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You've signed up for a Secret Santa this year, be it in a hobby group, school, work, or just in your circle of friends. You've received a name and a small index card's worth of information about their likes and dislikes, so it's time to go shopping for them! Or, maybe you're receiving your own present? Was this a good idea or just extra holiday stress?
Rebecca wasn't sure why she had even bothered to sign up for it. Even after all this time at class, it still felt like she barely knew anyone. Even if she did have some acquaintances, they'd never far enough beyond that to feel like she would know what to give them for a present. That was the point, of course, she knew. Get a random name and some small interests, buy a gift based on that small bit of information. Even so she felt unprepared.
Still, whatever reasoning had led to it, she really had signed up for the Secret Santa this year. And there was no way of getting out it now that she had the little index card in her hand already. At least, no responsible way. No way that she'd be able to live with herself after, because abandoning a responsibility she'd agreed to was not something she even wanted to contemplate, even one as simple as this one. No, now that she'd already signed up and been assigned someone to give a gift to, there was no backing out, so she set to very seriously considering the information she'd been given.
Alter Darnell, the card read. Immediately she searched her memories for any familiarity the name might have conjured up, and there was just the smallest spark of something. They were a fellow student, of course, but that only narrowed things down so much. Tapping a finger against the side of the card, she followed that spark until it came inevitably to a face. Ahh, no wonder it seemed familiar. Alter was one of the boys she'd temporarily been assigned chores with during her first week enrolled. A jumpy underclassman with ridiculously bright green hair and a liking for red that clashed horribly with it.
She barely knew him, but it felt better to have a face as she continued her march down the aisles of the store, searching out something cheap enough to be reasonable gift for a complete stranger but not so cheap that it was a complete waste of his time either. The likes and dislikes listed along the length of the card were helpful, but maybe not so much as she would have liked in the end. Couldn't they have suggested gifts directly, just to make things more efficient? Maybe she was being silly, though, stressing out so much about it.
Still narrowing things down to make the whole trial easier, she tapped a finger over one like and decided that would be what she would base her choice on, never mind the rest. He liked tea, and she could work with tea. Surely there was some gift set of Christmasy flavors or something, she was sure that was a thing that tended to pop up in stores. Or maybe some cute teacup? Recipes and supplies for tea cakes? Or did she have time to bake something? No, definitely not. She couldn't remember the last time she'd baked anyway.
After completely overthinking the entire endeavor, she finally left the store with the gift set she'd expected to find, already wrapped and ready to go, and she was completely relieved to be done with the whole process when she left it at the boy's dorm door. A mission completed, and one she now knew better than to willingly subject herself to again in the future.
