Santa

Tweet >Huge locker room turmoil early in the season: Marcus Smart said he got 12-year aged whiskey in the Secret Santa exchange, but then it got stolen from him and he ended up with a karaoke set.

Context >Robert Williams said the Celtics had a team dinner and Secret Santa gift exchange last night to celebrate New Years.

Update >Brad Stevens said he gave away the gift he received in the Secret Santa exchange. So he ended up with nothing.

First off, thank you all so much. Your responses were really overwhelming as were the awards. Really, truly, thank you. Having someone understand, let alone so many, really helped me take a massive step forward.

One of the commenters suggested actually taking a 23andMe test and seeing if it matched my parents. I had done so two years ago (and posted about it on this account) because I was struggling with the revelation that my dad is not my bio-dad and how it may have impacted how I grew up. I forgot to consider this until I read this comment.

My mom knows. My dad either doesn't, or doesn't want me to know. Either way, I'm not going to give my mother the ammo to hurt me with by broaching this topic with them. I know that's what she'll do.

I know my mother didn't love me as a child because she called me up a couple of years ago and let slip "I wish I had loved you when you were a child." Not, I wish I had loved you more, or anything like that. Just point blank. I didn't love you. It's just, none of this made itself known during Christmas. Ever. I was shocked.

I've spoken with both parents and my dad was beyond apologetic. He said that the note was really something he treasured as a symbol of leading his own house. He said that it was very poorly timed and that he whipped it out to cover the awkwardness. He was blindsided. He works and she's retired. He trusts her with the shopping.

He tried to broach the topic with my mom before I talked to her and it did NOT go well. She became incredibly defensive to the point that he had to call me to tell me not to reach out to her until she called me herself. So, I waited. She said she did get me another gift (some plates/bowls) and told me they were on the way. I thanked her. Other than that, she didn't acknowledge Christmas had happened or that there were any disparities. She knows that I know that what she did was wrong and she doesn't want to talk about it.

Yes, I spoke with my husband. I laid it all out for him and when he understood that this was much more than about a woman not getting enough gifts, he backed off his AH judgement. He admitted that he doesn't know what any of this is like, but that he's proud of how I handled myself given the circumstances and he will continue to support me.

He said we also have a couple of options. We can cut off my entire side of the family all together, but that it wouldn't be possible to just cut out my mom. I am not ready to cut ties with my dad. So, we went wit

Every year our family does Secret Santa between our extended family to save on costs. It's an AUD $50 limit but we like to wrap things up all nice, and get really meaningful gifts. We use an online portal and everyone enters their preferences so you can buy something good. Unfortunately my brother in law didn't really take it seriously this year (not for the first time) and literally just wrote "cash" in his gift preferences.

My wife drew him for Secret Santa so we put our heads together to think of a creative way to maliciously comply with his request.

1. We purchased a 1ft tall Christmas Tree
2. We went to the bank and got $50 in assorted coins.
3. We then wrapped small bundles of 1-3 coins in bright wrapping paper. Then taped them so they were impregnable safe and secure.
4. We twisted paperclips (gold ones, super festive!) and taped them to the bundles to they could be hung on the tree as decorations.
5. We covered the tree in wrapped coins. In all there were 38 bundles.

Fast forward to opening the presents: my brother in law looked confused as he received a small Christmas tree wrapped in clear plastic. The card had a picture of a little money tree on it but we still had to explain that he needed to unwrap the tree and check the decorations. He soon realised the scale of the task that was in front of him and he press-ganged the 6 children present into opening the wrapped money.

We all had a laugh about it and the kids had a heap of fun opening all the little money parcels!

"Money Tree" plastic, paper and metal -2020 https://imgur.com/gallery/pwQw0qN

EDIT: Wow this blew up!

1. Drawnames.com.au is the portal we use. It's not amazing but it does the job.

2. Yeah it's not super malicious but we weren't sure how he'd take it, we were prepared for stony silence and awkward scenes, so we were happy when it turned out really wholesomely.

3. Cash is fine. Really. But our family secret santa is more about being meaningful and memorable. Our family is widely disbursed and just seeing each other at Christmas is the real gift. Secret Santa is just gravy.

4. Thanks for the kind gifts and comments, glad this brought joy and some fun memories to y'all.

Okay, I’m 90% sure that I am, but I’ve let it sit for a day and I’m still hurt. So, I need some outside perspective.

