Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Softening on Secret Santa

I have always opposed Secret Santa and pretty much any other kind of forced gift-giving. No one enjoys it and usually someone ends up getting screwed. So you can imagine my dismay when in my first day at my new job I was drafted for the office Secret Santa. Everyone in the office was complaining about it and it seemed to be nothing more than a perfunctory exchange of gift cards.
Being the new guy I didn't think it was in my best interests to recuse myself from the gift-giving so I grinned and pretended to be interested. When I reached into the bowl to make my choice I selected my own name. I had a fleeting moment where I thought I should just put the slip in my pocket and say nothing to no one. But instead I threw back my name and selected another.
With the spending limit set at $25 I asked Mrs. Poop to pick me up a Best Buy gift card for $20. The Secret Santa provided for some lively discussion around the office for a couple days, with pretty much everyone just bitching about it. But when the time came to exchange gifts the recipient of mine was very pleased, and even I made out well.
I got a $20 gift card from Starbucks. Sure, I don't drink coffee. And it was once my claim that I had never purchased anything at a Starbucks, but I've since broken that streak. I will happily share my gift card with Mrs. Poop and even enjoy a couple of Peppermint Hot Chocolates of my own. But in thanking the gift giver I was able to stir up a good conversation about coffee and working nights and it turned out this whole absurd endeavour actually served me quite well in incorporating me into the staff at my new job.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:40 PM

    It sounds like this is essentially the same as my birthday gift-giving with Scat in the past. His birthday is in July and I'd give him $1 as a gift...then 2 weeks later, for my birthday, Scat would give me back the $1. Pointless, but necessary to fit in with the social norms.

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  2. That doesn't sound like the Scat I know. The Scat I know would give you $1.01.

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  3. Anonymous9:08 PM

    True, and yet he never did that.

    Furthermore - in today's economy and with Scat's growing family, there is limited possibility for him to one-up me.

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