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It's that time of year again. The work Secret Santa and Cookie Exchange time.
Reluctantly I put my name in again for Secret Santa. Once again I love the person I got and getting daily gifts for them has been fun and easy. The person who has me is actually following the directions (!) and I got a cute candle and a bar of soap yesterday ("Winter Solstice" scent from Whole Foods - lovely with patchouli, cedarwood and similar scents). Today I got a hot chocolate kit with cinnamon sticks and a mini grater. Cute, despite the fact that it was "best used by June 2008". Hello, regifting! (I'll be kind and leave it at that!)
The cookie exchange. Something I coordinated 2 years ago, and we had like twenty people participate. Each person was supposed to bake 6 dozen cookies, and leave with 6 dozen of other people's cookies. Somehow people arrived early, took more of other's dozens because "These aren't cookies, they're candies and you didn't spend any time making them" (yes, someone said that to someone else's face as they took 3 bags of the cookie/candies), and then one waltzed in when 3 of us were left, 30 mins after the thing was supposed to start. Sigh, it was a mess.
But I bucked up and organized it again this year, because my former 8th grade teacher, who retired last year and was disappointed that we didn't do it last Christmas, happens to be back subbing for someone on maternity leave. And she's just one of those people that you want to do nice things for, because she's so nice herself. So, another cookie exchange.
Others must have recalled the cookie exchange fiasco of 2006 and decided not to participate, because we only had 11 this year. Which simplified things: bake 10 dozen cookies, leave with 10 dozen. I set the date of Tuesday Dec. 16th before Thanksgiving, giving everyone plenty of time to pick a recipe and even start baking if they were so inclined. All I asked was to email me their recipe by last Friday. Copy, paste, print on recipe cards - voila!
Friday afternoon I get "Darn, I forgot to bring in my recipe - I'll CALL you this weekend and give it to you over the phone." Um, no. Email it to me. Monday I get a photo copy of a magazine page for another participant. I mean I know I am the typing teacher, but sheesh, quit being so lazy people.
Today, the day of the exchange, I get two emails from people saying they're dropping out last minute.
I know in the grand scheme of things it's no big deal. But this is the last year I do this at school, I swear.
Reluctantly I put my name in again for Secret Santa. Once again I love the person I got and getting daily gifts for them has been fun and easy. The person who has me is actually following the directions (!) and I got a cute candle and a bar of soap yesterday ("Winter Solstice" scent from Whole Foods - lovely with patchouli, cedarwood and similar scents). Today I got a hot chocolate kit with cinnamon sticks and a mini grater. Cute, despite the fact that it was "best used by June 2008". Hello, regifting! (I'll be kind and leave it at that!)
The cookie exchange. Something I coordinated 2 years ago, and we had like twenty people participate. Each person was supposed to bake 6 dozen cookies, and leave with 6 dozen of other people's cookies. Somehow people arrived early, took more of other's dozens because "These aren't cookies, they're candies and you didn't spend any time making them" (yes, someone said that to someone else's face as they took 3 bags of the cookie/candies), and then one waltzed in when 3 of us were left, 30 mins after the thing was supposed to start. Sigh, it was a mess.
But I bucked up and organized it again this year, because my former 8th grade teacher, who retired last year and was disappointed that we didn't do it last Christmas, happens to be back subbing for someone on maternity leave. And she's just one of those people that you want to do nice things for, because she's so nice herself. So, another cookie exchange.
Others must have recalled the cookie exchange fiasco of 2006 and decided not to participate, because we only had 11 this year. Which simplified things: bake 10 dozen cookies, leave with 10 dozen. I set the date of Tuesday Dec. 16th before Thanksgiving, giving everyone plenty of time to pick a recipe and even start baking if they were so inclined. All I asked was to email me their recipe by last Friday. Copy, paste, print on recipe cards - voila!
Friday afternoon I get "Darn, I forgot to bring in my recipe - I'll CALL you this weekend and give it to you over the phone." Um, no. Email it to me. Monday I get a photo copy of a magazine page for another participant. I mean I know I am the typing teacher, but sheesh, quit being so lazy people.
Today, the day of the exchange, I get two emails from people saying they're dropping out last minute.
I know in the grand scheme of things it's no big deal. But this is the last year I do this at school, I swear.