The Onion Gift Boxes
How did my family react to receiving these gift boxes from The Onion?
In order to have a little fun over my Christmas break on Cape Cod, I decided to package a select few presents inside these gift boxes. On Christmas Eve, four boxes were distributed. One, the Sounds of the Rainforest Smoke Alarm, went to my grandmother for her to open on her own. Three of the boxes were used at the annual Christmas Eve party at my Aunt and Uncle’s Yarmouthport home. My Uncle Eddy received the Visor-Ganizer (pictured above), my Aunt Margaret received iFeast (pictured above), and My Aunt Jeanne was subjected to the Kleen-Stride (also, pictured above). My Uncle received his gift first and caught on after reading that he could have “7 lbs.” on his visor. My Aunts, however, seemed content with their unique gifts. The iFeast stayed in its box for half of the evening, because the iPod, for their dogs, probably “had to charge”.
On Christmas morning, my mom received the Professional Whisk Set with 28 Whisks. Even after seeing the three boxes the previous night, she didn’t catch on immediately that this was a joke. Meanwhile, my grandmother called to say thank you for the Smoke Alarm, because they needed a new one. At that point, my family packaged up the whisk set (with two oranges and a new CFL bulb) to give them at Christmas dinner. Surprisingly, it was also thought to be a real gift. Even after its citrusy and environmental innards were uncovered, the smoke alarm, which has a remote with a “snooze button”, was still thought to be real.
Overall, it was a successful experiment and provided a lot of laughter on Christmas Eve. I am headed back to Raleigh on Monday morning, and will be back to work on Tuesday!
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