most needed it after a hot sweaty hour of dancing
a leather bracelet with the MAN on it (wore it until it fell apart)
an Arabic scarf
Help with getting rebar out of the playa when I was totally exhausted
Cold fruit
Shaved ice

Most memorable: day 1 in 2008, my friend is suffering terribly from heat stroke when we're a mile away from our camp, I'm a virgin and not sure how this whole thing works and my heart is telling me, "Just Ask For Help." I flagged down a Mutant Art Vehicle and they kindly agree to cart her back to camp. I'm left with two bikes and I'm not coordinated enough to ride my own bike and handle hers as well. And suddenly a stranger walks by and offers to help walk the other bike up a couple of streets - he's gotta turn left, so he cajoles someone else to help me walk the bike another couple of streets... and THAT stranger hands me off to another stranger to help me... home. What a gift.

[Fire_Moose]

I gave out crystals once, but then every one started wanting more and more it was weird...then a bunch of them started cleaning the community shade, very strange...


I like teaching staff. and helping people that look like they need help as i walk by. Oh and little flashlights

[Clar-i-ty]

One year I made a bunch of crochet beanie hats with draw strings so you could also use them as a little swag bag. That was a fun gift to give.

Last couple of years I just brought extra stuff to give to those who needed it. Spare goggles to a college girl wondering around center camp in a t-shirt and undies, aloe vera to someone with psoriasis, an inner tube, and my favorite was glow sticks and blinky lights to a grandma getting back to her camp on her scooter as the sun was going down. That one felt good.

Best gifts I've received were a frozen fudge bar and iced chai tea. Mmmmmm!

[some seeing eye]

I have an interactive gift, renewed for several years, no material. Gifts are great, but if you can develop an exchange that isn't material and works with your comfort level and that of the giftees, I would say go for it!

Some great suggestions here, the best gift is one tuned to your "gifting radar", right thing at the right time.

[VeganChoirGirl]

I am with Clar-i-ty

I didn't conciously bring anything to "gift" my birgin year, but I DID gift a lot of stuff. I was WAY over prepared and had extra goggles, sunglasses, chapstick, lighters, gads and gads of cigarettes, dust masks, head wraps, and re-usable battery powered LED light type of glowy-stuff.

I ended up gifting out most of this stuff. I was so glad I had it!

You never know when your, fill in the blank, is going to get TOTALLY fucked up.

However, I have recieved some PRETTY amazing gifts.

-ice cold watermelon on Thursday afternoon
-canned sardines on day one (because I used to be vegan and didn't bring ANY meat to the playa)
-some of the most amazing hugs I've ever had
-a shoulder to cry on from someone I had never met when I needed it the most

In addition, I have seen some pretty amazing gifts go to other people who really needed it. And that's a really beautiful thing.

It's more about coming from the heart. A truly helping hand.

[Savannah]

Most memorable: day 1 in 2008, my friend is suffering terribly from heat stroke when we're a mile away from our camp, I'm a virgin and not sure how this whole thing works and my heart is telling me, "Just Ask For Help." I flagged down a Mutant Art Vehicle and they kindly agree to cart her back to camp. I'm left with two bikes and I'm not coordinated enough to ride my own bike and handle hers as well. And suddenly a stranger walks by and offers to help walk the other bike up a couple of streets - he's gotta turn left, so he cajoles someone else to help me walk the bike another couple of streets... and THAT stranger hands me off to another stranger to help me... home. What a gift.

That was a very sweet story, thank you.

[accordionMan]

"Help with getting rebar out of the playa when I was totally exhausted "


I know all about that... the day I was leaving i had everything down and packed except for one 18" stake that for the life of me I couldn't get out of the playa. Each time that i made a major effort to get it out of the ground, it left me more tired and weaker. A fellow who was passing by stopped and after a bit of grunting managed to get it out of the ground. Who ever you were THANKS AGAIN!

Some other memorable gifts... ice cold cherry Popsicle deep in the playa. A squashed penny embossed with a BM icon... gifted by 2 people to me (glued one to my accordion and another one to my copper braclet). A "got fire?" lighter.

