Student Secret Santas Hit Harvard's Chimneys

Wit, strategy, and the pleasures of the flesh have marked this year's version of the Secret Santa tradition, as students scheme to delight their unwitting "Santees" with imaginative gift-giving.

Throughout the campus, Santas have been giving till it hurts. William M. Dixon '91 said one Pennypacker Santa gave his "Santee" a check for one billion dollars while at Kirkland House, "Merry Christmas, Susan Dawkins" posters have taken over the bulletin board labeled "Intramural News Only."

Santas wrote poems and shopped furiously to prepare for this week's gift-giving. One inventive Santa based his gifts on current events, including the recent prison revolts in Florida and Louisiana. "He gave the men working at the grill gingerbread men and made his Santee go down to the grill and demand their release," said Michael T. Horvath '88 of Kirkland House.

At Quincy House Leslie Levin '90 said a clandestine Claus led her roommate on elaborate scavenger hunts. One of these chases took her roommate to Lamont Library, where she followed instructions to read an obscure newspaper, and at once received flowers from a fellow student. On another hunt I evin's roommate found her gift behind a book in the depths of Quincy House Library.

Kimberly S. Levin '90 told of a Leverett House escapade in which 20 maids-a-milking helped out, each giving one kiss, real and chocolate, to a pleasantly surprised (male) Santee. And Kevin J. Dolsky '88 said his roommate received a backrub as a gift. "And we got to watch," he added. Some of the other gifts found on campus included a bag of coal and a stash of animal crackers and condoms.

Some gifts bordered on the cruel and unusual, such as the one sent to Josh Young '90 of Dunster House. An "elf" representing Young's Santa forced him todance to the music of Madonna. Young, however,said the reprehensible incident "motivated me towork harder."

Santas even manipulated professors into helpingthem in their devious plans. Gavin R. Villareal'90 of Winthrop House said Professor of AstronomyOwen Gingerich delivered a giant inflatabledinosaur to a student in his Science A-17 class.He then told the class not to ask him to deliverany more gifts, adding that he limits suchextravagances to one a year.

Eleanor H. Yoon '90 witnessed a similarincident in her Introduction to Psychology class,where Assistant Dean of the Extension School DodgeL. Fernald delivered a giant chocolate kiss to onetickled student.

Santa By Any Other Name...

While gift-giving flourishes across the campus,Santas are nowhere to be seen at Adams House,where students have changed the tradition toprevent discrimination, said Mona A. Khalil '88,who coordinated the house's gift-giving this year.

In order to respect the religious beliefs ofall their members, she said Adams House studentshave adopted non-religious names for Secret Santa,such as "Politically Correct Gift Givers" and"Incognito Benefactors."

In addition, so as not to presuppose student'ssexual preferences, the house abandonded thetradition of pairing gift-givers with members ofthe opposite sex