There's an ornament exchange at work, along with lunch. To come to lunch, you need to bring an ornament.
I had the one I received last year in a drawer in my desk - I never took it home. I just re-wrapped it and am planning on using as my entrance ornament.
Yes, I'm re-gifting the ornament. I hope the person who gave it last year (I have no idea who it was) doesn't receive it this year.
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Okay, confess... what henious holiday crime have you committed this year?
Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
my husband won't let me re-gift. i would if i could.
i spent an absurd amount on shipping. a truely absurd amount.
i let bill personalize our cards this year. hobbes already got one.
the real abomination, though: as much as we spent on shipping, we still didn't send everything to my parents house. we're going to open a bunch of stuff here next week, because flying is just not conducive to carrying a ton of gifts. and all the good gifts i got bill were heavy (the complete far side) or fragile (some work by a local artist), so he's only going to get silly little things from me on christmas day.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
Heh, in my mom's family, re-gifting is not only not a crime, it's pretty well expected, almost required. There was this box of sourdough starter that made the rounds for 8 or 9 years before my grandma ended up giving it to someone outside the family (I was crushed). Christmas with my mom's family is so much fun.
I don't know about any heinous crimes. I spent way, way more than we can afford on my wife's Christmas presents. Does that count?
Posted by MaureenJanay (Member # 2935) on :
I stopped in at Hatrack. Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
In 5 hours I am going to play Santa for a bunch of drunk adults, and get paid $75/hr for the opportunity.
Then I'm going to my own companies Holiday party, not as Santa, to become one of the Drunk Adults.
I guess this isn't so much, What I did, but What I plan to do.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I skipped class on Tuesday and went shopping instead. I spent way too much, and then I mailed it all out. I don't think I've ever payed $30.00 for postage before.
It was highly satisfying, though.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I slept in until after 12:00 today. And now I have to write my English paper in probably under 2 hours. Sigh, good thing I fail to care.
Hobbes Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
Annie, 30 is nothing. I had individual packages cost more than that!
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Wow. And I was shocked when one of them was $10! Ok, you win.
My roommate once got a package from her parents in China. It cost them $230 to ship. Yeah. Good thing there was really good food in there or I would have had to protest the injustice of it all.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
The person who recieved the re-gifted ornament was pleased and delighted, to judge from her facial expressions and subsequent unwrapping and gazing, so I'm feeling okay.
I put my new ornament, still in the packaging, back into the same drawer. *pats drawer*
Posted by Lyra (Member # 6014) on :
ROFL nice one Katharina! I am highly amused. As for my Christmas crime... hmmm....can't say that I have committed one as of yet, but I'll have to get back to you on that Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
My holiday crime: I considered starting my Christmas shopping this morning. Haven't started yet, but I surely thought about it!
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Enjoyable day..
I had lunch with a close male friend of mine (NO, not boyfriend) who I get to enjoy lunch with about once a month or so. And my boss always hates it when I have lunch with this person, because my one-hour lunch becomes at least a two-hour lunch break. I just really enjoy his company so much that I don't want to leave the conversation.
Really truly -- it is at a public restaurant, and all we do is talk (no noon quickies or anything like that). Or I should say HE talks and I listen -- this guy really likes to talk.... but then again... I really like listening to him....
Farmgirl
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I got up disgustingly slowly, I got a ride to school. I was late and my teacher didn't care. It was good. Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
I stupidly ordered Tom a gift from sheetmusic.com and then didn't check the mail yesterday because the silly thing said it would take 1-3 weeks. Since when does that translate to 2 days?! But the crime anyways was ordering from such an obvious company so that he couldn't help but know.
I still haven't gotten my Christmas cards mailed out and even though the tree is up, there are no ornaments on it. *laugh*
Posted by MaydayDesiax (Member # 5012) on :
My Christmas crime was not allowing Correlle to wrap (yes, wrap like a present) our dorm room door before Thanksgiving break. And she was highly offended that I wouldn't let her play any Christmas music before Thanksgiving.
[ December 11, 2003, 03:28 PM: Message edited by: MaydayDesiax ]
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
I called katharina on company time today Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Instead of buying new glass oil cups for my menorah, and olive oil, and wicks, I bought a box of ready-to-use little oil cups, already filled with oil, wick in place. All I'll have to do is put them in, pull off the caps, and light.
Of course, I only bought them because they were 40% cheaper than last year . . . Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
I broke a few laws. Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
rivka, I've seen menorahs like you're describing before, but very infrequently. Ours are the kind you put candles into, as are most of the ones I've seen. Is it just a personal preference thing, or is one or the other more traditional/significant?
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
did you get them at Walmart, Rivka?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Um, saxon, are you asking about oil versus candles? Or about pre-fab versus do-it-yourself?
@ Annie
They're imported from Israel, and I got them at one of the local kosher markets.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
Oil vs. candles.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
quote:my husband won't let me re-gift. i would if i could.
Wait, Celia, you're married?
Hobbes Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Ok, just checking.
Candles are usually cheaper and easier, so most people use them -- my kids will be. And now they have so many pretty hand-dipped ones. Some of them are so nice it seems a shame to burn them.
But there's a preference to use oil (if possible, olive oil), because the miracle happened with olive oil. It's also considered more, um, *tries to translate "mehudar"* special(?) to use oil. So some people (one of my aunts, for example) use oil for the Sabbath lights too.