[harrypotterybarn]

I've been thinking long and hard about this (heh heh) since I'm flying in and I've got to keep weight down and whatnot. Do you think folks would take well to a traveling "seamstress"? I've worked the faire circuit for years and have a fairly robust "emergency repairs kit". I figure I'll amp it up a bit (heavy duty thread and pins, glue, tape, sparkly patchy bits) and then offer my services to anyone with dragging hems or unintentionally bare patches.

This is the best thing I could come up with that wouldn't just end up littered. My companion is trading music, so I figure we can compliment each other (a song while i sew?)

I know no one requires you to gift or anything, but dammit, I like giving gifts!!

[ibdave]

eye to eye contact followed by a great smile...yup...

[Bluemandrew]

eye to eye contact followed by a great smile...yup...

Agreed

[cahlm]

The past couple years we have been making embossed soap for gifting. We homemake it so I dunno how well it works, but it looks and smells nice.

[ygmir]

eye to eye contact followed by a great smile...yup...

I thought you were going to say: forehead to belt buckle

[VeganChoirGirl]

eye to eye contact followed by a great smile...yup...

I thought you were going to say: forehead to belt buckle

Hahaha...yay.

[jella]

being flagged down for a fresh mango margarita ... yummm

[Trishntek]

eye to eye contact followed by a great smile...yup...

I thought you were going to say: forehead to belt buckle

you're such a perv

[Elorrum]

I took a magic class in a local adult ed program. I barely remember two rope tricks, but they are pretty good. One I used to get my postcards mailed, and I taught them both to a very nice boy of ten-ish age, who hailed me from the road for some cold mate (mah-tay? tea?) Many of the things I've brought in the past were just trinkets, and had little meaning to me, so why should I expect them to have meaning as gifts? I ended up bringing them home with me. Last year I made postcards and put stamps on them. I think I'll do the same again this year. They are flat, light, easy to carry. More meaningful is helping someone when they need it, and I try to be on the lookout for those opportunities. I was finding bits of rope in my camping gear, and it reminded me that I should practice my magic tricks as well.

[sportsmobile]

i've got about 2 dozen or so 1oz applicator bottles with biodegradeable bicycle chain oil in them to hand out to those in need of a good lube.

i also have a couple dozen of the nicer emergency style glow sticks (i despise glow sticks but my former employer was throwing them out so i figured better to be used then thrown away) to gift those with no light at night.

and a few other gifts as well.

[Mulligan]

Gifted:
1. extra water to neighbours who had gifted way too much to some hippy girls
2. Lighters with the man embossed on them. Love to git that one.
3. A mint tin (for cig butts) to a kid who was woefully underprepared.
4. Picked up and anonmously returned camp items for neighbours when the wind placed them near our camp.

Been gifted:
1. tp at the porta-johns when the supply ran out. Somebody walked out and just handed me a few clean squares...
2. An ice cold hug. Couple of girls at artic camp bought some ice and had to figure out how to get it back to their camp. They duct taped it to their chest. Then they proceeded to go around hugging everybody. It felt soooo good!

This year, we're taking tennis balls with holes cut into them. We changed our camp posts so we have a few extras. We're going to take a few of them around and place them on rebar we see exposed anywhere we go.

[illy dilly]

I've been thinking long and hard about this (heh heh) since I'm flying in and I've got to keep weight down and whatnot. Do you think folks would take well to a traveling "seamstress"? I've worked the faire circuit for years and have a fairly robust "emergency repairs kit". I figure I'll amp it up a bit (heavy duty thread and pins, glue, tape, sparkly patchy bits) and then offer my services to anyone with dragging hems or unintentionally bare patches.

This is the best thing I could come up with that wouldn't just end up littered. My companion is trading music, so I figure we can compliment each other (a song while i sew?)

I know no one requires you to gift or anything, but dammit, I like giving gifts!!

That would be awesome!
But be ready, after helping people fix clothes, they may require you drink with them, you could end up real wasted real quick!!!

