Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We had a little gathering this Saturday morning and we were asked if we wanted to participate in a stocking exchange.
Since i don't want anything - i opted out. They called me a grinch - but eh - so what. I just don't need more stuff. Everyone that participated got something. One person even bought a gift thing for me in case i changed my mind. Not going to happen. Thankfully someone else took it
What was weird was that they called it a stocking exchange and they all used small gift bags - what the heck. If i would have participated i would have been there with a stocking. I guess these people are clued in on what it really is? And some of the little gifts seemed kind of pricy. Another duh - i thought it was just supposed to be little tidbits. Glad i did not participate.
Our gift exchange went pretty well this year. We asked everyone in the team to submit a “wish list” of five suggestions, and at least two of them had to be links to specific items. It looks like everyone ended up getting something they wanted.
In the past, we’ve been a little more free-form, and the results have been mixed. I felt bad for one coworker last year who ended up with a really tacky cheap plastic red beaded necklace that really was not her style at all. Everyone else ended up with great gifts. That’s the one of the reasons we decided to go the wish list route.
Our gift exchange went pretty well this year. We asked everyone in the team to submit a “wish list” of five suggestions, and at least two of them had to be links to specific items. It looks like everyone ended up getting something they wanted.
In the past, we’ve been a little more free-form, and the results have been mixed. I felt bad for one coworker last year who ended up with a really tacky cheap plastic red beaded necklace that really was not her style at all. Everyone else ended up with great gifts. That’s the one of the reasons we decided to go the wish list route.
At my old job we started to have wish lists or suggestions and they encouraged people to be specific (such as vanilla scented candle or angel Christmas tree ornament). Those gift exchanges seemed to work out better than the "free-form" ones.
I opted out of doing these after seeing some really lousy exchanges.
Where I work there are part timers making minimum wage and others that make two to three times minimum wage. The secret santa gift exchanges are set to a certain dollar amount to kind of keep things on an even footing. But every single year one or more of the higher earners will draw the name of another high earner and I guess they think it's too cheap to stick with the allowed dollar amount so they go all out with some nice gift.
It winds up with some people getting a cheap little candle or three dollar bath gel from the discount stores, while others are receiving fifty dollar items from Bed Bath and Beyond, or the like. So something that is supposed to be some sort of bonding event to make us feel more like a 'work family' winds up feeling awkward, there are hurt feelings, envy, and resentment. Hey maybe this does make us just like a family after all, a dysfunctional one!
Why are people so fixated on the gift? I'm just not understanding that - OP stated the basic facts and her/his concern that the person that received such gift may not get anything else. Sadly, like many threads, it became a bashing of the idea of the exchange, demanding to know the gift, etc. - Sad.
Why are people so fixated on the gift? I'm just not understanding that - OP stated the basic facts and her/his concern that the person that received such gift may not get anything else. Sadly, like many threads, it became a bashing of the idea of the exchange, demanding to know the gift, etc. - Sad.
Because the basis of the thread was that the person brought a gift that "no one would want". Maybe it's not something the OP was interested in, but it could be something that others are interested in, or something that is often gifted at other gift exchanges.
My husband got a 32 oz metal water bottle at one of his gift exchanges. It was bright, neon pink. He didn't want it, and thought it was an odd gift. I like it though.
Another gift exchange, 3 people brought lava lamps. I wouldn't consider it a good gift, yet 3 people seemed to think so.
Because the basis of the thread was that the person brought a gift that "no one would want". Maybe it's not something the OP was interested in, but it could be something that others are interested in, or something that is often gifted at other gift exchanges.
My husband got a 32 oz metal water bottle at one of his gift exchanges. It was bright, neon pink. He didn't want it, and thought it was an odd gift. I like it though.
Another gift exchange, 3 people brought lava lamps. I wouldn't consider it a good gift, yet 3 people seemed to think so.
This. For all we know, she loved it. Unless there's something OP saw about her reaction that we obviously haven't, all we know is their opinion of the gift. I can think of plenty of things I would think are great that a lot of people would think were bad, and vice versa.
I do feel badly for the nice lady if she was disappointed.
Personally I always opted out of gift exchanges at work if I could. I had so many other gifts to organize and buy for my own family that it was just an obligation that I did not want or need. It was made to be difficult, though, as a list of everyone went up and you had to cross out your name if you chose not to participate.
As time went on, more and more people opted out until it ended and this was a friendly bunch. My friends and I choose to “gift” each other with “no gift, no stress” but go out to brunch together instead.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
