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#Post#: 9357--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: Venus193 Date: July 23, 2018, 6:41 am
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[quote author=Bada link=topic=544.msg9326#msg9326
date=1532272346]
Do you think you could ask to decrease the spending cap by
blaming it on the economy/the business? If no one has gotten a
raise in ages (as cost of living goes up, leaving you with less
disposable income) or if you're not getting a Christmas bonus
like you used to, maybe you can suggest the game be modified.
Have you tried reaching out to your co-workers on the down low
to see if they hate the limit too (or the game as a whole)? If
a group of you say it together, maybe you can get it changed.
(But I've had bad results when speaking for others when they
aren't present...the Others changed their story when angrily
confronted by the irrational person I had given our message to.
So all go talk to Organizer together!)
ETA: I just re-read the OP and it was at the old job. So my
suggestions might not be needed, but I'll leave them anyway,
shrug. :)
[/quote]
Of course your answers are needed; this problem wasn't unique to
my situation and I think every year we had at least one thread
on this subject.
As for how I handled it at the time I asked the organizer about
the person whose name I drew. She came back with the suggestion
to get him a DVD from The Criterion Collection; any title. I
was a member of the Colombia House DVD Club at the time and had
enough points to get a free copy of a film that sold for $35 in
stores (It was Fellini's 8 1/2). Since we were also asked to
put small things on the recipient's desk during the three weeks
between the announcement and the party I spent a little cash on
things like packets of good trail mix, candy bars, and chips.
#Post#: 9361--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: Irishkitty Date: July 23, 2018, 7:43 am
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My current job has a secret Santa Christmas gift exchange. As
there are only about 10 -12 people in the office we either try
to make it something they would enjoy or a joke gift. The best
part is guessing who your secret Santa is, we make that the
biggest part. Some years I've received really nice/cute items,
one year I got a gag gift that I didn't care for but it was the
thought and laughs with colleagues that made the night.
In my last job we had a secret Santa too, but most people did
gag gifts. We were not supposed to find out who our secret Santa
was, but people tried and then got very irate complaining about
what they were given. E.G. One girl was known for being very
into her looks, clothes, makeup, etc. She was a pretty blonde
and someone got her a Barbie Princess Mirror and Comb. She was
really angry and demanded to know who gave it to her. ::)
But in both places the limit is fairly low, about €10 - just
checked the exchange rate that's less than $12.
#Post#: 9365--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: kckgirl Date: July 23, 2018, 8:05 am
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I wouldn't have participated if the suggested limits were
$35-50. Those are in the "family" range to me. My office (about
20 people) did the suitable-for-anybody exchange where we played
the game. We sneaked our gifts into the conference room so
nobody knew which one we brought. After three steals, an item
was out of the game. Our top limit was $10, and we often spent
less. It was goodhearted fun, and there were some pretty clever
gifts.
#Post#: 9369--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: DaDancingPsych Date: July 23, 2018, 9:00 am
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[quote author=Amara link=topic=544.msg9243#msg9243
date=1532192012]
ETA: I have given thought at various times this year to
wondering if others at work would like to join me in hosting a
Giving Tree, that is, one of those trees to which people can
come and pick a card off the tree that has a wish on it from a
client served by the charitable organization. I've thought one
focused on low-income seniors would be fabulous since they are
often not thought of as much as children and/or families.
However, I have not brought it up because I have very strong
feelings about roping people into doing what they don't want to
do. It may or may not happen; I may do it by myself. I'll just
have to see.
[/quote]
A thought that may not be a good one. Is there an organization
near you that has a giving tree that you could participate in?
(For example, I know department stores have them. One of our
local senior centers does one, too.) Maybe invite anyone within
the office/company to join you and see what kind of interest
there is. For the first year, you simply participate in this
other company's giving tree. Then you can decide if you want to
do one within your company... or maybe you will find that this
other partnership works just fine, too!
#Post#: 9377--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: Writer of Wrongs Date: July 23, 2018, 9:34 am
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My current job doesn't do Secret Santa. Several of us will bring
small treats for our location (7-8 people) - a tiny bag of
candies or a candy cane for each person, a tray of home-baked
goods for the breakroom, etc., - but it's strictly voluntary,
and nobody thinks anything negative of anyone who doesn't do so.
My previous job did an ornament exchange, and I got some
beautiful pieces there. Then one year I received an ornament
somehow connected to the Christmas Story movie (is that right?