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
katharina's fun by the way
Posted by Jacare Sorridente (Member # 1906) on :
We have declared war on the giving of presents. We pretty much detest the whole commercialization aspect of Christmas, plue we are trying to gear up for me to go back to school so we just called our families and said "Don't send us any presents and we won't send you any." I really like this solution because it is economical, our house won't get any more cluttered with useless junk and we avoid the whole "Crap! They must've spent 20$ on our present while we spent only 5$ on theirs"
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
I see. I think I've only ever seen the kind with the oil cups once, at a Hanukkah (or is Chanukah preferred?) party a couple of years ago. I don't remember, is there still a shammus (is that even the right word? The extra candle that you use to light all the other ones?) with the oil cups? How does that work?
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
*grins at o'douls*
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Jacare, I'm feeling that way too. It's just so expensive for me and my family to get me through school that I can't imagine any of us spending money on presents for me!! It's kind of sad, that I'm soured on the getting of presents.
BUT!! We're going caroling this week and my last final is tomorrow morning. (Falls down!!)
[ December 11, 2003, 04:37 PM: Message edited by: Narnia ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
saxon, a friend and I once figured out all the possible ways of spelling Chanukah in English. I think we came up with 20 (although a couple were stretching it a bit). My theory is (and this applies to all transliteration, except for names), as long as people can figure out what you mean, who cares? (Even in Hebrew, there are two valid spellings of Chanukah. )
There would still be a shamash, since it's there both to light the others and for other reasons. My old menorah had a candle-sized hole for the shamash, so I used a candle. The one I bought last January has an oil-sized shamash which is removable. How does it work? I'll let you know!
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
On the way from our customer's site back to my office, I stopped and got a giant burrito and mailed off a book I sold (because I knew that if I waited until I got off work I would have to wait forever).
I am also planning to regift some items for Christmas that I have gotten but never used. Less $ output for me!
[ December 11, 2003, 04:44 PM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
Posted by Feyd Baron (Member # 1407) on :
Let's see... today was dead-day...
So, to start off I slept till noon. That was nice. Then I had to run some errands (make sure Tech knows I'm not coming back in the spring, pick up honor cords for graduation, etc.). Then, I went to Architraz and continued work on my bookshelf for about two hours... Now I'm going to clean my apartment and wash clothes. Then I'll either study for my exam, or wonder what I'm going to do for dinner since I used the rest of my money on my honor cords...
Detailed enough for you?
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I helped tutor schoolchildren with their reading. But then I cooked some bacon and fried pancakes it the drippings without draining any. The pancakes pretty much exploded, so I didn't do the rest of them that way. But they were crunch-alicious. Edit: Then I dissed Annie's paper. Gotta go check on the damage control.
[ December 11, 2003, 05:34 PM: Message edited by: pooka ]
Posted by Toretha (Member # 2233) on :
I wrapped presents in socks. I confess. And panty hose beneath the socks so my friends would REALLY have to work to get them out. Then I made them give me back the socks!
*breaks down sobbing* I confess! I've been so evil! how could I have done that???
Oh, and i've conspiratorized. but I dunno if that is a crime or not....
[ December 11, 2003, 06:16 PM: Message edited by: Toretha ]
Posted by Ophelia (Member # 653) on :
I love the way you can tell who hasn't even read the first post in this thread.
I'm not ready for holiday crimes yet. Maybe if I ignore them, the holidays will just go away . . .
Posted by Lyra (Member # 6014) on :
Ok so maybe this is a holiday crime: I am putting all my schoolwork ahead of my Christmas happiness and shopping, hence dampening my Christmas spirt. I hate college finals! Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
Today was the first day of the secret santa exchange at work and par the course for this week, I forgot. So I took some of my student's cookies out of the freezer, wrapped them up and gave them to my secret santa.
Oh, and I added the chocolate bar that the orchestra teacher accidentally left on my desk the day before (I know it was an accident because he came by later looking for it.)
Yup- that's my holiday crime. Tomorrow I'm going to give her an ornament off my tree...
Posted by MaydayDesiax (Member # 5012) on :
Yes, Toretha, we (Correlle and I) know that you wrap presents in socks.
The LEAST you could do is WASH the socks! Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Coccinelle, yeah, that's pretty bad. You stole cookies from students! Posted by Toretha (Member # 2233) on :
*grins* I should HOPE yall know, since your presents were wrapped in it, further, THEY WERE WASHED!
GAH!
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
just to make it sound better, my students did make the cookies to give to their teachers and these were the left-overs after the cookies were given out and the students ate their share.
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
maybe that doesn't sound better...
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I went to work.
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
My holiday crime - I haven't even begun thinking about shopping yet!
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Ophelia, I can't help thinking you are referring to me, but I assure you I did read the first post. I'm just not in much of a holiday spirit yet.
Posted by Lene' (Member # 6019) on :
Hi all!
This is my first time posting.
Other than making a pot of chicken and noodles and doing various much-needed cleaning chores around this messy house, I spent a couple hours curled up with a pot of tea and a great book, which I then wrapped up as one of my Christmas gifts to my mom. Some people might consider that a bit heinous <g>. In my family, however, everyone more or less *expects* you to read the gift book before giving it -- we all share similar tastes, and are apparently all similarly tacky.
The book, btw, was _Learning to Bow: An American Teacher in a Japanese School_, by Bruce S. Feiler. A very enjoyable read!
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And now I have to write my English paper in probably under 2 hours. Sigh, good thing I fail to care. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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@ Annie![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
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