Secret Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

Two nights ago, Winthrop House Resident Kevin X. Boyle '85 was eating dinner when his friends looked up from across the table and began to laugh.

"I smelled the lipstick, and knew right away what was happening," said Boyle.

Standing in line behind him were twenty-one lipstick besmeared Housemates, each waiting her turn to plant one on Boyle's reportedly baffled countenance.

"That was the only time I was kissed by 21 girls in my life," he explained.

Once again, the Secret Santa rage has hit Harvard.

The principle behind the game is simple: giving gifts to an assigned Santee is balanced by receiving gifts from a Santa. Most recipients agree that the surprises, which range from backrubs before bed to sixpacks of Heineken, are an exciting addition to their first semseter.

But sometimes, jokes played in the name of the Secret Santa game can ruin the fun. This year, South House resident Grant N. Colfax '87 was told by what he termed "a satanic Secret Santa" to take the shuttlebus to Soldier's Field Park and wait for further instructions.

"Nobody was there, and when I returned, someone had chuckled on my answering machine," he said.

In addition to problems of Secret Santa pranks, some Houses have had difficulties matching Santas to Santees.

Normally, men are matched to women and vice-versa, but at Mather House 35 more males than females signed up. Only after five men withdrew and some women agreed to have two Santees did an exact pairing result. Winthrop House chose similar measures to balance their 220 participants.

Quincy House and Cabot House organizers first satisfied requests for specific Santees before completing the pairing, while Houses like Kirkland made their matching process completely random.

Organizers from the Houses said that the aim of the game is to promote creativity rather than encourage heavy spending. In fact, Cabot House organizers established a spending ceiling of $15 for all Santas.

Many Secret Santa tricks do not require spending any money at all. Two nights ago, three cheerleaders sang "He's Mr. Cellophane" to Greg M. Dayton '87, who plays Mr. Cellophane in the Winthrop show "Chicago." They concluded by wrapping Dayton in cellophane.

At Kirkland House, Steven B. Anderson '85 was apparently forcefed in the dining hall, hands tied behind his back.

"Backrubs are really big," said Quincy House's House Committee Secretary Dena E. Hermosilla '84-5." Belly-grams, stripteases, bubble baths, and massages also remain very popular, according to participants.

Not all "gifts" are as pleasant as breakfast in bed, mugs of hot chocolate, or homeade chocolate chip cookies, though.

"There are some bizarre gifts every year," said Greenough proctor David S. Frim. "Last year, someone left a bag of garbage with a note on it."