[Steppes] Thank you for the gift exchange pointers

[Liz Wilson]

Thanks to all who provided information about the gift exchange.  We have
done this type of gift exchange before but sometimes people expect nice
gifts and sometimes people expect tacky gifts.  One time I brought
a "tacky" gift to a "nice" gift exchange and it was a bit humiliating. In fact, I
can't even remember what I brought now--I have blocked it out--but it
was on the level of a jar of dryer lint when everyone else had brought
nice holiday themed items like dish towels and ornaments.
Welcome to Flower Mound!

 I rather prefer the russian roulette style:  maybe it's something you want, maybe
it's junk, and maybe it's somewhere in between.  

We were invited to a
party this year where you were supposed to bring:  "The one gift that everyone
HAS to have!"   You were also supposed to provide an explanation for
WHY everyone had to have it.  

We didn't go to the party, in part because we couldn't decide on anything
that could be put in a box that EVERYONE we knew HAD to have.
It was a church-related party so we figured we
were probably supposed to bring a Bible or something like that, but don't most 
people who go to church already HAVE one? 

 Some of the best gifts that I have received (in the tacky category) were a case of coffee cups 
that read "Tis the Season at Neiman Marcus" (it took years to get rid of all of them!)
and a giant replica of an oil well from my office gift exchange that I was supposed
to bring back the following year.  This thing made the rounds every year and was
dusty; in fact, it appeared that some of the dust was lacquered on.

Unfortunately I gave it to my dad as a joke when they were visiting from out of state
because my mom had told me not to give them anything that they couldn't take back 
on the plane.  This thing was about 3 feet high.  I didn't think he would really want it!
 
MY dad liked it so much that they paid $40 to ship it back to Virginia (and
this was almost 15 years ago!!)  He even kept it when they built a new house, much
to my mom's chagrin.   My office wasn't very happy with me either for losing the
prize oil well.
I
I will try to make sure that my kids understand the spirit of the gift exchange and
that they might get something odd or something that they can't keep, and I'll
leave the inappropriate video tapes at home where they belong .....

Christianna