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Silly Kris Kringle gifts just not Christmas

Christmas party organisers will not be too surprised to hear that most employees would rather donate to charity than spend money on silly Kris Kringle gifts, according to the  Wishing Tree Appeal Kris Kringle Online Survey just released.

Ninety percent of the online respondents said they had participated in a workplace Kris Kringle, and of those, the vast majority had received unwanted and silly gifts.

Twenty one percent of respondents felt strongly enough about the Christmas party tradition to even say Kris Kringle was not in the spirit of Christmas, while 87 percent said they would prefer the money was directed to charity.

Intended as a light-hearted gift for an anonymous work colleague, Kris Kringle presents are often undesirable and subsequently either binned, or left behind at the staff Christmas party.

Some of the more bizarre gifts survey respondents had received include: crude pasta shapes, a desk fan made from a giant golf ball, wine with a commemorative label from a high school marching band, designer rubber gloves and a talking teddy bear calling out ‘2006’ with just one more week of that year to go!

The survey results illustrate that most people regard the workplace Kris Kringle as a flippant investment.

It’s important to get into the festive spirit at Christmas time, but instead of wasting money on bad Kris Kringle presents, the Wishing Tree team is encouraging workplaces to substitute the office Kris Kringle with the purchase of a Wishing Tree e-Card or a donation under a Wishing Tree in any Kmart store.

It’s amazing the difference a gift worth just $10 or $20 can make to someone in need.

The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal is Australia’s Largest Christmas gift appeal, having distributed nearly five million gifts to people in need over the past 22 years.

This year alone the Appeal aims to raise more than 450,000 gifts (40,000 in SA).

To-date Australians have donated more than 100,000 gifts and an additional 350,00 gifts are needed before Christmas.

The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal will run until Christmas Eve.

To participate in the Appeal simply purchase a Wishing Tree eCard at www.wishingtree.kmart.com.au or place a gift under a Wishing Tree at any Kmart store.

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