[CLARKcon]

eye to eye contact followed by a great smile...yup...

Bravo I second that thought...material possessions & trinkets fade-n-break, but a sincere memory and/or moment can last the rest of your life.

[harrypotterybarn]

I've been thinking long and hard about this (heh heh) since I'm flying in and I've got to keep weight down and whatnot. Do you think folks would take well to a traveling "seamstress"? I've worked the faire circuit for years and have a fairly robust "emergency repairs kit". I figure I'll amp it up a bit (heavy duty thread and pins, glue, tape, sparkly patchy bits) and then offer my services to anyone with dragging hems or unintentionally bare patches.

This is the best thing I could come up with that wouldn't just end up littered. My companion is trading music, so I figure we can compliment each other (a song while i sew?)

I know no one requires you to gift or anything, but dammit, I like giving gifts!!

That would be awesome!
But be ready, after helping people fix clothes, they may require you drink with them, you could end up real wasted real quick!!!

I sew better when I'm drunk! At least, I think I do.

[Fire_Moose]

Gifted:

This year, we're taking tennis balls with holes cut into them. We changed our camp posts so we have a few extras. We're going to take a few of them around and place them on rebar we see exposed anywhere we go.

You could also give those tennis balls to people with bikes that have naked kick stands.

[Nitevenus]

My first year home I found that my overpreparedness ended up being the best impromptu gifts that I could have given. At the last moment I threw my "crafty" box into the RV, of which had an over abundance of this and thats. When the neighbors found that I had safety pins and various needles and threads, a humungous supply from one of those commercial grade safety kits and a "I kind of went crazy on the glow stuff" supply...the extra gas supply for the generator.... well, the stuff I did bring for "gifts" went ungifted. Somehow, the playa presented the gifting opp itself and felt so much more rewarding. Hugs, smiles, the laughter were the best gifts in return. And to think, everyone (including me at one time) gets so jumbled up in the "gifting"........Relax, be who you are and let you shine through.

[ibdave]

My first year home I found that my overpreparedness ended up being the best impromptu gifts that I could have given. At the last moment I threw my "crafty" box into the RV, of which had an over abundance of this and thats. When the neighbors found that I had safety pins and various needles and threads, a humungous supply from one of those commercial grade safety kits and a "I kind of went crazy on the glow stuff" supply...the extra gas supply for the generator.... well, the stuff I did bring for "gifts" went ungifted. Somehow, the playa presented the gifting opp itself and felt so much more rewarding. Hugs, smiles, the laughter were the best gifts in return. And to think, everyone (including me at one time) gets so jumbled up in the "gifting"........Relax, be who you are and let you shine through.

my wife brought her sewing machine to finish a costume one year. a smoking hot girl next to us heard and worked on her stuff while the rv air was very very cold..........

[theCryptofishist]

Actually, there are people who bring sewing machines to the event for gifting. Rapid repairs or whatever. I suppose you could bring lengths of cloth and make skirts. Or skip the sewing machine, decide they're sarongs and call it good.

And then you could not bring the sarongs because they don't have hems and you don't want them to moop thread. It's amazing how easy gifting can be when you just use your imagination...

[Rilopie]

A guy at my camp made necklaces from rocks he found on the playa and gave them out. I thought it was really special.
The otter pop was pretty memorable too...
My fav. though was all the people that I would ride by on my bike and they would wave and say hi, it was like we all knew each other. :)

I'm starting to think about what I want to gift out next year... I found little bottles of SPF 30 giltter sunscreen on the internet, which I think is totally rad. Or maybe some kind of bottle cap jewelry... earrings and pins with some kind of man symbol on the inside.

[theCryptofishist]

Go with the bottle caps. Some portion of the glitter will end up on the playa floor as MOOP.

[Rilopie]

Go with the bottle caps. Some portion of the glitter will end up on the playa floor as MOOP.

My boyfriend likes that idea too because it means me buying lots of beer with neat bottle tops for him to drink, haha.