Secret Santa stinks!

[fordmommy]

Quote:
Ditto.

Some people can really be mean.

 

[WriterofWords]

Every year since our school opened, except this year, we've had a SS exchange that took place over a week. M - Fr you put a small gift up to $1 in the person's mail box in the teacher's lounge then on Friday at the luncheon you gave them the main gift that was UP TO $25. It did't have to be 25, but that was the top. We filled out a questionnaire as to what we like, dislike, colors, allergies, etc. It went well until last year when the problems started with a certain group at school and they messed it up for everyone else so we didn't do it this year. I've gotten $10 lighthouse cookies jars that sound a foghorn when the lid is lifted, a Pirates of the Car.. movie, a bobble head moose, all kinds of interesting and cute things. I've always enjoyed giving the gifts and decided it was going to be something amusing on my end no matter what so I never got disappointed!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

My loser sister gave my daughter who was at the time 9 a $25 Wal-mart gift card....that was already spent!!! We quit doing exchanges after that. Reminds me of the YouTube SpongeBob song.."Don't Be a Jerk..It's Christmas" Here's that very cute song for you all. I agree it is better to give than recieve, but only with SOME people

And now....for your entertainment....

Maybe that will make some of you neglected recievers feel better!!

 

[cafarmgirl]

I still remember being in 2nd grade and getting a bottle of lotion as my gift from my SS because her mother sold Avon! More recently the large medical office I worked in started with all that each year. After seeing so many people recieving things of no use to them some of us suggested that perhaps we as a group could do far more good with all that wasted money by donating to local charities or buying all the tags off the local Soroptomist tree for needy families etc. That worked out really well and was something that actually made a difference for people who needed it.

 

[halo]

Im involved in a Secret Santa drawing every year, with our church. It involves pulling a name out of a hat of a child who's family has come upon hard times; needless to say the hat was full this year. Families who dont have enough to put Christmas dinner on the table, families who's kids wont have any gifts at all. We give back gift certificates to our local grocery store, give families with boys baseball bats, balls and mitts, give families with little girls a doll for them to love and take care of. It truly gives the children reasons to believe in Santa, and gives the parents a reason to believe that maybe there really was a baby Jesus, that people came from far to give a poor child gifts. Many of the participants in our Secret Santa are children who give from their own hard earned money, to buy gifts and food for those who have nothing on Christmas. It makes me so proud seeing some of these kids, that it warms my whole soul more than anything I can even describe.

I didnt mean to get off tangent, but I really believe these Secret Santa swaps give children all the wrong idea about Christmas. The children who help us get such a valuable lesson in helping people; Ive never heard one of these children complain that they didnt get a gift back, after seeing the families they are helping.

 

[dntd]

Wow you have a nice sister I bet your DD wanted to buy herself something niceThis is the first year I didn't buy my sister or her kids gifts.She's been so horrible to me and my kids this year, I couldn't bring myself to forgive though I forgive easily. She owes me money only $100, told me to ask her on a certin date I would and she would flame me so bad then tell me to ask on another date. My DD was in the hospital for 6 weeks, never even bothered to call her, or drop by. She also refused to give back the much needed money as hospital stays aren't cheap, she had the nerve to flame me again this time telling me she should call CPS because of the accident ! She didn't even ask me about what happened or if she was ok (all contact was through facebook) told my mom I didn't Deserve my money back! She didn't remember any of my kids birthdays either( she has 3 kids I have 5 but still a phone call does wonders for kids self esteem)

 

[chickens4me]

I think I would "Skip" that part of Christmas next year & use all that money to buy something really nice for my own family that would be fun for all of them. (Games, Out-to-Eat, Netflix, etc.) That might be a lot more fun and much less disappointing as you will know what you will be getting!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
Sounds like another wonderful sister. My sister has one child, who stays with me some and my mother the rest of the time. She hasn't called in 5 months to talk to her little girl. Niece is 5, and the light of my life aside from my 2 step-daughters. Some people just SUCK, and that is that. Sometimes things just aren't fair, but thats ok, we grow from it

I only feel bad for the kids.

 

[Wifezilla]

I stewed over it for a couple of days and then got the idea to make a donation in the woman's name to her own church.

You are my kind of smart!

A+ for creativity!​

 

[vstoltzfus]

Well, I'll admit to making a SS faux pas this year. Every year I attend a party where we play a game that involves re-gifting a bad gift we received. It's so much fun to see some of the horrible gifts we give and receive! Anyway, immediately after this party I was invited to another party, where I was told to bring a "White Elephant" gift. I was supposed to just pick something out of my house that I no longer wanted, wrap it, and bring it to this party. Well, I immediately thought, "I'll just take the gift I got in that re-gift game." Well, unbeknownst to me, these were supposed to be nice "White Elephant" gifts! And some of these gifts were really nice! The woman who got my gift immediately came up to me after the gift exchange and said, "You owe me a better gift!" Of course that irritated me enough to prompt me to just smile and say, "Well, I was told to bring something I didn't want, and I didn't want that. Merry Christmas." Oh, well.