Who doesn’t like getting or giving gifts? Of course, gifts are not the most important part of Christmas, Jesus’ birth is, but it is always fun to receive new things and see people’s reactions when they open a gift from you. Partaking in this gift exchange allowed participants to get to know new people, spread smiles, and share holiday cheer!
One year ago, two boys of the 2013 class thought of starting a gift exchange for anyone in school who wanted to participate. Those boys, Zach Scharlemann and Caleb Grefe, didn’t realize how big of a hit this activity would be. Over 100 people participated last year! This year, Rachel Stark and I took over the project and made it the “Second Annual Gift Exchange”.
This is how it worked: After all participants spoke with either Rachel or me, they each received a name of another person. The price range was $5-7 to spend on this person for anything they wish. However, who they received was to be kept a secret. Once they got a gift, it was wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree in the library. The gifts were then handed out the Wednesday before exams, that is, December 18th.
People asked around to find out what their person wanted for Christmas or thought of something on their own.Some things were brand new and some were white elephant gifts. The possibilities were endless! Candy and small random items that made people laugh were popular gifts.
We hope anyone who participated had a lot of fun with it and kept the holiday spirit light. This was meant to get people interacting with others that they may not have known well and to bring joy and laughter to all involved!
