Cultures are diverse, different... and that's soooo cool!
When last week we picked up the papers for Secret Santa at the office I thought of the traditional Secret Santa where you have to gift little things and offer little details to the person you got in your paper until the day of the exchange of gifts, when everybody's identities are revealed.
In The Netherlands you actually have to write a poem. In the day of the exchange of gifts all presents are in a table with the name of the person that will receive that gift in an envelop. Inside the envelop there is a poem, the gift receiver read the poem and has to guess who his/her Secret Santa was. In AIESEC International team's 2005 2006 and 2006 2007 we played it that way to honor the traditions of our host country.
If you are from a non-Christmas culture, you can read more about Secret Santa here.
Here in Portugal they also have the traditional Secret Santa. But there are also some variations like the one we are playing at the office.
The Secret Enemy!
You have to make the life of the person you got in your paper a complete mess... Funny?You can read more about Secret Enemy in Portuguese here.
I don't really know how funny, but it works and keeps everybody excited to see what's going to happen next. I tend to believe it decreases productivity, but for sure increases spirit and a nice environment to work. Everybody is ok with it and nobody gets pissed, it si all part of a small family that the people of the office become during Christmas time.
As an example, today in the morning when we arrived to the office, all PC mouses where in a box in one of the managers desk inside a box with a big poster that read: Mouse Thief! In each desk there was a post it saying "Claim your mouse from the mouses thief".
Other friend in the office got all his pens and pencils and even his bottle of water completely covered with glue stick, you can imagine the laughs of everybody when he actually got to use the pen and tried to drink some water...
I am a little scared of what will happen to me, I am also a little bit hesitant to do something to my Secret Enemy, I don't want to be rude neither foolish... Any ideas you wanna share with me?
Read the translation to English of the previous article about Secret Enemy here.
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So, in the mist of my first real Christmas on few years, new discoveries and practices emerge. I am feeling so full of life, I surprise myself by how much these little new things intrigue me and trigger my curiosity to ask and enjoy...
I will be a good Secret Enemy! Sphere: Related Content
1 comment:
Hi dear, seems like you are really having a ball,like you said, the diversity of cultures is always a lovely experience. And this is one of them, instead of making someone happy, you go out to actually mess them up!!!!:) can't wait to read what happens to you, and what you will do to your secret friend. Keep finding happy moments in the little things around you, and the quote 'it is always good to stop and smell the roses once in a while' will make so much sense. Keep smiling and do not stop:). Cheers.
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