It's a tradition to have a gift-exchange evening at out ESF-tournaments on Thursday night. Those tournaments start on Monday and have the finals on Saturday. Since we have umpires coming from allover Europe, we always give something from our home-country. A fellow umpire from the Netherlands always give "
Stroopwafels", two waffles with honey in the the middle. I mostly give away a key-ring with a pair of wooden shoes ("
Klompen").
(See for examples this site:
Hollandwinkel.NL - Sleutelhangers, magneetjes, etc. - Geschenken en souvenirs)
From Italy I got once a bottle with Italian olive oil. From the Czech Republic a bottle with Czech beer, a German federation beer bottle opener. The very best I've received was from a Greek umpire: A softball, still in plastic, from the Olympic Games in Athens...
Lanyards are very popular right now. Even our national federation gives them away in orange with "
klompen" attached.
At the Indoor Cup at Schiedam, every January, are also some USA-umpires present. Then we exchange gifts as well. Several coins, pins and T-shirts I've received from USA-umpires.
I think this
tradition should be kept alive. It gives you things to remember the different tournaments you worked on...