It’s early December and I’m already running around ragged from all the things that have been piling up this month. Work, exams, my birthday, more work… Last month, when I didn’t realise I’d be so busy ( :smack: ) I suggested a secret santa on another board I frequent. Since I suggested it, I guess that put me in charge. So all was fine and dandy, people signed up, and I got their information, and I made the list. The next day after I put the list out, two girls said they don’t want to do it anymore. Since it was the next day after I emailed everyone, it was early enough so that no one bought them gifts yet, and I could do a little tweaking. Then, now, a week later… (A WEEK!!!) another girl sees that the two girls have pulled out and said she doesn’t want to do it anymore. Now I’ll have to contact the person who got her and ask if he bought her a gift yet, and I have to run around some more trying to get that straightened out. :mad: I really don’t care who participates, and who doesn’t, but if you aren’t absolutely 100% sure you can follow through on a comitment, especially one that affects other people, THEN DON’T FUCKING SIGN UP FOR IT!!! :mad:
Ooh. That sucks.
That’s why I hate being in charge. Unless “being in charge” comes with its own army, then it’s cool.
That sucks, and I have to admit, I cringed a little bit reading this thread, because I feel guilty.
Back when I was still working downtown, I signed up for the Doper Coffee Mug Exchange. Then I switched jobs, and I am now working in the Middle Of Nowhere. Running errands and shopping etc., is now a chore that can take four times as long as it used to. It took me almost three weeks just to find a good mug. I felt terribly guilty and vowed it would be in the mail before December.
I’m mailing it today. :smack:
Yeah, well, at least you did it. Better late than never. See, this would be more of an example of the people the OP isn’t complaining about: you made a commitment, and then, after things unexpectedly changed to make honoring that commitment more difficult than you anticipated, you fulfilled it anyway. That’s what more people ought to do.
Secret Santas always suck, don’t they? I hate the holidays.
kung fu lola, there’s nothing wrong with sending things a bit late, but to pull out completely is a different story. The person you are sending to will at least receive it. The girl who posted (didn’t even email me) had a lot of time to change her mind, when I was getting the list of people together, their information, and then sending the people their person to send to. Yet, she waits a week (A WEEK!!) afterwards to say she can’t do it. She essentially just screwed it all up for everyone.
Yep, I get you completely. When the function I have put together on MY time is going on and someone starts to offer suggestions about how it should have been done differently or better, I thank them for volunteering to do it next time and announce it to the crowd before they can disagree. With a big smile and a hearty thanks, of course.
“OOooh, Portia, you should have taken the ____ and done_____ with it!”
“Thanks, Random Fuck, that’s a great idea for how you’ll do it next time! Hey everyone, **Random Fuck’s ** doing ____ next time, isn’t that a great idea?!”
I’m thankful not to be involved in the Secret Santa at work - no one likes each other! And we’re all women! You never saw so many claws.
Get used to it with those kind of things. A lot of people just agree to it because they don’t want to look like a jerk, so as soon as one person gets up the guts to quit others quickly see this as their oppurtunity to drop out too. Kinda comes down to what Excalibure said. 
The holidays are great for people who are always looking for fun little projects but most see them as chores.
Please excuse that ‘u’ Excalibre.
Ya got my sympathy. I had fun with this phenomenon recently when I tried to organize a paintball outing with some friends and acquaintances. I was not so naive to think that some of the people who “committed” would flake out, but when about half the group dropped out, some without telling me, I was pretty ticked off.
See, I honestly don’t understand this line of thinking. If they did not want to participate, there was no pressure whatsoever for them to sign up. Though a small board, there were several others who opt not to participate and didn’t sign up. To drop out and screw everyone over seems more jerkish than actually not signing up in the first place. Either way, I don’t have the energy to “fix” it, so I told the girl she had no choice since it was so late and if her person don’t receive a gift, it’s up to the two of them to figure it out.
Oh, I’m with you. Even if I had agreed under less than ideal motivations, I would still follow through. Why screw everybody else up because you suddenly realize you are lazier than you thought?
It just seems to be something that happens though.