12 Days of Christmas

Every year, the day after Thanksgiving, we hang stockings in the office for each employee. I put in a silly poem I made up, tell them who their secret person is, and then watch throughout the month of December as they sneak gifts into someone's stocking.

I love how excited they get when they pull something out. You can tell that their Secret Santa put a lot of thought into the gift. Every once in a while I'll check the list to see who is giving to whom. It always makes me smile.

I made the decision when we first started this tradition, that my name would be excluded. I didn't think it was right to make someone buy a present for their boss. Plus, I would always know who it was, since I do the names.

This year, though, one of my employees has been leaving gifts on my desk, one for each of the twelve days of Christmas. Their comments have been clever and have brought a smile to my grumpy (not all the time) face. I've enjoyed the pears and the pineapple, the soup and bread, not to mention the soap, the lotion, the adorable stuffed turtle, the notebook (which has been great for leaving list for people at work), and I can't wait to make something yummy with the eggs they left this morning.

Thank you, my "true friend" as you call yourself. You can't know how grateful I am.