ASHLAND — Rory Finney brought a set of drums to town Sunday and went home to his tepee with an electric food steamer that looked brand new.

"I don't have a kitchen," he said with a smile. "I'm gonna cheat with a long extension cord."

Finney and several hundred others gathered at the Old Ashland Armory for the fifth annual Abundance Swap, where people give away things they no longer need or want and take home somebody's else's treasures to give to others at Christmas or to use for themselves.

The rules are simple. There's no direct exchange or bartering, unlike a typical swap meet, and the goods should be nice enough to give to someone else. Everything is there for the taking and re-giving.

"People are a little stunned at first," said Craig Comstock of Ashland, who greeted swappers at the door and explained the simple rules. "It's so unlike mall culture."

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Tables were heaped with toys and games and dishes and kitchen tools. There was a pair of ice skates, a set of dumbbells and a down jacket that was better suited to Anchorage than Ashland. There were quilts and coats, shoes and hats and even a pair of bunk beds.

"What I like about this is they encourage people to bring stuff they really like," said Kathleen Fleming of Ashland. She brought the down coat, a computer printer and a TV for recreational vehicles.

The TV went fast, she said. "I didn't even have time to set it down."

Fleming and many others brought their children or grandchildren, to help them understand how giving and receiving go together.

The idea for the swap emerged five years ago when public radio personality Jeff Golden was looking for an alternative to the Christmas shopping madness that starts before some people have finished digesting their turkey dinner.

This year stores in some areas opened at midnight, just hours after the last Thanksgiving feasts.

Golden said many people struggle with a shopping dilemma at Christmas: They like to give gifts but they're repelled by the consumption of natural resources for new goods as well as the commercialism of the season.

"We're put off by the (shopping) frenzy," he said. "This is an alternative."

"I love the idea of a community exchanging things and not having to buy more stuff," said Susan Berryhill of Ashland. "We all have plenty of stuff. Everybody we know has plenty of stuff."

"I love the idea that (a gift) doesn't have to be new to be given with love," said Noreen Wood of Ashland. She brought jewelry, books and tapes to the swap, and took home several articles of clothing to give as Christmas presents.

An hour after the swap began, the tables were empty and the swappers were heading home with their new treasures. Some thought the concept should be expanded.

"It shouldn't be just at Christmas," Wood said. "We should do it every quarter."

Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492 or e-mail:bkettler@mailtribune.com