Stupid gift giving games
My family has recently switched from a "Secret Santa" style gift giving to a "Gift Stealing" game. Basically everyone buys one cheap gift and puts it in a pile. Everyone draws a number out of a hat. The person with the lowest number picks a gift from the pile, the person with the next number can pick a new gift or steal one of the previously picked (and unwrapped) gifts.
Reason #2486 why I hate the Christmas season:
-------- Original Message --------Subject: Re: Holiday get together ??? Chris and I will be attending. I like a gift exchange but prefer a secret santa drawing with spending limit to the gift stealing game from past years. We're game for whatever though. Rockstarmode #### Reply #### Yes the gift stealing is the fun part... but we need to keep an eye on some of you.... ha ha ha
It's been reported (may be a rumor) that during the stealing session, a particular cousin (D**w) was squirrelling a special gift under his seat as not to be stolen ;-] [Family Member] ################## After reading this reply I was pretty pissed, so I figured I'd post my argument here instead of hitting "Reply All" to the family. ### Was I not clear? Is this a joke that I don't get? Did [Family Member] really not understand that I *don't* like the gift stealing but will go along with the program? Or am I just being ignored? I know that I'm usually guilty of being different just because I like to switch things up, but buying non-specific gifts just doesn't seem to go along with the point of the holiday season. In fact it seems to reinforce the part of Christmas I hate the most: blind, blatant consumerism. By only buying one gift and making them inexpensive we rule out money issues. The gift stealing game provides a little fun during the exchange but in my opinion removes any thought that would have gone into personalizing the gift itself. I know everyone is really busy so maybe making gift buying easier is the point of the stealing game but doesn't that go against the idea of Christmas? Using our familial bonds and a little thought to generate ideas for one personal gift? Isn't Christmas supposed to be a holiday where you think about the people you actually give a crap about? Where you consider giving them something they may actually like because of some personal bond the two of you share? Isn't a gift supposed to reflect this bond and whatever amount of thought that went into deciding what to give? You know what I did with the DVDs I got at one of the last Christmases? The unopened cases are sitting under my laptop to keep it from over heating on my desk. I never even took the shrink wrap off of them. It wasn't on purpose, I wasn't trying to make a point, I even like one of the movies (The Bourne Supremacy). They just didn't mean anything to me, I probably would have enjoyed them more if they fell off of a truck and I found them on the street. I don't want to come across as angry or overreacting. This post isn't meant to criticize any particular family member or start any shit talking. I didn't send this to my family because I don't want to alienate other people that may feel differently. But if Christmas were my holiday (Rockstarmas?) I'd be incensed.
