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Asking this for the fun of it this holiday season. I didn't participate in the office gift exchange this year because I got ripped off last year. It's funny really. It had a thirty dollar or less rule, bring a gift if you want to participate. We bought a giant box of fancy chocolates and a good bottle of wine. Came away with what looked like a worn out box of regifted cheezy tea cups with gingerbread and Santas(I mean seriously worn out box like it had been shuffled around a while) and one tiny miniature casserole dish. I noticed lots of the gifts were just crap like this being given to people that all have houses and a fully stocked kitchen already. When it is said that its the thought that counts this actually means you are suppose to think about what someone might like to receive. Doesn't it? I was saying in another thread how people just exchange crap nobody wants. Does anyone think its fun to receive doo doo like this?
Asking this for the fun of it this holiday season. I didn't participate in the office gift exchange this year because I got ripped off last year. It's funny really. It had a thirty dollar or less rule, bring a gift if you want to participate. We bought a giant box of fancy chocolates and a good bottle of wine. Came away with what looked like a worn out box of regifted cheezy tea cups with gingerbread and Santas(I mean seriously worn out box like it had been shuffled around a while) and one tiny miniature casserole dish. I noticed lots of the gifts were just crap like this being given to people that all have houses and a fully stocked kitchen already. When it is said that its the thought that counts this actually means you are suppose to think about what someone might like to receive. Doesn't it? I was saying in another thread how people just exchange crap nobody wants. Does anyone think its fun to receive doo doo like this?
I'm with you. If it's one where you pick names, as we did in my old office, it depends on who got you. Once the coworker who also likes to read and write got me, and I got a book on writing and some hot chocolate mix. Nice. Another year, I got a stupid toy for my cats that threw out a string to attract them. It worked for 5 minutes, then broke. It annoyed me because while I can take a joke, the idiotic "crazy cat lady" jokes got old. I had 3 cats, not 20, but I am divorced and live alone so it was great sport for some people in the office to play that up.
Done with that, though. I retired and went to work part-time for a business owned by Orthodox Jews. No Christmas gift exchange there!
I received crap gifts from my boss each year. I was her VP and I usually I received a bag full of stuff she dug out of her closet, used stuff, that she didn't want, and one year, a used coat. It was so tight I couldn't get it on. The year she gave me what I gave her the year before was the last time I went to any trouble trying to find the "right" gift. I told her right before Christmas the following year that it wasn't in my budget to buy anything extra for people outside of my family. It was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I prefer the gift of time, inviting friends to my home, for toddies and a home cooked meal. It's just more fun than getting something useless. People have enough to worry about without having to purchase gifts for the employees at work.
Asking this for the fun of it this holiday season. I didn't participate in the office gift exchange this year because I got ripped off last year. It's funny really. It had a thirty dollar or less rule, bring a gift if you want to participate. We bought a giant box of fancy chocolates and a good bottle of wine. Came away with what looked like a worn out box of regifted cheezy tea cups with gingerbread and Santas(I mean seriously worn out box like it had been shuffled around a while) and one tiny miniature casserole dish. I noticed lots of the gifts were just crap like this being given to people that all have houses and a fully stocked kitchen already. When it is said that its the thought that counts this actually means you are suppose to think about what someone might like to receive. Doesn't it? I was saying in another thread how people just exchange crap nobody wants. Does anyone think its fun to receive doo doo like this?
It sounds like your office needs to have stricter guidelines for participating. Make it absolutely clear if it's a white elephant exchange or should be novelty gifts or make the price limit more reasonable ($30 or less means "less" could be $5. That's not fair.)
It sounds like your office needs to have stricter guidelines for participating. Make it absolutely clear if it's a white elephant exchange or should be novelty gifts or make the price limit more reasonable ($30 or less means "less" could be $5. That's not fair.)
I agree that gift exchange guidelines need to be very clear. A few years ago we had a holiday party & gift exchange among the participants of a social group where I am a member (picture something like a book club with 40 or so members). We exchanged names and included a few ideas of possible gifts (as not everyone knew everyone else). They said that the gifts should be "approximately $20". Well, almost everyone else took the $20 limit as a suggestion to ignore. My present was in a huge gift basket and included everything that I had suggested and more! A box of fancy stationary, Christmas themed notecards & a decorative pen, an angel ornament, expensive chocolates, a hand knit scarf in my favorite colors and more! There was no way in heaven that was a $20 gift, even on deep, deep discount sale prices. Heck, I bet the basket alone originally sold for $20!
As I looked around the room it was very clear that almost everyone had spent far, far more than $20 on their exchange gifts. One person gave their secret Santa a stained glass piece that she made and usually sells for $100.
I searched for something nice that I thought my person would enjoy and found a very thoughtful, appropriate jewelry item that originally cost $25 on sale for $20 (approximately $20). I thought that she would be delighted, but it was pretty clear that she was a little disappointed. And, I felt really embarrassed.
It was the first time that I had attended a gift exchange with that group and I really wished that someone would have clued me in to the fact that most people "over spent" a great, great deal on their gift items.
So, sometimes it can be bad when people go over the limit, too.
We call it "Dirty Santa," where people can steal the gift you receive or chose one from the pile.
Years ago, one young woman evidently took the "Dirty" in "Dirty Santa" a bit too literally. Because when her gift came out of the pile, it was...ahem...marital ads and X-rated videos. So imagine the look on the fifty-something reception when she pulls the Orgasmatron out of the gift bag. It was quite the talk for several years after that, including a terse memo from HR defining what exactly "Dirty Santa" meant.
It sounds like your office needs to have stricter guidelines for participating. Make it absolutely clear if it's a white elephant exchange or should be novelty gifts or make the price limit more reasonable ($30 or less means "less" could be $5. That's not fair.)
That you would have to line that out for people is what I find disheartening. I mean that you really have to explain to people that they need to think about the receiver of the gift and please buy something fun. People are selfish jerks aren't they?
I agree with the OP. Hate anonymous gift exchanges.
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