I am beaming! I just had the best Secret Snowman gift exchange of my entire life. Some #OCDcon buddies and I had an ERP-themed gift exchange.

We made a list of our fears and obsessions, were randomly assigned to each other, and then sent gifts meant to (important point!) jokingly and lightly trigger the recipient.

It was hilarious. I’m again amazed at the creativity and brilliance of people with OCD. It makes for great gift-giving.

Here are all of the gifts received:

For fear of throwing up…a “trust your gut” intestine pin plus a coloring book

 

For fear of nuts and bad karma…Peanuts stickers, “stolen from the nut factory” custom pencils, and a karma bracelet

 

For HOCD…an LGBTQ+ fiction book

 

For general stress and fear of being straight…a stress Paul fidget toy

 

For HOCD…I ❤ “friend’s name” mug and rainbow socks

 

For not always getting answers from doctors…a pin about uncertainty

 

For existential OCD…a very existential mug

 

For indecisiveness and fear of not finding love/being an old cat lady…decision making notepad and cat pens

 

For indecisiveness and fear of being immoral…an indecisive mug and sociopath journal

 

For fears about morality…a “Life is short, break the rules” charm bracelet

(This is the gift I gave!)

 

And for me and my fear of cavities…gummy teeth!

 

I can’t wait to do it again next year! Thanks to Molly (my partner for Not Alone Notes) for the idea. In the meantime, I’ll try to enjoy my gummies.

Morgan