The word "pollyanna" may also be used colloquially to denote a holiday gift exchange more typically known as Secret Santa, especially in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. At the height of her popularity, Pollyanna was known as "The Glad Girl", and Parker Brothers even created The Glad Game, a board game.
In the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, the White Elephant gift exchange is sometimes called a “Pollyanna Gift Exchange.” This name is believed to be inspired by the novel “Pollyanna” by Eleanor H. Porter, where the main character plays a “Glad Game,” akin to finding joy in surprises.
What's the difference between Pollyanna and Secret Santa?
A Pollyanna gift exchange is similar to Secret Santa but focuses on more thoughtful, positive, and often handmade gifts. Named after the titular character from the 1913 novel Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter, the game embodies the spirit of optimism, joy, and looking on the bright side—just like its namesake.
What's the difference between White Elephant and Pollyanna?
And, unlike the competitive nature of the traditional White Elephant game, Pollyanna focuses on the warmth and surprise of gift-giving without the stealing aspect, making every gift a sweet discovery.
The word "pollyanna" may also be used colloquially to denote a holiday gift exchange more typically known as Secret Santa, especially in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas.
“Pollyannas” remember positive things more accurately than negative ones, and also tend to use more positive language. The Pollyanna Principle (a pop psychology term) was named after the central character in the 1913 book Pollyanna, by Eleanor Porter.
With Pollyanna her fictional and uplifting story of an orphaned girl with a sunny attitude, Eleanor H. Porter not only invented the most optimistic literary heroine - glad and cheerful Pollyanna - she created an English-language word that then shaped the world's notion of extreme gladness.
Deriving from a tradition, the ritual is known as Secret Santa in the United States and the United Kingdom; as Kris Kringel or Kris Kindle in Ireland; as Wichteln, Secret Santa, Kris Kringle, Chris Kindle or Engerl-Bengerl in parts of Austria; as Secret Santa or Kris Kringle in Canada and Australia; as Secret Santa, ...
What is a politically correct way to say "secret santa"?
A Politically Correct Way to Say Secret Santa
While Secret Santa is a traditional name for this game, for international multi-cultural teams the name may be too closely associated with religion. Secret Santa is often called Kris Kringle or White Elephant in some places.
The now famous Giving Tree was originally created to be a fun alternative to the traditional Secret Santa, when instead of buying anonymous 'joke' gifts for colleagues, the Giving Tree encourages people to buy a toy for a disadvantaged child who might otherwise receive very little – or in some cases – nothing at all at ...
It seems that the Yankees and the Confederates at some point swapped prisoners as a sort of game to lighten up the atmosphere, hence the name “Yankee Swap.” How the term was adopted to gift giving is up for speculation. 1. Gift must be wrapped, but remain tagless.
No one shares what name they have drawn, instead keeping it hidden. Each person then purchases a fun and amusing gift for the person to whom they've been assigned. There is generally a dollar amount assigned before the event so everybody is on the same page as to how much they will be spending on their gift.
When you put a positive spin on everything, even things that call for sadness or discouragement, you're being pollyannaish. The word comes from a 1913 children's book by Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna, about a young girl who tries to find something positive in every situation — a trick she calls "the Glad Game."
Porter published in 1913, tells the story of an optimistic orphaned girl who comes to live with her austere Aunt Polly Harrington. The narrative revolves around Pollyanna's unyielding cheerfulness and her creation of the "Glad Game," a practice of finding something to be glad about in any situation.
Pollyanna: Focuses on the surprise and delight of giving and receiving thoughtful gifts. The giver's identity remains a secret until the gift is opened, emphasizing warmth and personal appreciation.
Are Yankee Swap and White Elephant the same thing?
They are very similar, yet there are subtle game variations and regional differences. The White Elephant emphasizes humorous and impractical gifts, Dirty Santa allows for strategic stealing, and Yankee Swap prioritizes trading over stealing.
In fact, pure white elephants, like the one on the flag, do not really exist. Certainly, rare albino elephants exist, although they are generally a reddish-brown colour rather than white.
However, when she returns, she slips and falls from the tree and is badly injured. With her legs paralysed, Pollyanna becomes severely depressed, jeopardizing her chance of recovery: it seems that the 'glad game' can no longer do the trick.
Pollyanna syndrome, the name being taken from a book of the same title, means “an excessively or blindly optimistic person.” The occurrence and danger of such attitudes in psychotherapy is discussed. Such attitudes may occur both in patients and their therapists.
