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Gift Exchange
Dec. 3rd, 2006 07:08 pmMy employer has a program called Orange Santa. This is where employees who want to can contribute Christmas presents for kids and/or wrapping paper, and people who could use help getting presents for their kids can apply to "shop" among these donations.
My office uses this as an excuse to have a gift exchange. Everyone who wants to participate draws the name of another participant and then buys a children's gift that reminds them of that person. For example, the person who loves watching soccer games usually gets a soccer ball. They wrap it and bring it to a little party. And then they exchange their gifts and open the gifts and ooh and ah and laugh over the gifts. Then the gifts get donated to Orange Santa (where they want them to arrive unwrapped).
I don't do this because I don't know half the people in the office, and the other half I don't know well, and the idea of having to sneak learn things about them doesn't sound as fun to me as it should. I keep telling myself I should try it sometime, but I haven't yet.
But then people like me can still come to the party and just bring unwrapped gifts to add to the donation pile and/or party food. And I love watching the people open the presents.
This year I heard that what's most needed is gifts for teenaged boys. I couldn't think of anything good. I went to Target for inspiration, but it didn't quite happen. I went with gifts that aren't for a particular gender but are for relatively older kids. Okay, well, for dorks. Hey, some kids are dorks, and they like presents, too. I got Scrabble, Boggle, and a book of intense Su Doku.
**
One of the professional organizations I'm involved with at work has adopted a family and we got to see a wish list. I did get a good present for this family. Two of the kids want X-box games, and I got one of the best video games ever: Psychonauts.
My office uses this as an excuse to have a gift exchange. Everyone who wants to participate draws the name of another participant and then buys a children's gift that reminds them of that person. For example, the person who loves watching soccer games usually gets a soccer ball. They wrap it and bring it to a little party. And then they exchange their gifts and open the gifts and ooh and ah and laugh over the gifts. Then the gifts get donated to Orange Santa (where they want them to arrive unwrapped).
I don't do this because I don't know half the people in the office, and the other half I don't know well, and the idea of having to sneak learn things about them doesn't sound as fun to me as it should. I keep telling myself I should try it sometime, but I haven't yet.
But then people like me can still come to the party and just bring unwrapped gifts to add to the donation pile and/or party food. And I love watching the people open the presents.
This year I heard that what's most needed is gifts for teenaged boys. I couldn't think of anything good. I went to Target for inspiration, but it didn't quite happen. I went with gifts that aren't for a particular gender but are for relatively older kids. Okay, well, for dorks. Hey, some kids are dorks, and they like presents, too. I got Scrabble, Boggle, and a book of intense Su Doku.
**
One of the professional organizations I'm involved with at work has adopted a family and we got to see a wish list. I did get a good present for this family. Two of the kids want X-box games, and I got one of the best video games ever: Psychonauts.