The kid who wants the BB gun?). I'm really not into Christmas
movies, so I had never seen that one and had no idea what the
ornament was about until DH told me at home that night, but I
was polite. "Oh, how funny! How cute! Thank you!" That was the
only dud, though, and it would have been fine for someone
familiar with the movie (which I still haven't seen).
#Post#: 9379--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: Soop Date: July 23, 2018, 10:03 am
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After reading all the posts, I'm still glad we don't do gifts at
my office. A few years ago, someone on my team mentioned a team
Secret Santa, and everyone kept bean dipping her. I guess I'm
not the only one who doesn't like them.
We don't buy presents for very many people in our family, and
none for non-family members, so the thought of buying for a
random co-worker is out of the question for me. And even more
annoying would be a Gag gift Secret Santa. Mr. S and I agreed a
few years ago, no more gag gifts in our Christmas stockings (we
only do stockings for each other...slightly pricier gifts in it
than a normal stocking would be, but no big gifts) because it
would just go in the trash after the fun was over. I don't want
to buy or receive stuff that's going in the trash.
#Post#: 9380--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: Jem Date: July 23, 2018, 10:24 am
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[quote author=Soop link=topic=544.msg9379#msg9379
date=1532358230]
After reading all the posts, I'm still glad we don't do gifts at
my office. A few years ago, someone on my team mentioned a team
Secret Santa, and everyone kept bean dipping her. I guess I'm
not the only one who doesn't like them.
We don't buy presents for very many people in our family, and
none for non-family members, so the thought of buying for a
random co-worker is out of the question for me. And even more
annoying would be a Gag gift Secret Santa. Mr. S and I agreed a
few years ago, no more gag gifts in our Christmas stockings (we
only do stockings for each other...slightly pricier gifts in it
than a normal stocking would be, but no big gifts) because it
would just go in the trash after the fun was over. I don't want
to buy or receive stuff that's going in the trash.
[/quote]
I 100% agree. My family does "experience" gifts but aside from
the kids we don't exchange tangible presents. We all have
whatever we actually want, and none of us enjoy buying or
receiving tangible things that are not truly wanted. It seems
Secret Santa type presents - even at the $35 price point - would
be just throwing that money away, albeit after people have
agonized over what to buy and agonized over how to act when
opening something not wanted.
I am on board with giving to families in need in lieu of
exchanging useless gifts with people who have all they want or
need. This is what my workplace does. I think there may be a
voluntary Secret Santa thing among support staff. My colleagues
and I get enough holiday presents from clients - usually food of
some sort - that we find ourselves just sharing them with the
entire office.
#Post#: 9388--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: accountingisfun Date: July 23, 2018, 12:16 pm
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We've started doing something very different with my families
(it started with the in-laws and now we are doing it on my side
too). Since all of the nieces and nephews are older and want to
participate in a gift exchange with the whole family, but are of
tighter finances, we started doing "Trade a 6-pack". Basically,
everyone who wants to participate brings a 6-pack, and then we
trade them doing a dirty Santa type exchange. We all have quite
a bit of fun. For my in-laws, many of the gifts involve food or
alcohol, but that is because that is what the group likes! For
my family, there are a number who don't drink, so then we do
other types of 6-packs, like my nephew made gorgeous wooden
coasters, and my sister brought a 6 pack of different types of
tea. We've done things like a 6 pack of interesting meat and
cheese combinations, spice blends, balsamic vinegar and olive
oil, etc. This also relieves some of the gift giving pressure on
my Mom and MIL since then they don't have to buy for all of the
kids and grand-kids. We don't really put a dollar value of a
minimum or maximum, so people just spend what they are
comfortable with and according to each family's values. We've
really liked doing it and I think with modifications for
particular office cultures, it might be a good fit for an office
as well.
#Post#: 9402--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: Soop Date: July 23, 2018, 2:27 pm
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I can imagine in some offices, if enthusiasm isn't high in the
whole group or if they don't know each other very well
personally there could be a lot of gift cards. Well, at that
point, just let me keep my cash and spend it how I want.
#Post#: 9406--------------------------------------------------
Re: Secret Santa At the Office: How to Make Sure The Rules Are
Fair
By: Despedina Date: July 23, 2018, 2:49 pm
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We did the giving tree thing for a needy family at my old job. I
don't know if the needy family was of an employee or what.
Several things were reasonable like size 10 boys shoes, hot
wheels cars etc but there were shockingly large ticket items
like a flat screen tv, laptop and game system. Worse yet was the
fact that as the due date drew near, HR sent an email out that
there still several items on the tree. All of them were the high
priced items. Most of the people at the company barely made
35000 a year.
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