What are "Fish Hooks" and the purpose behind door decorations?

[CB2@disney]

So, I've been looking around at books and websites and yes even Pinterest and I keep seeing pictures with doors decorated and thins mentioning "Fish Hooks". But I can't seem to find out what these are about. I think the doors are so cute but what is the purpose. Someone please explain. Do you just do this on your own or is there some kind of organization process behind it? Help the curiosity is driving me nuts.

 

[Nemo14]

I believe they're called "fish extenders", and you'll find some info here.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/fish-extenders-fe.858754/

 

[CB2@disney]

Thanks. I think it would be fun to meet people that you've talked to on the boards but I'm not really interested in joining a group to give gifts to. I wonder if it would still be ok to decorated the door and not do the FE or join the group? Thanks again for the response. I have a much better idea.

 

[ChuckElias]

Thanks. I think it would be fun to meet people that you've talked to on the boards but I'm not really interested in joining a group to give gifts to.

I agree with you 100%. I would love to meet several of the folks who post here. But I'm just not going to buy or put together gifts for a big group of people. Sorry, it's just not happening. (I don't do Secret Santa things, either, and that's only for ONE person!)

I wonder if it would still be ok to decorated the door and not do the FE or join the group?

Absolutely. You'll see lots of doors decorated with all kinds of Disney-related things. Enjoy!

 

[Zman-ks]

I believe they're called "fish extenders", and you'll find some info here.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/fish-extenders-fe.858754/

Thanks!

 

[5thGenTexan]

Door decorations are handy to make it easy to find your cabin when they ALL look the same.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thanks. I think it would be fun to meet people that you've talked to on the boards but I'm not really interested in joining a group to give gifts to. I wonder if it would still be ok to decorated the door and not do the FE or join the group? Thanks again for the response. I have a much better idea.

Even for the big cruise groups on other fan sites it's actually quite common for people to be part of the group but not be part of the fish extender exchange. The gift exchange is nice but totally optional. You can decorate your door however you want. Just be sure NOT to use any kind of tape or anything that physically sticks to the door and don't use those plastic clingy things because those have been known to discolor them sometimes. You can get sheets of magnetic printer paper at office supply stores or just rig up whatever you like with magnets. It's FUN to decorate your door!

I agree with you 100%. I would love to meet several of the folks who post here. But I'm just not going to buy or put together gifts for a big group of people. Sorry, it's just not happening. (I don't do Secret Santa things, either, and that's only for ONE person!)

Absolutely. You'll see lots of doors decorated with all kinds of Disney-related things. Enjoy!

I can't wait to meet friends from THIS site! There's a couple WDWMagicers on our cruise later this month that I plan to meet up with. Then, of course, there's the girls cruise. I'm not the biggest fan of Secret Santa type exchanges but I love Yankee Santa (we call it in the South, others know it as Dirty Santa) because that's just FUN. The Fist Extender thing, to me, is more an opportunity to make things for others. I sew and craft so it's an excuse to indulge. Sad, I know.

That said, I have only lurked on the big cruise group over on that other fan site for our upcoming trip and did NOT sign up for any of their gift exchanges. It being my brother & nieces' first cruise I wanted the focus to be our family. If I was going to craft or splurge buying little gifts for anyone it'd be for our 4 kiddos. It's really a good thing I sat on my hands and kept myself out of all that stuff this time. I've been so sooooo busy busy with the recent move, handling Chandler's fall just before the move, still catching up on stuff I long neglected, and sewing/crafting projects I've been paid to produce.

 

[ChuckElias]

I'm not the biggest fan of Secret Santa type exchanges but I love Yankee Santa (we call it in the South, others know it as Dirty Santa) because that's just FUN.

I'm a little afraid to ask. . .

 

[luv]

I'm a little afraid to ask. . .

Dirty Santa (never knew it was called "Yankee Santa", lol) is when everyone brings a gift. It isn't for anyone in particular, but a general gift that anyone might like. And everyone picks a gift, at random.

At least, that's how we did it.

But I'm a Yankee and don't really know if different people do it differently.

 

[ChuckElias]

Dirty Santa (never knew t was called "Yankee Santa", lol, is when everyone brings a gift. It isn't for anyone in particular, but a general gift that anyone might like. And everyone picks a gift, at random.

