BIG sister gifts?

[alum]

Is it customary for a new member to give her BIG a gift at revealing time or upon initiation?

[ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl]

Originally Posted by alum

Is it customary for a new member to give her BIG a gift at revealing time or upon initiation?

Not for us....but it WOULD be kinda nice.

[Eirbear]

My chapter does, but every chapter is different. The Little Sisters give their Bigs a little gift on initiation. When I initiated, I gave my Big a box I had decorated for her. When my Little initated this past December, she gave me a Build-a-Bear she had made for me, and it was wearing a t-shirt she had decorated.

[AlphaFrog]

It just seems weird, because if you want all of the littles to get bigs gifts, you would have to tell them to do so. I think telling people (especially those who are not yet official members of your org yet) to go buy someone something could seem tacky. I guess it would be all in how it's presented.

[minDyG]

Originally Posted by alum

Is it customary for a new member to give her BIG a gift at revealing time or upon initiation?

Our chapter gave our bigs gifts at initiation. We decorated paddles (well, technically we did wooden anchors--but I think they've changed it to paddles now) for them and were encouraged to also get them a gift. I think I gave my big some hot pink carnations in a blue vase, a pink and blue tote bag from one of her favorite stores, and a couple of other DG-themed gifts. It was fun, but it wasn't awkward like someone else was saying--they didn't give us a price limit or like tell us we HAD to get our bigs a present...but we all did anyway.

[KSUViolet06]

My chapter has Big Sis Appreciation Day in the spring after the new members are initiated. That day is designated for Littles to do something nice for their Big. Some Littles get their Bigs a small gift like a gift card to their favorite store or treat them to lunch or dinner. My Little made me a picture frame and took me out for ice cream. It doesn't have to be anything expensive or elaborate, just something to let them know you care. I mean, think about the amount of money that Bigs spend on their Littles. One day to say "Thank you" is really nice to have.

[Buttonz]

We gave our bigs (and the president and NME get one from the NM class) paddles on intiation night. It's great to see who can come up with something that is the most creative and all the inside jokes that are put on paddles.

For example, my (now ex) bf's nickname for me was Strawberry and mine for him was Shrek...so my paddle from my little is covered in strawberry's and Shrek stuff....one of my NME paddles has a lion on it, as a joke about an AEPi guy....well you get the idea

new members in my chapter also give their bigs decorated paddles on initiation night. it's after revealing so they actually know who they're decorating for. i would think that telling them to give any old present would be a little weird but when it's the same gift every year, decorated to make it unique it's not really just a present anymore, it's a tradition.

[Phigirl04]

I don't think it was mandatory or anything in my chapter but we gave small gifts, usally before or right after iniation. I think almost everyone did a paddle for their big and maybe a picture frame or a stuffed lion or something.

When I was iniatated into Phi Sigma Pi, I got my big a bag with letters on it, some people gave sweatshirts or blankets or other stuff. Again, it wasn't a rule it was just something that everyone did.

It didn't seem weird because of all the stuff/time/etc. gives to you when you're a new member it's nice to give them something for a change and to show appreciation.

[MaryAmanda]

We do it in my OPA chapter. The bigs shower the littles with gifts, the families (each as a whole) shower the littles with gifts, and the littles are expected to get one gift for their bigs. Compared to the armload of stuff they get to take home after initiation, well, it's the least they can do, right?

I've had four littles. From the two at my local chapter, one got me a little charm with our family mascot, and the other got me a towel with the family mascot (a frog). My other two were at colonies, so because it's a local thing, bigs weren't given gifts.

At big sis revealing in Coyote, bigs didn't receive gifts. As far as initiation, I don't quite know yet...

[FSUZeta]

my daughter has given halloween gifts, christmas gifts and valentine day gifts to both her big sisters, her 2 grand bigs and her maiden auntie(the other little sister of one of her grand bigs-she does not have a little). the whole family(in zta that is) tries to do something together once a month. they are very close-knit.

i will probably pick up some things for my daughter to give her family for easter.

i have not heard of littles having to give a gift to a big for revealing. it is a sweet thought, but since the little would not know who she might be getting as a big, it would just be some random sort of gift, with not much sentiment behind it. i also have not heard of a little giving a gift to her big at initiation.

in my chapter we littles often gave our big sister a "big sister dangle" to put on the chain of her chapter guard, which attaches to the badge. i remember that i gave that as a christmas gift.

i could certainly see a little writing a note to her big, thanking her for her support, friendship and guidance during the pledging process.

[Pi2theB2theKPhi]

We dont make our littles give their Bigs anything since it is their initiation and they are the ones that should be celebrated as our new sisters

[aephi alum]

When I joined my local, bigs and littles exchanged gifts. We had a paddle party at the local greek store; I gave my big a paddle, and she gave me a wooden cutout thing with our names and letters (which I haven't seen since the last time I moved ).

Once we went AEPhi, the idea of littles giving their bigs a gift died out. Occasionally a little would choose to give her big a gift. My big (from the local) was one of the women who spearheaded the effort to join AEPhi. So I made two identical cross stitches of the AEPhi letters and a sprig of lily of the valley. I have one, and I gave the other to my big at the time of our initiation. But that was of my own free choice, and when we went AEPhi, we were all the Alpha new member class, on equal footing.

[epchick]

Originally Posted by alum

Is it customary for a new member to give her BIG a gift at revealing time or upon initiation?

At big/lil revealing, the littles give their bigs a picture frame (preferably one that you decorated yourself). And at initiation, littles give their bigs a paddle.

[GeekyPenguin]

My chapter goes kind of insane for this - we do an exchange the night before initiation. I got my mom (what we called big sisters when I was active) a picture album engraved with our letters and a few other trinkets that I can't remember anymore - oops. We also have a few other chapter-only gift traditions that I don't want to post to spoil the surprise in the odd event anyone on here joined my chapter!