1:08 a.m. - 2001-12-09
Yes, Takashi, There is a Santa Claus
Christmas is a time for giving.
Remember in school how all the students would put their names in a hat for Christmas, and every kid would draw a name? Whomever you chose, you had to buy that person a gift....
"Secret Santa"...
This holiday season, I was thinking of doing the same thing, but using the phone book instead. I got the idea to pick a random stranger out of the phone book, and buy that person a gift this Christmas. Maybe like a $20 gift. Somewhere in that price range...
With their phone number, I could call them up and tell them what I was doing. "Hi, you don't know me, but I bought you a Christmas present which I think you might like. If you tell me your address, I'd be more than happy to deliver it to you." Another option would be to use the internet to find out what their address is. There are sites where you can enter a phone number, and it tells you the address...then just secretly leave their gift on their front porch.
I mean, you wouldn't really know what this person's interests or hobbies are, so you'd have to buy them a generic gift. Like, a cheese log...or a gift certificate. Something that anybody would enjoy. Unless you call them up and ask them what they want.
The whole phone book should be a giant Secret Santa thing. If everybody in California did this, I'm assuming somebody would eventually pick my name. I feel sorry for the people whose last names start with A or Z...Nobody would pick those pages of the phone book while randomly selecting a name. People instinctually flip to the middle of the book.
So, I decided to make one person very happy this Christmas season, and I got out my phone book and randomly chose a name.
I closed my eyes, pointed at a name on the page, and I chose Takashi Kanamori. I got really lucky too, because he just happens to have his address listed under his name: 200 Grapevine Road in Vista, California.
That means I don't even need to call Takashi. I can just surprise him with his gift and a card explaining that I was his Secret Santa.
I need to stay anonymous, of course.
And, the more I think about it, I don't even need to get Takashi a generic gift, like a cheese log. Takashi is lucky, because I can be a little bit more specific with him, based on his name. I can make better assumptions about his interests, knowing that he's Asian.
So, I decided I'm going to buy him some Pokemon oven mitts and a pair of Godzilla pajamas.
I hope he likes them....
Don't worry though...I already thought about the potential problem of buying the wrong size, although I assume he's a Large. But, I'll leave the receipt with his gift, so he can exchange the pajamas if they don't fit.
I got all of Takashi's bases covered...