Before we get into this, I’m very aware that many people in the world get nothing at all for Xmas. I actually spend weeks leading up to Xmas volunteering (virtually this year) for the battered women’s shelter and a foster care organization.

Prior to this Xmas we quarantined for weeks and we all got tested. We are one of those families that doesn’t go into stores (hurray curbside), or eat out, and we are all fortunate enough to work from home or be retired.

Now, my mom does ALL the shopping for Xmas, full stop. She asked what I wanted and because I’m pregnant I just asked for stuff for the baby, especially since I won't have a baby shower. She said, fine, I’ll get that stuff, but what about you and your husband?

Well, we really didn’t want for much so I threw together three ideas for each of us but told her to please shop for baby. I also gave them a link to a registry with over 40 small items selected so they weren’t on their own.

Meanwhile, I got them what they asked for. My dad a Firestick TV and contributed to his Oculus. My mom some jewelry from Pandora and handblown glass cups she wanted. My brother (24m) who still lives with them a case for the iPad they got him and $100.

My parents still do Santa. The whole bit. The cookies, the milk, the presents that magically show up. It’s their choice. We don’t ask for it, but we play along because it makes them happy.

We come downstairs yesterday morning and everyone else has gifts from Santa. We do not. My dad just slips us a note saying Santa is done for us so we sit there awkwardly while my mom, dad, and brother open all their gifts from 'Santa'.

They struggled to find gifts for me at all. They found plenty for my husband (gardening stuff he wanted) but the only real gift they gave me were a pair of Adidas shoes I didn’t ask for, a perfume I don’t wear, and a ramen I like. That’s fine. All I wanted all along were things for the baby who they’ve known for weeks will be a boy.

They gave us three onesies and an ugly nursing pillow.

Icing on the cake was my older brother (40m) and his family have a whole stack of presents to be sent to them. Just for him, we’re talking power tools, drill sets, brand name clothes, and shoes just for him not to mention wife and kids.

Here’s what might make me an AH. Not wanting to spoil everyone's fun by sulking, I chose to return two days earlier than pl

I have always been troubled that there is a lack of humor possibilities without tonal context in reviewing ancient culture. Have we not considered that some of it - maybe cat statues, are just ancient memes or were a gag?

Edit: are there any examples of this where historians later realized “oh that was kind of a joke...”

1. Argument from Design

Every Christmas, a bunch of presents appear under my Christmas tree. I looked up pictures of the PS5 I might be getting if I’m nice, and it looks so beautiful that it can’t possibly have been made in a factory. No, the design is so complex and intricate that it must have been made by elves in Santa’s workshop. Therefore, Santa exists.

2. Argument from First Cause

Presents don’t just appear out of nowhere. You can’t just have a bunch of neatly wrapped gifts coming out of nothing. Every present must have a cause, and Santa is the only rational explanation I’ve heard that makes sense. Therefore, the first cause is Santa Claus.

3. Pascal’s Wager

Let’s say you’re a Santa believer, and it turns out you’re wrong. That means you’re in a world where grown-ups have to spend hundreds of dollars every Christmas, going through all kinds of stress, just to please their spoiled, thankless children. What kind of horrible world is that? Now let’s say you’re a Santa denier, and it turns out you’re wrong. That means you live in a wonderful world where a jolly man flies around and delivers free toys to all the boys and girls every year. Um...I think I might have got this one backwards...Therefore, Santa exists.

4. Ontological Argument

Let us assume that Santa is a maximally jolly being, the most jolly creature possible. Just imagine his cherry-red nose, his twinkling eyes, his belly shaking like a bowl full of jelly. There’s nothing more jolly than that, right? Let us also assume that it’s theoretically possible for a maximally jolly being to exist. And thirdly, let us assume that it’s better to be jolly and spread joy as a real being in the real world rather than as a made-up fictional character. Would that not be a property of a maximally jolly being? Therefore, Santa exists.

5. Moral Argument

Every year, Santa keeps two lists containing all the children of the world: one for “nice” children, one for “naughty” children. This incentivizes children to be on their best behavior, so they don’t get a lump of coal in their stocking this Christmas. But if Santa doesn’t exist and people stop believing in him, what happens then? Then we have no universal standard of morality! If there is no standard for what is naughty or nice, all is permitted! There’ll be rioting in the streets! Ax murderers breaking down your doors! Maniacs poisoning the water tower! Nuclear armageddon! OH GOD WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE! Therefore, Santa exists.

**6.