Office Holiday Party Gift Exchange: Tips and Tricks

[Math Is Hard]

You know the one. You have to bring a wrapped gift for the office holiday party, then you draw a number, and when your number comes up you have to pick a gift or steal one from somebody.

Does anyone want a USC mug?

 

[Evo]

You know the one. You have to bring a wrapped gift for the office holiday party, then you draw a number, and when your number comes up you have to pick a gift or steal one from somebody.

Does anyone want a USC mug?

I hate that!

My boss just gave me a box of the most exquisite chocolate raspberry truffles that I have ever eaten. :!)

 

[Moonbear]

Oh, I know the one you're talking about! It can be fun if you have the right group of people and enough decent gifts worth stealing (or enough people who just want to steal gifts even if they aren't decent). We used to do that in our dept when I was a grad student. A few six-packs of good beer were included in the gifts, so those were certainly coveted, and for some strange reason, a velvet Elvis painting thing showed up every year! That actually would exchange a lot of hands, mostly because it had turned into a running joke...and the last person to get it didn't have to think of a gift for the following year because they'd just save the velvet Elvis and bring it back again! It also worked best when, instead of a limit on how many people you could steal from or how many times back and forth you could go with the same present, we just set a 3 min time limit...kind of like hot potato meets the white elephant. People would be chasing each other around the room in what was much like a game of tag to keep their hands on the coveted 6-pack!

But, since then, I've never done that with another group that has truly embraced the spirit of the game enough to make it any fun. Usually the gifts were just too atrocious for anyone to bother trying to steal them.

 

[Math Is Hard]

hmmm... I like the tag version of it! that makes things completely different.

we actually played a reasonably fun version of it last night at a friend's party. There were no "good" gifts - everyone brought true white elephants (mostly the crap they got from their own gift exchanges at work). But the funny thing is .. I actually got something I wanted! I happened to pick a calculator, and since I collect them - it was perfect. And for the first time ever, no one stole it from me just to "burn my biscuits"!

 

[Math Is Hard]

My boss just gave me a box of the most exquisite chocolate raspberry truffles that I have ever eaten. :!)

NICE boss!

 

[Tsu]

I'll trade you a USC mug or raspberry truffles for my Christmas Colon Care Kit!

 

[BoulderHead]

You know the one. You have to bring a wrapped gift for the office holiday party, then you draw a number, and when your number comes up you have to pick a gift or steal one from somebody.

Does anyone want a USC mug?

---deleted---
*asinine question*

 

[Math Is Hard]

I'll trade you a USC mug or raspberry truffles for my Christmas Colon Care Kit!

well, I guess you don't have to worry about anyone stealing that prezzie from you!

Anyone else get any crappy gifts?

 

[Chrono]

I just got people in my martial arts class candy. I knew two of them would like chocolate. I totally guessed at the other three.

 

[Math Is Hard]

what did you get the other 3?

 

[Chrono]

what did you get the other 3?

Chocolate, of course. You know the huge cane shaped container that holds Hershey's Kisses. I gave one girl a bag of Reese's Pieces which she actually told me that she loved. I actually thought my martial arts instructor would like it as he can do Hapkido techniques with it (Hapkido has cane techniques).

 

[Math Is Hard]

Smart move! It's hard to go wrong with chocolate. You just have to make sure no one is diabetic - else you have to get the sugar-free kind.

 

[Moonbear]

Smart move! It's hard to go wrong with chocolate. You just have to make sure no one is diabetic - else you have to get the sugar-free kind.

Hint, if you ever get sugar-free chocolate, don't eat too much! One of my friends learned the hard way. It has that undigestable sugar in it...she had to take a sick day.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Hint, if you ever get sugar-free chocolate, don't eat too much! One of my friends learned the hard way. It has that undigestable sugar in it...she had to take a sick day.

Damn straight! it's almost as good as Tsu's "Clean Colon Kit"!

 

[Chrono]

Hint, if you ever get sugar-free chocolate, don't eat too much! One of my friends learned the hard way. It has that undigestable sugar in it...she had to take a sick day.

Yep. Those sugar alcoholics get you every time.

Smart move! It's hard to go wrong with chocolate. You just have to make sure no one is diabetic - else you have to get the sugar-free kind.

I don't think any of them are. They were recently given fudge and I heard nothing wrong with that. I guess I'll hear something Wednesday.

 

[Chrono]

Smart move! It's hard to go wrong with chocolate. You just have to make sure no one is diabetic - else you have to get the sugar-free kind.

I've done a bit of thinking and I might do the same thing for some people at work (mostly the girls). Is that also a smart move?

