6
b2plane
1y

Today we all opened santa claus holiday gifts at the job. we were told to buy each other small gifts based on questionnaire that we filled. Some girl bought me and i bought her

I have never seen someone put in so much effort to buy so many, such detailed gifts for a person they have not even met, personalized to my questionnaire that i filled up...

She bought me a book. Candies. Letters. Socks. Drinks. Spongebob chocolate eggs. About 15 different (but not unique) items in total. She even wrote in the first page of the book how carefully she took the time to find a fun book to read and not choose a random book just to buy a book

And i bought her a figure of santa claus with cupcakes, as in santa claus brought her cupcakes (2 items total)

I feel so bad. I hate it so much when someone else puts in more effort for me than i give in return. I feel ashamed. I didnt take this seriously at all. I cant stop thinking about this. Its making me feel so bad. Im feeling beyond terrible. She said she was happy and grateful for what i bought but I know what i bought is nothing compared to what she bought

How do i live with this moving on forward

Comments
  • 8
    Honestly, you should quit your job. I wouldn’t be able to live with my else either of if I were in your shoes

    jk
  • 0
    @black-kite what was the joke in that statement
  • 2
    I would be grateful and if you need to blame somebody, blame HR company culture. Looks like both of you did not know what to expect and so. Really you should talk to each other about it if it keeps bothering you.
  • 3
    @usr--2ndry the HR just dm'd me on slack out of nowhere saying quick fill in this questionnaire for colleague X and she will do the same for you.

    At first i didnt understand the assignment.

    Am i supposed to fill in what i like? What i wish to get?

    Am i gonna get that or is someone else gonna get it randomly?

    Am i supposed to put unrealistic hobbies such as playing a mobile game or something specific that i can receive physically?

    Am i gonna receive anything or is this just some funny game we play to keep the atmosphere alive?

    Do i pay with my own money or is company gonna pay for me?

    Is company gonna buy some random gifts i filled out in that questionnaire and distribute the employees randomly?

    Or do i need to buy those gifts with my money, and then company will give me back the money i wasted?

    Am i supposed to buy all of that or some of that?

    Etc etc etc.

    I had so many questions but felt like i would seem so dumb if i kept asking all of that. it was unclear...
  • 6
    That sounds like an overkill for work presents. You did exactly what I would do, if not more so I wouldn’t worry
  • 5
    First off, cupcakes and a figurine are nice to receive as a work christmas gift! ☺️ I wouldn’t be sad about that!

    But if you feel truly compelled to do something, you could treat her to lunch one day (assuming you’re comfortable enough doing so). Tell her that her gift really touched you with how much thought she put into it, so you wanted to treat for lunch as a gesture of gratitude.

    If you don’t really know her or if that would be awkward to do, I think you’re fine leaving things as is! There’s always next year! Plus, you provided a gift, it’s not like you forgot!
  • 1
    This is why you _always_ need to be the best gift giver so you're never in the "oh shit I'm awful" position
  • 4
    We do white elephant with a max purchase value of $15. This avoids some of this shit. Your HR should probably do a max value on this kind of thing.
  • 1
    @MammaNeedHummus i have _always_ been the one who gives more than i receive. And I always regretted it. This time because it was a new company and especially people who i either barely know and most of them dont even know, why the fuck should i be the one to give more (again)?

    Seems like whatever the fuck i do i always regret it. Dont want to sound like a cornball but this really is a sucky ahh bullshit life

    My biggest efforts are always given to the wrong people, while my least amount of effort is always given to the good people. Im that much unlucky
  • 2
    @Demolishun we had a max purchase value up to $20. And i thought the company is gonna cover these costs but NOPE i had to
  • 0
    @b2plane but you're not paying for it?

    It's a nice thing todo so why not do it
  • 0
    do you think she swapped with someone to get you?

    I do
  • 1
    @MammaNeedHummus i ended up paying for it. No idea why they didnt say that explicitly. And why mention a max budget of $20 if I'll be paying it with my money and not theirs
  • 1
    @netikras no. I thanked her on slack for a beautiful gift and she was very happy for having a chance to give it to me. No idea why since we never even met. We're both new in the company. Shes too sweet
  • 2
    @b2plane idk I think it's a good thing finding someone equally giving

    Even if comical effects lmao

    You'll get over it
  • 1
    Bruh, it's fine. You can't know what to expect without experience. Just keep experiencing life and don't overthink it.
  • 0
    If shes single and you're single, and you find her attractive, you now have a good excuse to invite her for lunch, talk about how much you liked the gift, and ask her all types of questions like what books she might like, what gifts she got from her family, etc etc.

    Worst case you now have a friend at work?
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