Every year a most secretive tradition goes on at the Crum house. The famous and mysterious Christmas Gift Exchange. Knowing that many of you, our faithful non-Crum readers, have no idea what I am talking about. Here's how it works.
After, and only after, Thanksgiving, the names of all the Crums participating in the exchange (usually limited to those who will be present at Christmas and under the age of Mom and Pop) are placed in a secret vault (or baseball cap).
The optimal system for "exchanging" names is still up for debate, but eventually, regardless of the system employed, each person has the name of another person. The questionable method often results in "pair-purchasing" or in person A buying for person B and person B buying for person A. This isn't a huge issue, but is worth the many hours of arguing that have gone into solving it.
Each person is notified of their "target" (AKA the person they are purchasing for), and the spy games begin. The truth of the matter is that the actual gift exchange and the subsequent gifts are not nearly as important as being the first person to find out who each person is buying for. This process takes on many forms, often involving bribes of political persons and assassinations of fringe family members.
So who will it be this year? Who is buying for me? Who is buying for Jill Elisabeth? Though the world may never know, Thomas is sure to find out within a weeks time.
1 comment:
A baseball cap was again used for the drawing this year and I have recorded the names of each participant as well as the person for whom each is buying. If there are particular items any of you would like to receive (or not receive, as the case with Ben may be) please use this blog as an opportunity to pursuade your buyer on your behalf. Or let me know so that I can horseshed for you.
Those at a distance--Ben, Michal, Jon and Nate--are at a decided disadvantage in breaking the code, but Thomas may be less interested this year, so you still have a chance to beat him.
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