Author |
Message |
Zgoodgirl
Member
08-22-2003
| Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 6:39 pm
The place where I worked before had the same kind of gift exchange/return game. One of the people who came brought two live lobsters in a gift bag. Imagine the surprise of the person that opened that! Anyway, there were several cooks at the party who kept taking the bag when their turn came up, and the one who finally got it was very pleased. I don't know where you are located, but here you can get two nice lobsters around $20-$25. It was just a really original thing and honestly I forgot the gift I myself brought to that party, but remembered that. The person who brought them pick them up at lunch. The party was later on that afternoon, and people left for home around 5, so they were ok for about 4 hours in a loose box with wet towels in the bag, and no smell if you were wondering. In fact, the person was talking about making them for him and his wife the next day.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 7:22 pm
Half, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Secret Santa (like what you described.) What I think is a rip-off is the game where you pick numbers and the first person chooses a gift and unwraps it, then the 2nd person chooses either an unopened gift or the opened one (which is currently number one's). And so on... Someone (or several people) inevitably gets stuck with a stinker gift. (Especially cuz the gifts are usually anonymous.)
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 7:23 pm
PS I just saw where you said nevermind--oops!
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Karen
Member
09-07-2004
| Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 9:58 pm
Sorry, Costa, for referring to this rip-off game as Secret Santa. I know the exchange you're talking about, and you're right, that is the true secret santa. But since no one knows who the gift they're getting is from, it's still technically a secret Santa. I admit that it kinda sucks if you end up with a "stinker gift", but really... it's a $20 gift from someone you happen to share a cubicle wall with. Were you expecting something amazing that you'll cherish forever? LOL. I'm just sayin'... a lot of the fun of this one is that it takes the stuffy-ness away from the whole "giving-gifts-secretly-to-people-we-kinda-sorta-know". You get to watch and see people's true colours come out as they fight over the strangest stuff. I tell ya, I know there's a couple'a bottles in tomorrow's loot... I can't wait to see who the boozehound is, fighting for the wine. It's fun. Isn't that what it's about? I ended up buying lottery tickets, btw. Thanks for all the suggestions!
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 10:28 pm
For those like me who work in an office of one, just the concept of sharing and giving and laughing and having fun sounds great to me.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 2:04 am
I love those so called rip off games! I have played it both ways, where most of the gifts are 'white elephants' and you really duke it out for the good ones or all ornaments or all nice gifts. I think it's all in the spirit of fun. We are doing a secret santa, but heck since it's almost all 20 year olds they can't keep a secret! LOL I got my boss and he is into basketball so I got him one of of those over the door backboards.
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Bandit
Member
07-29-2001
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 8:13 am
I LOVE the Chinese Gift Exchange! It's a total blast and lots of fun. And if you get a crappy gift, you get a crappy gift. Deal with it. I don't think it's a rip-off at all.
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 8:16 am
We did the Chinese Gift Exchange and it was alot of fun.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 11:11 am
did I miss a post? What's the chinese GE??
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 11:21 am
Yeah, what is the Chinese gift exchange? And as far as the game I don't like (not sure of the "official" name) I don't personally care if I get a "good" gift or not, I just always feel sorry for the person who took care to buy a nice gift and they end up with a Looney Tunes Chia Pet... In other words, I feel bad that someone will likely leave with a let down feeling.
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Halfunit
Moderator
09-02-2001
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 11:46 am
omg, I'd love a Looney Tunes Chia Pet!!!
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 11:54 am
Here ya go then...

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Bandit
Member
07-29-2001
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 12:58 pm
The Chinese Gift Exchange is another name for the game where you open a gift, and then the next person can choose a new gift, or take yours; and so on.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 2:48 pm
Thx Bandit. At the last gift game that Looney tunes thing woulda been a good gift! LOL I think the worst one was a travel urinal..LOL
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Bandit
Member
07-29-2001
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 2:58 pm
LOL! Now I see why you're a re-gifter. 
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 3:30 pm
hee hee!! This year has been hard on us so I have regifted almost all of my bday gifts for Christmas gifts. Luckily I got some great bday gifts!!
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Webchiq
Member
07-11-2005
| Friday, December 16, 2005 - 4:29 pm
It used to be called the white elephant gift exchange in the olden days. Guess we had to call it Chinese to make it stand out more, I'm sure the Chinese love that we picked that name.
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Twiggyish
Member
08-14-2000
| Monday, December 19, 2005 - 10:53 am
We do an after Christmas/Holiday party. We all bring our unwanted gifts. (White elephant) Everyone who brings a gift is given a number. All the gifts are put on the stage. Each person's number is called. They can go up on stage and pick a new gift or "steal" one that's been opened from someone else. Each gift can only be exchanged 3x. There's a musical moose that keeps showing up every year..LOL It usually gets traded the full 3 times, too!
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Monday, December 19, 2005 - 11:25 am
Awwww, poor little moose! I'd probably feel sorry for him and trade for him and keep him! Of course, I'm always a sentimental mush about the Island of Misfit Toys too.
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Mameblanche
Member
04-13-2005
| Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - 12:09 am
Whoami... Is the Island of Misfit Toys a Babes in Toyland reference...? (My fave kids holiday movie)
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - 4:21 am
*Gasp* How could one not know of the Island of Misfit Toys? Just kidding with ya of course. Its such a classic, and such a sentimental favorite for me every year. Its hard to grasp that anyone wouldn't instantly know about it. Of course, I still remember when a good friend of mine (who loved so many of the things I did), had not only never seen Mary Poppins, but had never even heard of it! So of course we rented it during one of our get-togethers, and she absolutely loved it! She pointed out to me that, when many of those movies were coming out, she was a struggling single mother of two, and really didn't have the time, energy or finances to go out and see movies like that. Sometimes, when I grow up on something that is as second nature to me as growing a fingernail, it just throws me for a loop when someone doesn't know what I'm talking about. LOL. But a good educational lesson for me as well. Anyway....The Island of Misfit Toys was on the 1964 classic Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rudolph, who was outcast because of his nose, and Hermey, (an elf who aspires to be a dentist, rather than a toymaker) are feeling like misfits, and set off to follow their own path in the world. Along the way, they come across the Island of Misfit Toys, where toys with some sort of malformation are sent because they are deemed unsuitable to give to children. My favorite is a polka-dot elephant (I have him on my stuffed animal shelf in fact!). As Rudolph and Hermey come of age, and Rudolph of course saves Christmas with his glorious shiny red nose, Santa makes a stop by the Island of Misfit Toys to gather up the toys and give them proper homes, just as they have always dreamed of. Its just a wonderful story. I'm sure it holds a special place in my heart cause I was quite the misfit myself as a child (some might argue I still am, LOL). And I'm sure that story line was there for the sole purpose of reaching out to kids like myself (and of course I wasn't the only one in the world to grow up with those experiences) and prove that misfits have their valued place in society too. OK, now I need to ask....does Babes In Toyland have a reference to misfit toys too? Don't know that I've ever really seen that movie. Now its your turn to gasp at me! LOL.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - 5:33 am
I have litttle minatures of all the misfit toys from Rudolph,,,love that movie!
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Mameblanche
Member
04-13-2005
| Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - 7:25 am
Whoami & Pamy - Mea Culpa...Okay... I do kinda remember the Rudolph - Island of Misfit Toys... Will have to watch Babes in Toyland again to figure out why I got them mixed up. And then I'll get back to ya on it! But Babes in Toyland (the Disney musical version with Annette Funicello) is absolutely delicious. Oh and will obviously be on the lookout for the Island of Misfit toys too.
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