HGE 2013

It’s that time of year for the Potts family to prepare for the annual Holiday Gift Exchange – or more simply put, the HGE.  I have the honor of serving as the (un)official HGE Coordinator.  While I’d like to say that I was The Chosen One this year because of my status as favorite Potts child, the truth is…well…several weeks ago I mentioned to mom that a superhero theme would be fun and she said, “So you’re volunteering to be the HGEC then?  Great!  You’d better get going on it so we all have time to plan.”  Deep down she knows she is the only one who really plans anything in this family, so I’m not too worried about the timeliness of this initial communication to the crew.  It’s quite likely most (if not all) shopping will be done online anyway.  And it’s also quite likely that most (if not all) online orders will be shipped to mom’s house for storage (and maybe a little organizing, because she’s good at that).

So here we are, folks.  For those of you who haven’t heard about the Potts Family HGE, it’s the annual exchange of gifts between adults to celebrate Christmas and a little bit of Hanukkah (we pride ourselves on being a blended family).  Participants include parents Jill/Larry, siblings Elisabeth/Charlie/Annie, and the characters who married into the family – Evan/Angie/Tanner.  The event itself usually doesn’t kick off until well after 9pm when all minions have (mostly) fallen asleep.  It may or may not include adult beverages (i.e. mostly Diet Coke, but some potent lemon liquor has been consumed in previous years).

The rules this year are fairly basic because nobody has time to for it to be complicating.  Here we go… 

In no particular order:

• In case you didn’t pick up on it already, the theme is SUPERHEROES!
•  Every HGE participant (giftee) will be assigned a name (giftee) for whom they are to purchase a gift.
• Multiple gifts are allowed, but may be construed as “favoritism” toward the giftee.  Totally fine if the gifter is Larry/Jill and the giftee is me.  Perhaps a bit awkward if the gifter is Evan and the giftee is Angie.  Just sayin’.  Keep in mind that superheroes do not have favorites – they come to the rescue of all people, regardless of race/ethnicity/gender/religious beliefs/scent/smartness.
• Maximum dollar value to be spent on gift(s) = $50.  Quit freaking out, Tanner.  I said it’s the maximum amount.  You can spend less.  But you might be called a jerk.
• No gift cards allowed.  Mainly because that’s always been a rule it’s a good one.
• The gift you purchase for your giftee must somehow tie back to the superhero theme.
• Creativity is always welcomed and generally required when purchasing the gift(s).  Refrain from buying someone a Batmobile or a catwoman suit.  Way too obvious (but totally awesome ideas!).
• As usual, you will be required to defend your gift at the time of gifting it to your giftee.  Props, songs, poetry, and other forms of entertainment are encouraged.

And some food for thought:

• Watch out for supervillains – they are not superheroes and nothing about them would make for a nice gift to your giftee.
• Remember that not all superheroes have super powers. For some reason that kind of makes me feel a little sentimental….hold on a minute while I wipe this tear from my eye.
• Okay.  Better now.
• Howard the Duck is considered a superhero, greatly skilled in Quakfu.  Interesting, no?
• There is a world superhero registry.  I’m pretty sure this would be a great resource for dad’s genealogy research.
• In your spare time (admit it – you have plenty!), I encourage you to create your own superhero:  http://marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero
• I was going to assign a superhero to each person but let’s be honest…you’re all superheroes just the way you are, so there’s no need to give you alternative identities.  Sigh.

And for a little inspiration, I leave you with Miles’ latest coloring job.  Who is this woman?  A superhero’s wife, of course.  He said it, not me….

You’ll receive the name of your giftee in the next day or two (I’m a little parched from this initial post) via email.  Check back on the blog for ideas, inspiration, and the occasional new or changed rule.  Keeps things fun when the game changes a bit.