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.
This has really bothered me for the last few days.
I lead an organization that always has a gift exchange at our Christmas party. Not a large group and the people always make an effort to buy a decent gift for the exchange. Except this year.
One person, who has been here for years and is far from poor, brought a gift that absolutely no one would want. For some reason they thought it would be funny.
The person that received the gift is the nicest, kindest, do anything for you person there is. She also has no family and there is a good chance that will be the only gift she gets this Christmas. She always spends over the suggested amount and buys something really nice, as most of us do.
I just want to say people should think before they participate in a gift exchange when you don't know who will pick the package you brought. It might not mean much to you, but it may to someone else.
Ugh. We do Christmas gift exchanging at work. I hate it. I would much rather draw names and have one person to buy for than a gift for every employee. Of course they say it’s optional but as one of the managers, I would look like the grinch not participating.
Last year I gave every employee a rtic mug with a mini bottle of liquor inside. This year, everyone is getting a large Christmas mug with hot chocolate, candy cane, chocolate Santa candy bar and mini bottle of liquor. One guy that is in recovery, so he got a scratch off lotto ticket instead of alcohol. If they don’t like it, I don’t care. $100 for employee gifts is plenty.
I have asked for years to draw names. Every employee could buy a $50 gift and still be less money than buying for everyone
Any Christmas thing that's optional isn't really optional. The boss believes it is when they say it's an optional event but it isn't. There is always this undercurrent of forced participation. Why? Because if the employee refuses, they know the boss will remember when the time comes for a raise or promotion and will think the person isn't really a "team player."
I hate those forced or so called optional parties but I always go anyway. The best party I went to was the party in which the booze flowed freely and everyone got very drunk. It was a high pressure ophthalmologist practice. There was a gift exchange, and nearly everyone changed alcohol. Someone got $5 earbuds, but I think they were too drunk to care. The worst one I went to was a white elephant. I got a movie that was one of the most horrible ever made in the history of cinema. It made me laugh but the party was annoying because it was a potluck and I don't like cooking for a bunch of people I barely know and I think the movie was a regift.
This has really bothered me for the last few days.
I lead an organization that always has a gift exchange at our Christmas party. Not a large group and the people always make an effort to buy a decent gift for the exchange. Except this year.
I just want to say people should think before they participate in a gift exchange when you don't know who will pick the package you brought. It might not mean much to you, but it may to someone else.
Your gift exchange does not sound optional. So glad my job doesn't do these silly things.
I've took part in two schools that did different ones.
One was dreaded White Elephant but it was done left/right rather than the select or trade. I got a few duds. One was a woman's fragrance or something, the other was an older game. I think my third one went actually fine. I only remember the bad.
The one that I currently work at does Secret Santa. The first year (last year) I did OK but I feel I got more than I gave because it is gifts everyday rather than a single big gift and I didn't know my target. We did better with our department one. This year, I did better with giving more and I did AWESOME. I got fine gifts too and it helped she knew me pretty good. We didn't do a department one this year sadly. Maybe next year I'll ask at a November meeting...
All besides the department one were optional.
White elephants can be good or bad while Secret Santa is good especially if there is check list.
Hated unknown gift exchanges, dirty Santa exchanges, etc.
Most fun was receiving something very small, inexpensive, and unexpected from a coworker. Like a card or piece of candy. Just a thought.
Remember the singing bass or the monkey playing cymbals? These were at Xmas exchanges at our office. Also chocolates and lottery tickets. It happens everywhere. I have also heard complaints about others overspending on these exchanges and it being almost as stressful as the whole holiday. Cannot please everyone and maybe this was how they show it?
Suppose you gave out lottery tickets and one was a 20 million dollar winner?
Any Christmas thing that's optional isn't really optional. The boss believes it is when they say it's an optional event but it isn't. There is always this undercurrent of forced participation. Why? Because if the employee refuses, they know the boss will remember when the time comes for a raise or promotion and will think the person isn't really a "team player."
I hate those forced or so called optional parties but I always go anyway. The best party I went to was the party in which the booze flowed freely and everyone got very drunk. It was a high pressure ophthalmologist practice. There was a gift exchange, and nearly everyone changed alcohol. Someone got $5 earbuds, but I think they were too drunk to care. The worst one I went to was a white elephant. I got a movie that was one of the most horrible ever made in the history of cinema. It made me laugh but the party was annoying because it was a potluck and I don't like cooking for a bunch of people I barely know and I think the movie was a regift.
I work in education so I never experienced an "optional" gift exchange. It has always been optional except for the in department one I spoke of, but we all agreed on having one so it wasn't like we forced people to participate that didn't want to... I like that there is no pressure to do anything holidays but I'll still give Christmas cards, cookies to my fellow department staff and office staff and presents (though I am getting them late this year due to a trip I'm taking this week.) Sounds like you have Grinches or Scrooges for bosses.
The first school I worked at had it as a similar set up as you describe. We do have a potluck at the second one but that is a glorified meeting with a separate secret Santa week ending in a breakfast reveal party.. As for the first one, White Elephant was elective and it stunk. I think I had a baseball batting average of doing good. I got a movie collection the first year I worked there thinking it would be a Zink and it was liked. Instead I got zonked. (See my previous post for details.)
Suppose you gave out lottery tickets and one was a 20 million dollar winner?
Not 20M, but my coworker won $1000 from a scratch off she got in our gift exchange last year. Needless to say, scratch offs were pretty popular this year.
The only gifts I really like in gift exchanges ARE the lottery tickets. I have no need for another mug filled with cheap candies, bottles of hard liquor which I don't drink or knick-knacks.
My company did an optional Secret Santa where you put in your name and three things you would like to get as a gift. Almost everyone played by the rules and was happy. We all chipped in for a pizza lunch. One person who didn't want anymore stuff asked for a donation to be made to charity instead. I don't think anyone noticed or cared which people chose not to participate. I would do it again.
We used to do an extended family white elephant type gift exchange - always good gifts, but had the trade/steal/etc rules. Someone (no one ever confessed to it) brought a thigh master to it one year. I think one of the elderly great aunts got it. It was a bit awkward at first, but she just played right along and eventually, one of the younger ones stole it from her. Wouldn't you know it, that same thigh master showed back up at least 5 more years in a row (but would have $20 bill attached or something) It sort of became the gift everyone wanted - you were going to get a bit of cash and you weren't going to have to shop the next year for your gift to bring. It was actually a bit sad when it stopped making an appearance.
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.
