On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 5:20 PM, Gregory Maxwell gmaxwell@gmail.com wrote:

On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 6:51 PM, phoebe ayers phoebe.wiki@gmail.com wrote:

...

Hello Wikimedians,

Austin and I thought it might be fun to have a Secret Santa New Year's drawing among Wikimedia friends! We're basing it on the MetaFilter community Secret Santa drawing, which has 256 participants and uses a website called Elfster.

Totally optional of course, but totally fun to get random things in the mail from other community members.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/freakonomics/pdf/WaldfogelDeadweig...

LOL. Is this the dreaded "sweater return problem" in economics? :)

Anyway, such economic analysis make the assumption that the gift is worth a fixed, intrinsic value to start with. A piece of paper, envelope and (domestic) stamp costs about 50 cents, but a letter from a friend is, as the commercials say, priceless. I like to sign up for gift exchanges, send postcards when on vacation, and keep penpals because all of these activities help build community and friendship, and it's a lot of fun to receive something that you know someone thought about and wanted to surprise you with, and to do the same for someone else.

I blogged my thoughts on gift-giving, from a U.S. non-religious-but-still-celebrates-Christmas perspective, last year at this time: http://www.phoebeayers.info/phlog/?p=566

But the reason I said this exchange was optional is because, obviously, it's optional :) only people who find such things fun and valuable should sign up.

I also forgot to mention that I can set up do-not-draw lists for people if you're concerned about not getting paired with someone.

-- phoebe