Ugly Sweaters and White Elephant Gifts

The Holiday Season has arrived full force.  Americans are excited to get to play holiday music whenever they please, have an excuse for spending insane amount of money at various shopping centers for loved ones, and have started to put in those holiday movies that make us laugh or cry.

One particular holiday tradition I'm a fan of: the ugly sweater.  That's right, find the oldest and craziest Holiday Garb from back in the day, put it on, and wear it with pride.  Every year back home, friends from high school dress up in this festive attire and head to a little hole in the wall establishment in my home town of Grand Rapids.  Last year, I wore a festive maroon sweater my sister made back in the early 90s with an ironed on Santa image.  Can't get much better than that, can it? 

So, I wanted to follow tradition and host an ugly sweater holiday party for my staff to celebrate the end of the quarter.  And let me tell you, some of them found some of the greatest sweaters of all time.  I was so proud.

To make the night that much more eventful, we did a white elephant gift exchange.  For those of you unfamiliar with this tradition, one brings a "gift" of something they do not want anymore and passes it off to someone else.  By the end, most are happy with receiving someone's trash and making it their treasure.  For those not satisfied with a gift, there are options to steal throughout the gift exchange.  Personally, I was quite please with my gift, as I received an official Hannah Montana pen. Now, that's American.