The game, I mean.
We play it every year at the Christmas party put on at the local country club by the DH's real estate firm. The DH thinks it's dumb. He's always with the, "Why can't we just go and eat, drink and be merry like grownups."
And to that I say, "Bah, humbug! I want my Dirty Santa."
Of course, every year he somehow ends up choosing the gift we will contribute to the game. How does that happen? Wish I knew. This year we brought a couple of interesting drink mixers--both for "tinis," one for crantinis one for chocolate. All attractively packaged with this cool stainless steel shot glass thingy and snowflake-adorned stir sticks. The winner of that one gets to provide her own liqour. I say "her" because a woman won it. The room was dark, lit with candles and little white Christmas lights. Even through the candlelit shadows, I could see she was pleased with it. When the MC of the game tried to get her to hold it up so everyone could get a good look and be ready to steal it, she put it to her chest and said, "Oh, it's just some drink mixers." Clever girl. She went home with it, unchallenged. Personally, I wouldn't want a pair of sweet mixers--not even with the snowflake stirsticks and stainless shot glass thrown in. But the DH said his colleagues love sweet drinks, so that's what we brought.
The rules, in case you're totally lost at this point: Bring a wrapped gift that cost you under fifteen bucks. Yeah, most go over a little. Some don't. Either's okay with me. It's the bright wrapping and the stealing other peoples stuff that draws me to this game. I was probably a small furry creature who stole shiny objects my last life...
Back to the Rules... You draw numbers for your turn. If someone before you opens a gift you admire, you get to steal it. But. No gift can be stolen more than three times. If yours is stolen, you go back to the tree and choose another wrapped gift. Every year everyone argues over how the rules have changed. I don't know. I personally think they stay the same but what's a Dirty Santa game without griping over the rules? This year I wanted the small bottle of Bailey's Irish Creme that came up early. So I stole it. Then someone stole it from me. I forget who ended up with it. But I got a scent burner thingy. You put squares of scented wax in it, plug it in and you have candle scent wafting on the air. Hmm. Maybe not for me...
So I let the DH trade it for a book by the political commentator, George Will. I mean, hello. The DH is a total left-winger and George Will is a conservative. But the MC, also a left-winger, looked so crushed, he just had to come to her rescue. I don't really mind. He's a hero, what can I say? And if I want scented wax wafting around my head, I'll light a candle.
So that's it. Another year's worth of Dirty Santa, another evening of fun!
Know any great holiday games? I have a few more parties to attend...
This is Ed. Yes, in this picture he looks marginally alienlike. But he's a sweetie, truly.
