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There is no way I would spend $40 on a coworker. Hope you're well compensated there!
Right? That is way too much for someone to say they wouldn't be upset if all they got was a candy cane-for example. I wouldn't even participate. Heck I wouldn't even participate when the minimum was $25. I really don't like secret santa gift exchange. I'm not even a Christmas fan.
I'm not sure what to laugh at first- the fact someone thought it was OK to give a candy cane, the fact that someone (an adult) actually through a temper tantrum over receiving a candy cane, or the fact that this thread has reached TWENTY pages- over a candy cane.
I'll do you one better, OP. We had that white elephant gift exchange at our company Christmas party the other day. The gift was supposed to be over $40. Everyone actually adhered to that rule. But one participant is the biggest witch ever and derives joy from being mean to people, particularly myself. She is the rudest person I have ever worked with a huge ego and enjoys cutting people down and picking on every little mistake. Oddly enough, she is forever talking about her church and how religious she is.
I received a nice gift from the hat that was promptly stolen from one of my nice coworkers. No biggie; she really liked it. I then stole a gift that I really liked from someone else. Right at the end of the game, when it was my mean coworker's boyfriend's turn, she ordered him to steal my gift from me. The boyfriend didn't want to take it but felt helpless and apologized for stealing it from me. The kicker? She didn't even want the item; it was the delight she derived in depriving me of the gift I really wanted. How petty is that? I ended up with the gift I brought with me to the party
This I TOTALLY don't get. How is this in the spirit of Christmas? All this "stealing" and someone winds up with a crappy gift and feels bad.
And the posts about potlucks reminded me of one year where the place I stayed (snowbirds) was having a cookie swap. People were supposed to sign up and list what they were bringing. I didn't want to go anyway as I like my own cookies better than the ones I had tasted that my neighbors had made. But I noticed some people signed their names and wrote "taste tester" instead of what cookies they were bringing.
HA! So it gets funnier. The person who had me didn't get their gift until today (the last day to give the gift) and they were worried they forgot to write her name down and put in the hat to be selected, but I was like, i'm the one who organized it but I could not remember if I wrote her name down on a piece of paper. Apparently I did and they got her gift today sorta last minute and couldn't figure out what it was lol, going around asking people what they thought it was. I thought it was a sewing box and another coworker thought it was something you put tacos in. They person who gave my secret santa their gift was my secret santa last year who gave me an adult coloring book which sparked my new interest in therapeutic coloring (seriously, i love it. i went out and bought like 10 more coloring books and a ginormous pencil set after I got that gift last year). Anyway, everyone was in good spirits today and everyone wound up liking their gifts and even thought I jumped the gun and complained (it wasn't like crazy serious complaining btw which some people here are assuming it was more of a WTF type thing?) so maybe they added more, who knows, who cares. I can't wait for secret santa again next year!
OH! White Elephant stories? I participated in two white elephants with my ex's family on Xmas. I don't remember what I got the first year, but the second year I got a box of movie popcorn and jelli-rings. I will admit, I bugged out, i was SO mad because I had an ipod nano (remember those?) as my gift until someone STOLE it from me and gave me their box of movie popcorn and jelli-rings. I will admit I overreacted then! I do not like white elephant games, although they can be funny, but i seem to have lost out both times. I wish I could remember what I got that first time. i guess that's the point of white elephant though so everyone doesnt have to buy stuff for a gazillion family members. For what it's worth, i was dumped a month later lol.
Agreed! Now, I am a person who LOVES gift cards. I'm picky and would prefer that someone not try to pick something for me unless they know me well. In my family, we only do Amazon wish lists. I know people who think gift cards are a cop out. Just can't win.
Funny! I love receiving gift cards so I can buy what I want.
I tend to give them a lot too, because people refuse to give me gift ideas! I feel cheap, but hey I'd rather they get something they want than something random I buy that maybe they already have or hate. My parents are the worst to buy for!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks
I received a nice gift from the hat that was promptly stolen from one of my nice coworkers. No biggie; she really liked it. I then stole a gift that I really liked from someone else. Right at the end of the game, when it was my mean coworker's boyfriend's turn, she ordered him to steal my gift from me. The boyfriend didn't want to take it but felt helpless and apologized for stealing it from me. The kicker? She didn't even want the item; it was the delight she derived in depriving me of the gift I really wanted. How petty is that? I ended up with the gift I brought with me to the party
I don't see anything humorous in this type of gift swap. It is just rude and petty. I mean fine if all there are are crappy joke gifts but when there is nice stuff in there too......
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirt Grinder
My reaction would be...
"Hmm... someone actually gave me a candy cane. Oh well."
I think gift cards are great, i've given a few over the years to secret santas I didn't really know what to get a gift for. And if they are offended, they are the EASIEST things to regift to people they don't know what to get for. It does sound all absurd and totally not the meaning of the holidays, but whatever. You can't regift a candy cane and feel okay about that. I gave my secret santa a scarf (along with some other things...) and then i saw in her office she had like 10 scarves hanging around so I either did right, or did totally wrong. She did send an email to everyone saying how much she loved her scarf but that she can't take it in the bathtub with her. (the other gift was a bath set... an old school Mr. Bubbles from the '50s).
HA! So it gets funnier. The person who had me didn't get their gift until today (the last day to give the gift) and they were worried they forgot to write her name down and put in the hat to be selected, but I was like, i'm the one who organized it but I could not remember if I wrote her name down on a piece of paper. Apparently I did and they got her gift today sorta last minute and couldn't figure out what it was lol, going around asking people what they thought it was. I thought it was a sewing box and another coworker thought it was something you put tacos in. They person who gave my secret santa their gift was my secret santa last year who gave me an adult coloring book which sparked my new interest in therapeutic coloring (seriously, i love it. i went out and bought like 10 more coloring books and a ginormous pencil set after I got that gift last year). Anyway, everyone was in good spirits today and everyone wound up liking their gifts and even thought I jumped the gun and complained (it wasn't like crazy serious complaining btw which some people here are assuming it was more of a WTF type thing?) so maybe they added more, who knows, who cares. I can't wait for secret santa again next year!
So glad I'm retiring.
I officially hate gift cards on principle. The whole point of "gifting" is to actually put some thought, time, and effort into choosing a particular something for a particular someone that will both surprise and please the recipient. If you just buy a gift card, you might as well be paying a bill. And if you both just exchange gift cards, what is the point???
I kinda sorta see your point about gift cards, and feel the same way. But sometimes getting a gift card from someone who doesn't know you very well or your likes and dislikes is much better than something really stupid, no? Also, you can re-gift gift cards and even better donate them to charity if you truly feel aggreived about it. I've actually gotten supermarket gift cards a few times in the past (for low end grocers, although that's really all I shop at cuz i'm kinda of a broke joke) and felt weird about it, but then I was like oh HEY, this is 20 dollars worth of groceries that aren't coming out of my paycheck. (and yeah I realize that putting that 20 dollars toward someone elses gift negates the fact, but i'd still rather use that 20 bucks on groceries than having gotten a 20 dollar gift that i won't be able to use. However, everytime I've ever given a gift card as a gift, a cheap gag gift went along with it.
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