While I secretly hate playing holiday games at work, I always participate because I like my co-workers and they seem to like the games. This year I drew a Jewish lady. She’s a lovely person who probably would forgive me if I screwed up her gifts, but I don’t want to do that.
Please help my ignorance. I don’t know how observant she is, but I do know that she takes certain days off work to observe religious days. I know that she doesn’t eat pork. She’s never said that she keeps a kosher kitchen. I know that she and her husband don’t celebrate Christmas but that she enjoys doing the holiday games (probably for the same reason I play them).
The Secret Santa gifts are supposed to be a couple of dollars a day for 4 days and then 5-6 dollars on the last day. Before I drew her name, I had planned to buy a festive bowl for the first day, then give things to fill it for the next days. Small glass bulbs, small ribbons, wrapped chocolates and finally a bag of small goat milk soaps shaped and scented like gingerbread men.
If I just get a pretty red bowl, be sure that there aren’t any Christmas trees or angels on the baubles but use green, gold and red colors…will that be OK, or will it still be too much like Christmas?
I don’t want to offend her and I do like her, but we are only friendly, not friends.
I love the bowl/filling up the bowl idea! Red and green are seasonal colors and not just Christmas; silver and blue are Hanukkah colors. Or you could just find a really pretty bowl. Do you know if she has hobbies or pets? If she likes cats, it could have cats on it, for example.
As for trinkets and such, chocolates and soaps are always nice. I think cinnamon or gingerbread scents are always welcome and are more associated with winter then with a specific holiday.
If you don’t know better, make sure that any food you buy is marked Kosher (a U or K in a circle). I’d avoid red and green and go with blue or neutral colors.
As a Jewish person I can say I wouldn’t expect my gift giver to worry too much about what goes into an office gift- if she’s participating she’s going along with the season. That said, if you want to avoid Christmassy stuff skip green and red. They’re christmas colors. We do silver/white and blue. You should be able to find chocolate “gelt” (coins) in the grocery store. That’s a traditional Hanukkah treat. If you want to go for a winter look, go for snowflakes or snowmen. But really, I’m sure she’ll be pleased with whatever you pick.
Just give cash. I always accept cash gifts. I always welcome cash gifts. I usually hate the stupid trinkets. they clutter the desk and get in my way. I’m not religious and I find most religious based gifts to be instant trash.
…and no, i wasn’t trying to make the joke about jews liking money.
Rhiannon is clearly not Jewish if she thinks that the red & green color combo and gingerbread are just “seasonal.” But as ITD said, your coworker probably won’t be too touchy about it. Members of the Tribe are VERY used to goyim assuming that Christian stuff is universal.
The filling the bowl idea is cute, but I personally would not welcome trinkets. I already have more than enough clutter. But doing chocolates and/or other edibles is good idea. She can eat them or share them. If you did a silvery or snowflakey bowl, the gold gelt mixed with other treats would look good.
I really don’t think the sort of person who opts into a “Secret Santa” is really looking for a couple-three wadded up dollar bills thrown on their desk every few days, and a fiver taped to their monitor at the end.
Blue & silver are traditional Chanukah colors. It should be easy to find wrapped chocolate coins, as gelt is a Chanukah tradition. Check out a large department store’s holiday display for other ideas.
Why do the gifts have to be holiday related? For Secret Santa and White Elephant gift exchanges I always buy those crappy gifts Target puts out on display this time of year. Last year I bought a mustache ice tray and some mustache straws. This year I bought a retro telephone receiver that you plug into your cell phone.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. My ignorance is so bad that I didn’t know that there were Chanukah colors. I actually like blue and silver better than red and green.
So, use blue and silver, no trinkets, kosher treats and gold wrapped chocolate coins. Sounds pretty simple and easy to do. I’m also going to hit up a friend for some liver “brownies”, I know the lady has a dog that sleeps on her bed and I’ve never met a dog that didn’t go crazy for my friend’s “brownies”. (In quotes because there is no chocolate in them.)
I’m not going to just give her a few bucks a day, that won’t be any fun for either of us. I don’t know her well enough to know if she would like some of the other very fun sounding suggestions. I’d love to get some carlashes but not everyone shares my slightly warped sense of humor.
So thanks again everyone for fighting my ignorance and helping me do this right.
You sound like you’re a thoughtful gift giver. One word of warning, be sure you make it clear that those brownies are intended for the dog. During my travels volunteering in dog rescue, I’ve seen people eat dog biscuits that looked like human cookies and also give human cookies to dogs because they were bone-shaped. The liver brownies sound like a wonderful doggy treat, but if they are the same shade of brown as chocolate ones, I can see someone taking a bite! :eek:
