Secret Santa stinks!

[eenie114]

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You are my kind of smart!

A+ for creativity!

HAHAHA thats the funniest thing ever!!!!!!!!

 

[PineappleMama]

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That's all well and good until the jerk ends up getting YOUR well thought out gift...

Honestly, things like this are voluntary. If you don't have the $20 then don't join, no problem, no one gets hurt.
But when you join, you expect the other people to at least spend as much money, if not time, on the gift.
(even if it's a $20 gift that you caught on sale for $10! Black Friday WOOT!)

People say 'it's the thought that counts' and that's very true... you knew you had no money, you thought 'hey here's a chance to get a great gift for my mom, dad, wife, hubby and I only have to pay for some cheap dollar store thing instead of $20+ like all the suckers"

I don't much care for THAT thought....

 

[texasgal]

Halo .. I read and agree with both your posts ...

 

[Mattemma]

My dd did the ss at school this year.5 days of gifts at a $1 each,or 4 days of notes/card and one $5 gift the last day. We don't have $$$$$ but still managed to buy $5 worth of nice gifts for the boy my dd got.He even came up to her on the last day(they gave the last one to their person) and thanked her for the gifts. THAT was a wonderful feeling for my dd and I to know he liked each gift.

My dd got ....a note with a joke written on it,a pack of pencils where the lead breaks constantly,a pad of praise stickers that teachers use on homework with stickers missing,and nasty candy.Only the last gift was decent-a kitty poster.I really doubt the person who gave these bought any of them.I am fine with homemade or found in the home gifts,but you need to put some thought into it.Shoot,I think a homemade gift is better,because you take the time to make it for a person not just grab something and wrap it.Not that her gifts were even wrapped!

My dd was polite about all the gifts and never once complained.I think I was more upset,because I felt like her classmate was not being very thoughtful. To me a gift is a reflection of how the person feels about you. No one else got those types of *gifts*.

Hearing about what all the other kids got only made me more sad for my dd.It was supposed to be a fun experience for all the kids.There are decent things to buy a young girl at the dollar store,or heck give a dollar like some others did. She goes to a private school so it's not like the families are hurting financially to spare $5. If we could come up with $5 then anyone can.

I really don't want either of my kids doing ss again and I will let the teacher know why. Next year I would rather just buy my dd five presents so she can open one each day along with the other kids,and not have to look happy about getting used stuff from someones home.

I wouldn't mind the chia herb set,but would probably pass on Elmer chia.

 

[Nicola]

I had a pretty cool Secret santa thing one year at school... everyone brought in a gift that was between 5 and 10 dollars wrapped it up and we sat in a circle and the teacher picked the first kid to go and get a gift from the pile.. then the next kid could either A) steal the gift from someone else... or B) get a new gift from the pile.. but if u stole a gift from a person they had to get a new one.. but they couldnt steal back from the person that stole from them.. it was fun.. and most people ended up with a cool gift

 

[FarmerChick]

Just cause some is nasty or tough on you...doesn't always mean we can send those feelings back at them.

Sometimes being the bigger person and sucking up nasty remarks is just a good thing to do...(even though it tastes bad)--LOL

 

[darkmatter]

I gave up on expectations, I just give what I can.

 

[horsejody]

OK, first of all, I do think it's better to give than receive. I try to buy thoughtful gifts. I used to pick names off those charity trees and buy a bunch of stuff for needy kids or kick in money for a family in need. I don't do that any more, but I buy a bunch of toys to fill up the Toys 4 Tots barrel. I love doing that. The Marines are very good about distributung toys to kids in need. I stopped pulling names off the trees because those charities often only include children from a certain area of nearby Omaha. I know there is need there, but I want to know that the toys may go to any child. Rural people need help sometimes too.

Anyway, my idea of what Secret Santa is that I am getting a gift for myself and having it be a surprise. It's not just about giving. It's a game meant to bring smiles to the participants. It's no different than having a potluck lunch and playing a board game with friends. Everybody is supposed to bring something and have fun. There are Scrooge's that mess that up. I hosted a Secret Santa Gifts From the Heart swap here on BYC. We had a lot of great people join. The guidelines were simple. The gifts needed to be from the heart, homemade if possible and costing no more than $15. I have been organizing and hosting swaps for years. There are always no-shows. There are two types. One type that just disappears off the face of the earth. The other type waits until the last minute and starts sending e-mails explaining how bad their life is and how they suffer from long term mental health problems that make it hard to meet their commitment. Unfortunately, we had one of each type in the BYC swap. Swaps are a blast when everybody plays nice. They are meant to combine the spirit of giving with a game. Signing up for a swap, receivng a gift and not giving one is cheating. I have to wonder how those people must behave in other areas of their lives. I'll bet those are the same people that go to potluck dinners and only bring their appetite. Most SS swaps are voluntary. You have to make the effort to put your name on the list. It's a commitment. If you can't do it, don't sign up. If you can't afford it, don't sign up. If you don't care enough to follow through, don't sign up. If your life is always spiraling out of control and you have trouble following through with things, don't sign up.

 

[redhen]

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and i think the person that didnt send her swap present should be outed..so we can know to be weary of dealing with them again..and so they cant join any other swaps..
people like that really get my goat!

 

[Chickenmaven]

I do not think it is fair to hold a CHILD responsible for what is sent to school for a SS swap. The entire thing - expectations on the parents - is geared toward kids with involved parents who are not poor. If teachers want to do this type of exchange, they need to get a little more creative. One of my kids' teachers did a book exchange. She made sure to purchase & wrap a few extras.

I am a little sensitive to some people griping about how little their children came home with. I was one of four kids; we were on welfare and my mother had some "issues". She barely kept it together to feed us and keep the lights turned on. Sometimes we had to get creative to have a clean outfit to wear. So please understand that we are expecting alot of kids from troubled families, asking them to show up with FIVE wrapped gifts. So, yeah, Secret Santa stinks, but not as much as those adults who are getting all p!ssy about the quality of the gifts. What are you teaching your children?