 

[Math Is Hard]

hmmm... I think you should save that for Valentine's Day. They will lo-o-ove you for it! :!)
But it would be nice if you gave them holiday cards for Christmas/Solstice or whatever the kids are calling it these days.

 

[Chrono]

hmmm... I think you should save that for Valentine's Day. They will lo-o-ove you for it! :!)
But it would be nice if you gave them holiday cards for Christmas/Solstice or whatever the kids are calling it these days.

I was going to do that for Valentine's anyway.

That may not be a bad idea with the cards. I can get their addresses from work (I've done it before when one of them had a car accident). But it may be a bit late for that. I don't know.

 

[Math Is Hard]

sometimes I think you might be the nicest person on the planet

 

[Chrono]

sometimes I think you might be the nicest person on the planet

I've noticed most of the girls I know say that. I'm not exactly sure if that's totally good or not.

 

[Math Is Hard]

don't you have a girlfriend these days? but, oh, it doesn't matter. I already have designs on you to marry my 16 year old beautiful ballerina sister.

 

[Chrono]

don't you have a girlfriend these days? but, oh, it doesn't matter. I already have designs on you to marry my 16 year old beautiful ballerina sister.

No, I've been trying to get a girlfriend for quite a while now but they all seem to have boyfriends.

Sixteen, huh? Sure she's not too young for me?

 

[Math Is Hard]

It's just that she's dating someone now. But I don't like him. I'll try to get rid of him when I go home to Texas this week.

 

[Chrono]

It's just that she's dating someone now.

See?! The first rule of http://dmawww.epfl.ch/roso.mosaic/dm/murphy.html is that all the good ones are taken.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Don't you worry, sweet-pea. Auntie Math can be very convincing when it comes to affairs of the heart.

(Failing that, I have a shotgun and a shovel in the back of my pick-up truck.)

 

[Chrono]

Don't you worry, sweet-pea. Auntie Math can be very convincing when it comes to affairs of the heart.

(Failing that, I have a shotgun and a shovel in the back of my pick-up truck.)

I'm sure you can be convincing. Just make sure I don't get on your bad side.

I think I figured out what I'm going to do for Valentine's for, at least, a couple of the girls. One of them, for some strange reason, likes me to give her shoulder massages/rubs and recently one of our other friends has gotten a love coupon book and she seemed to like it. So what I thought was to give her some coupons for a massage. The other girl I figured to just give her some sort of Valentine's card, writing a little something, and mailing it to her from the address I can get from work. How does that sound?

 

[Math Is Hard]

You know, Chrono, I saw your picture in the photo thread, you handsome thing, and you are the SPITTIN' IMAGE of my kid brother! I just about fell over when I saw that! He's a long, tall, handsome drink o' water like yourself.
I think the massage coupons are a nice idea, since she seems to like you backrubs. (sisters, want to weigh in on this? should he do it?) And yes, send the other girl a card - maybe you could write a cute poem to put in there - no sense putting your eggs all in one basket.

 

[Chrono]

You know, Chrono, I saw your picture in the photo thread, you handsome thing, and you are the SPITTIN' IMAGE of my kid brother! I just about fell over when I saw that! He's a long, tall, handsome drink o' water like yourself.
I think the massage coupons are a nice idea, since she seems to like you backrubs. (sisters, want to weigh in on this? should he do it?) And yes, send the other girl a card - maybe you could write a cute poem to put in there - no sense putting your eggs all in one basket.

I was thinking of doing something with a poem, but all the ones I like are love poems and I think she'll get a little freaked out if I did that.

Thanks for the compliment. I think that's the most I've had coming from one person. :shy:

 

[tumor]

Chocolate, of course. You know the huge cane shaped container that holds Hershey's Kisses. I gave one girl a bag of Reese's Pieces which she actually told me that she loved. .

Excusme, you eat or give someone that crappy hershey's pseudo chocolate?
I eat tons of chocolate, but I would not touch with 10 foot pole American "chocolate"
Try Lindt or other European chocolate, they are not v.expensive, but my God are they good!

 

[Chrono]

MIH, what do you think of this poem to put in the card:

When you are sad...I will dry your tears
When you are scared...I will comfort your fears
When you are worried...I will give you hope
When you are confused...I will help you cope
And when you are lost...And can't see the light
I shall be your beacon...Shining ever so bright
This is my oath...I pledge till the end
Why you may ask?

Because you are my friend.

I can look and see if I can find some more. You don't want me creating one, because at the rate I go I'd get finished with it in time for Valentine's Day...of 2006.