That's not as much fun as Sweetpee made it sound like. . .

 

[Minthorne]

Yanknee swap

Everyone brings a wrapped gift and puts them in a pile.
Numbers 1 to (how many people) and put in a hat. everyone picks a number.
Number one picks a gift and opens it
number 2 picks a gift and opens it and then has the option to swap with #1
number 3 and so on each open a gift and then can swap with any previous number.
when all gifts are open #1 can swap with anyone.

It's good to be number 1, it sucks to be number 2

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Dirty Santa (never knew it was called "Yankee Santa", lol) is when everyone brings a gift. It isn't for anyone in particular, but a general gift that anyone might like. And everyone picks a gift, at random.

At least, that's how we did it.

But I'm a Yankee and don't really know if different people do it differently.

That's not as much fun as Sweetpee made it sound like. . .

LOLOLOL!!!! OMG! Okay, I'll stop laughing!

In the South, Yankees are like "the other guys". It's just a loose term. Nothing really all that terrible meant by it. Promise.

Anywhoo, so "Yankee Santa"/"Dirty Santa" is a form of gift exchange that I've been part of around the holidays several times at Christmas parties. I've done it several times. It's really a lot of fun. Everyone brings a wrapped gift. Think of something you might really like to have or something really wacky. Then everyone participating draws numbers so everyone gets a "pick". There's lots of variations on the rules of the game but this is the way I've done it. Person #1 gets to choose any gift from under the Christmas tree and unwrap it. Then it's #2's turn to get a gift from under the tree and unwrap it. If he/she likes #1's gift better, they can now go swap or choose to keep the gift they just unwrapped. #1 could get stuck with something really awful. So the gift unwrapping and possible swapping goes on until everyone has unwrapped a gift. The kicker is that poor old #1 who had nobody to swap with gets the final shot at the best stuff. At the very end, #1 can swap out gifts with anyone else. It's really fun. People will beg not to get swapped with or beg TO get swapped with. I've seen people offer up bribes. Some people will trade out gifts just to stick someone with something silly. (Like the time Tracey got handed one of those borderline obscene-looking shake weights.) It's really a lot of fun, meant to be funny more than anything. I've heard of variations on the exchange like you could only bring something from home to regift vs. spending money on anything new. Some of the things I've seen people go nuts over were like big bottles of liquor, a Lego sorter, and gas station gift cards. It's funny what people will really flip for. I could only imagine what a gift swap like that would be like with a room full of us Disney-nerds! LOL! Heeeeey, idea for an activity for the girls cruise!!!!! LOLOLOL!!!!!!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Yanknee swap

Everyone brings a wrapped gift and puts them in a pile.
Numbers 1 to (how many people) and put in a hat. everyone picks a number.
Number one picks a gift and opens it
number 2 picks a gift and opens it and then has the option to swap with #1
number 3 and so on each open a gift and then can swap with any previous number.
when all gifts are open #1 can swap with anyone.

It's good to be number 1, it sucks to be number 2

Beat me to the punch. You made it much simpler than me. I always have the worst luck and end up #2 or #3! LOL!

 

[TDF]

Fish Extender was so fun for us on our last cruise… except for accidentally missing a cabin and having to give them whatever I could come up with… not fun and I am so sorry to those folks! We actually met a couple of good people on the cruise, they where so nice! I wish WDWMagic got bigger so we could do it.
- Justin

EDIT: On our upcoming Alaska Cruise we are taking (dare I say it…) Carnival. I am trying so hard to set up some sort of gift exchange but no one is budging… I am even going to be that wacko that decorates our door on the ship.

 

[englanddg]

I was sortof looking forward to participating in this, but of the two Disney related forums I frequent (this one and another one), neither are quite large enough to have groups participating. There's a rather large one I guess I could check out, but without knowing the members (or at least some of them) participating, it sortof takes away some of the fun in my eyes.

Shame...

 

[TDF]

I was sortof looking forward to participating in this, but of the two Disney related forums I frequent (this one and another one), neither are quite large enough to have groups participating. There's a rather large one I guess I could check out, but without knowing the members (or at least some of them) participating, it sortof takes away some of the fun in my eyes.

Shame...

Actually… I joined the other forum to do it specifically! We talked before the cruise and even had a meet and greet on the ship!