Friday the 13th of Christmas

Second Friday the 13th we’ve had this year — first being in September, but it’s all good because today is a no bingo Friday.

Next week's Bingo Friday is not actually bingo. Instead, it's the Christmas Party we throw for ourselves — three days after the Christmas Party management has scheduled for us.

No contest … the one we throw for ourselves is bound to be better.

The Baker is planning a Mexican Food menu and all kinds of games.

Of course, she’s not taking it all on by herself — one of her daughters, who runs a catering business, will be helping; as will Talker and Red Light (who no longer even lives here) be assisting. Others have donated sufficient monies to cover the cost.

Going to piss Manager off that 1) Our party will be better than the party she doesn't even want to do for us and 2) Red Light is involved in the party that will be besting her.

One of the games the Baker is planning has something to do with Grinch characters she had me print out and cut into 2-inch squares.

Hmmmm? Can’t wait to see what that’s about.

Among the many other games she told me she's planning is the White Elephant Gift Exchange — where attendee, one by one, choose a wrapped gift from the table, opens it; and the next person has the option to pick a gift from the table, or "steal" what another person has already unwrapped.

The reaction to the money box I put together for last year’s Gift Exchange, was a hoot.

The guy's wife stole it from him, then Di (who always needs money) stole the cash from the wife. However, wife was smart. Instead of selecting another gift from the table, she stole the money back and, since a gift can only be "stolen" a limit of three times, wife ended up with the $20.

So much fun to watch that I'm again going with a money box as my White Elephant Gift for the table.

Last year’s money box was a social experiment in that I wanted to see how many would base their choice of which gift to take from the table based on how pretty the outside package was (much like the choices we make in life, based on appearances, only to later learn that what we chose is not all that great inside). So, I last year wrapped a small box in plain butcher paper with Christmasy ribbon.

Positioned amongst the fancy wraps, the plain unassuming gift was overlooked again and again and again, as residents went for big and fancy looking — thinking they held a treasure (when some of those fancy gifts were no more than water bottles and food storage containers).

Plain and simple, which held the actual treasure …… cash, ended up being the next to the last gift on the table to be picked.

I’m sure the folks that needed money were sorry they didn’t choose it.

To see if lessons had been learned to not judge by a plain/simple appearance, I again put together a small money box, wrapped it in butcher paper with Christmasy ribbon.

The extra gift last year was a Christmas coffee mug. This year it's a 2nd money box …… except this box is a little larger to extend the social experiment to whether size will be a factor in choices, i.e., which will go first, the little one or the big one?

In other words, I'm turning my fellow residents into test subjects, lab rats, just to study their habits in their natural habitat.

The small box contains $30, the larger box $20.

I’m taking that Friday off from working out, so I can get to the Community Room early, take photos as the festivities begin.

I also want to get there early enough to sneak my gifts on the table — just in case someone figured out I was the one that brought the money box to last year’s Party and would be watching for a repeat.

I’m actually adding another extra gift …… a purchase I wanted to return.

I wrapped this extra gift in Christmas paper, just because. However, I'm now wondering if I should give it a do-over, wrap it the same as the money boxes, so folks won't equate butcher paper with always being a money box.

Shall I?

I don't know what I was thinking when I ordered yet another gingerbread kit but, having decided I don't want to put this kit together, I filled out the online return paperwork and was planning to take the return paperwork and purchase back to the store. However, the rather quick online reply (automated? a bot?) was that "Your refund is on the way …… Feel free to use, donate or dispose of any unwanted items – no need to return them to the store".

Nice, I get a refund, but who does that …… returns payment but doesn't want the purchase back?

Pondering what to do with it, a lightbulb went off that it would be another extra gift for the table.

I have a sense no one around here is going to want to deal with a gingerbread kit, but at least it's off my hands.

Maybe they can regift it to a young family member that's into Starwars.