Secret Santa - Friend or Foe
Good natured pranks at the office reign supreme on April Fools Day but holiday parties and Secret Santa gift exchanges are not the appropriate place to poke fun at a co-worker or the boss.
The gist of the “game” as some call it is that identities are withheld and the recipient is challenged to unmask the giver. Instead of playing, most of us want to slink off way behind the water cooler to lick our wounds and calm the sting of derision implied by the gift at hand.
A spectacular way to avoid the strum and drang of this prickly holiday tradition is to take a page from an as yet unidentified Secret Santa in Pennsylvania. Kelly Bayliss reported today, December 1, on nbcphiladelphia.com following up on an article in The Reading Eagle, a Secret Santa handed out $20,000 in $100 bills to 200 residents in Reading, PA. Wishing to remain anonymous, this uber-generous Secret Santa said that upon learning that Reading, PA is the poorest city in the country, “It’s time for us to step up, not step back.” Bravo!
Money and/or gifts are not the issue here; it is finding a need and filling it with goodness – what better example to set for gift giving at anytime of the year. Spend some time thinking about a charitable organization that would be meaningful to your “Secret Santee” and make a donation. The guessing fun is still in play but instead of a useless deer antler headband or a snarky g-string for the macho man in the office, a little goodwill go a long way. No clue where to find a charity or one with a specific mission, check out www.causecast.com or www.kickstarter.com.
The Internet has how-tos and answers for nearly any question and the ins and outs of creating a Secret Santa program is no exception. Secretsanta.com provides the rules and a free GuestList program that is quick to set up and manages the entire process online. Other options for online assistance include www.bestsecretsanta.com and www.elfster.com.
Still intent on pursuing the game in its time honored tradition? A few tips to make it a joyful, fun and generous holiday:
• Set a maximum price – one that takes into account those further down the salary rung.
• Rig the recipient selection to prevent office meanies from bullying their usual prey.
• Have the organizer vet the gift selections before the exchange takes place.
• Select a theme (food, travel, movies – you get the idea), an easy way to give those who are too stressed out to be creative a general idea of what to purchase.
• Imbibe after the exchange to minimize snide comments. Office parties are not the best place to be intoxicated for any reason but that’s another article entirely.
• Rig the recipient selection to prevent office meanies from bullying their usual prey.
• Have the organizer vet the gift selections before the exchange takes place.
• Select a theme (food, travel, movies – you get the idea), an easy way to give those who are too stressed out to be creative a general idea of what to purchase.
• Imbibe after the exchange to minimize snide comments. Office parties are not the best place to be intoxicated for any reason but that’s another article entirely.
These thoughts and recommendations are applicable to Secret Santa exchanges among friends and relatives, in addition to your office family. Don’t just put everyone’s name in a hat and buy one more item to perch on an already crowded desk – put some thought into gifting and a merrier time will be had by all.
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Dindy is also the Long Island Literature Examiner. Read her reviews at http://www.examiner.com/literature-in-long-island/dindy-yokel.
December 1, 2011 - Like this? Subscribe to get instant updates.
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