Comments on Treasure Trove of Useless Information: Books = Unpopular Gifts (in Australia)

Hi Ani,My colleagues used to play Secret Santa in ...

2008-12-19T10:39:00.000+08:00

Hi Ani,

My colleagues used to play Secret Santa in the past. Each of us drew a random name from a bag and bought a gift intended for that person at $10 or less. So the level of satisfaction depended on how well your Secret Santa knows you.

I remembered getting a lightweight umbrella for a colleague because he was grumbling aloud that his old one was faulty, but he didn't like the colour or pattern....

I guess subject of the book matters...My departmen...

2008-12-16T22:36:00.000+08:00

I guess subject of the book matters...

My department had a tradition of playing a gift exchange game during Xmas. Everyone takes a number. The person with the number "1" will choose a gift from a pile and open it up before all. The next person "2" will do likewise, but has the option of exchanging with person "1". Person "3" can exchange with both persons "1" and "2", and so on. Hence the one with the largest number will always get what he/she wants. We call it "Last But Not Least".

I bought a book on horoscopes (with a bit of fengshui) last year as a gift, thinking that it would be a useful read for the new year. But I was so dumbly wrong. The person who picked it up was dissatisfied, and it never got exchanged. Only a cookbook had the honour of being passed through a few hands... of male colleagues, to be exact.

My family prefers the cash approach. A bit strange...

2008-12-16T17:55:00.000+08:00

My family prefers the cash approach. A bit strange for Christmas but more practical. No wastage in our case.

For a green Christmas, perhaps we can cut down on ...

2008-12-16T17:51:00.000+08:00

For a green Christmas, perhaps we can cut down on giving each other things we are not sure if they want. Instead, why not give movie passes, magazine subscriptions for titles that you know they read, or even shopping voucher? And most practically, there is nothing vulgar about giving cash in an ang pow (ok...maybe not for Christmas). Or how about volunteering to do something for your loved ones, like cleaning their cupboards, trimming the garden plants, helping to babysit while they can go out for a date - giving time is a thoughtful gift.