h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Every year, I say to people, I'd just like a few comics or something, nothing big, or useless please. And every year they seem to think "Oh he doesn't mean it" and buy me something big and useless that takes up an enormous amount of space in my house. So this year I would like to go on record as saying that all I want is the Marvel Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller books, there's only 3 of them, or the DC Superman Archives hardcover if you want to be extravagant.

£20 says I don't see any of these, and I get loads more crap to go on my shelves, and a ton of chocolate (I don't like chocolate, but do they listen?) from my stepkids.

Here's how we solved that problem:

Folks who want to participate in the gift exchange writes their name and what they want on pieces of paper (1 gift per paper). Fold up paper and drop it in a basket or something. Participants draw out one or more pieces of paper and then go buy those items for those persons. You can always buy an extra gift but it has to be something that fits in a stocking. Everybody gets what they want (which does tend to take the mystery out it, but so be it).

And I'd be happy to take all that chocolate off your hands and put it to good use.

Great idea, I'll have to hope that I don't have to eat the stuff in front of them this year. 10 year old girls get real upset when you tell them their gift sucked.