Over the past several years, I have had to opportunity of being allowed to opt-out of the department gift exchange. This is always the best news for me, in that it saves me a lot of the heartache caused by receiving gifts from others who both don't know me very well or are not willing to make the time to do so.
There are several forms of Christmas gift giving, but two of the most common are White Elephant and Secret Santa.
There is much debate in defining a White Elephant gift exchange. According to wisegeek.com, a white elephant gift exchange is "a popular holiday party game in the United States, with many variations in name and game play. Generally, white elephant parties need a minimum of six participants, although the larger the group, the more entertaining and protracted game play will be. White elephant parties can result in vicious rivalries between players trying to get sought after gifts. The goal of a white elephant party is usually entertainment rather than gain, however." (It should be further noted that a "white elephant gift" is "something which is costly to maintain and difficult to get rid of. Typically, white elephants are also rare and very valuable, complicating the situation for their owners. Any number of things can be a white elephant, from a palatial home to an extravagant necklace. The term has even inspired a form of gift exchange, a white elephant gift exchange, in which people attempt to get rid of their white elephants by finding other people who might want them.").
Before proceeding to defining and commenting on Secret Santa, let me clarify the White Elephant gift exchange. Basically, it's where there's a mixture of good quality gifts and purely crappy and useless gifts. The competition is to try and snag the good stuff and not get stuck with the crap! Some create rules where there can be up to 3 trades with another participant. Personally, I find this particular style of gift exchange to be cruel and a complete waste of time and money and, where no one is happy or appreciative of what they've received.
The second form of gift exchange is called Secret Santa. Defined by wikipedia.com, it's "a Western Christmas tradition in which members of a group are randomly assigned other members to whom they anonymously give a gift. Often practiced in workplaces, or amongst large families, participation in it is usually voluntary. It offers a way for many people to give and receive a gift at low cost to those involved." This particular form of gift exchange is more fun when all members of a group have made and taken the time to get to know their fellow teammates over a length of time and have learned others likes and dislikes, hobbies and other interests. When the aforementioned relational investments haven't been made, then the results can become very similar to that of the White Elephant gift exchange, where no one is happy or appreciative of what they've received.
A peek into my mind, to hear the thoughts of a 40-something single male as he walks this planet called Earth.
John M. Kirton II
DISCLAIMER: This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own solely and not those of The Village Church, her ministers, pastors, administrators, staff, covenant members, regular attenders or visitors; my parents; my alma mater, Dallas Christian College, her administration, faculty, Board, alumni, or students, past, present and future; or my employer and fellow employees.
My Story
- John M. Kirton II
- I attended public school for two years and private school for the remainder of my education. After graduation, I attended Bible college in Dallas, Texas, for four and one-half years consecutively. Unfortunately, I failed a class and was unable to graduate with my class but God enabled me to re-take the course and I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Bible and minors in Youth Ministry and Biblical Languages in 1994. After failing the aforementioned course, I had continued attending a church but began to falter in my faith. It was during my second year after my Bible college years that I was introduced to the International Churches of Christ (ICOC), where I became a member and was involved for twelve years. It was not until my twelfth year that, after much prayer from my parents and closest friends, Greg Faure and Wayne Stiles, I became convinced that the ICOC was a religious sect. In June, 2000, I left the ICOC and became a covenant member of The Village Church in Highland Village, TX, in April, 2004.
