Tonight was Bill’s office Christmas party. Every year they have a gift exchange. Some people call it Dirty Santa or Yankee Swap. It’s taken a few years for me to fully grasp how competitively they play and how seriously they take it, but now I’m in the know.
There are some key characteristics of a good gift: the wrapping, the value, desirability and luck. Bill knew that Starbucks cards were a hot commodity so he told me to get two sizeable gift cards. However, we learned the first year that gifts wrapped in a simple or straightforward method did not garner much of a reaction. Though practical, putting the gift cards in a mug (like we did the first year) was not that exciting.
So I bought a $5 plunger and a roses box from the florist. I dressed up the handle with ribbon and tulle and carefully placed it in the box so it looked like roses.
Then I tucked the gift cards in the base of the plunger and attached them to a long brown ribbon. That ribbon color was carefully chosen.
It took a while for our gift to be chosen but when it was, the crowd reaction was great. As the gift recipient unwrapped the box, we heard someone say, “Oh! Roses!” We watched the puzzled look in her face and everyone else’s faces as she removed the lid and found the plunger. The reactions and laughter increased even more when everyone realized she had to put her hand into the plunger to reveal the gift.
From that point until the end, the plunger was stolen every round until the game was over. Bill and I smugly watched and gave each other several imaginary high fives about our dirty little secret. It is true what they say. It is better to give than to receive.
very clever!
Amen, Betsy!