Secret Santa and Gray's Anatomy

I work with someone who believes that everything happens for a reason...some sort of master plan of Divine intervention.

So, here goes with the "happenings":
Profound statement by Meredith Gray in the opening of last weeks episode--"the experience of practicing medicine bears little resemblance to the dream." Substitute your job for "practicing medicine" and it works for almost everyone!

Our office is particularly "grinchy" right now. Maybe it is the economy, maybe it is the "adjustment" to reorganization, maybe is the lack of basic supplies, inability to participate in opportunities and activities that we had come to take for granted, or the very real possibility of lay-offs after the holiday---Grinchy with a capital G!

In the long standing tradition, someone suggested secret Santa--where you draw a name and give little surprise gifts, not to exceed $1 in value all week. "They" did not get organized enough last week, so before we drew, one day was already over. (The tradition demands that the week prior to the holiday event lead up to the guess-a-thon at the event---to see who figured it out!) A full third of the Grinchy staff opted out--but not in any organized way, so that during the name draw, if you got a grinch not participating, you discarded their name, and tried again. I got a grinch person--and discarded to draw again.

Synergy with Gray's anatomy: Dr. Baily in this two-parter, works on "raising above"--as she saves the life of a white supremacist.

My second pick, out of everyone I work with, is the only person I would not wish to have anything to do with. Unfortunately, the way we passed it around, I could not feign having my own name and put it back....

My mind went first to all of the nasty things I could do as this person's Santa. They have no sense of humor, although they think they are hilariously funny. (soooo not!)This person is "dense", arrogant, intolerant, a bully, and no one would every describe them as "nice"...

I though about trading. I thought about paybacks (as there are things I could pay back for!!)

Then I thought about raising above. Just as my coworker says, things happen for a reason. If I went with nasty, no one would blame me, but I would have stooped to the level of this person.

So, I am taking the high road. Wal-mart, despite its "chinese-ness" has about a thousand things for $1 or less, and some are quite useful and/or nice. By the time I had wandered through just the front 1/2 I had enough for multiple themed Santa weeks--hand care (travel lotion, 2 pk of gloves, sparkly nail enamel, emery board, and sanitizer)...Personal winter care(shower poof, travel body wash, travel body lotion, chap stick, travel sun screen)....Entertainment--sudoku and word search books, candy canes, Holiday pencils, and a light up pen). There were oral hygiene possibilities, and oh, so many other options.....

I settled on a holiday theme, with wrapping paper, bag of bows, a light set, ornament set, and lighted candle decoration--all under $1, and very nice for the price!! Way nicer than what my Santa will leave, or this person deserves.

Thank you WalMart--I am raising above!!!!

I hope that I passed the "test".