Chuck Schumer Receives 'Lump Of Coal' From Joe Manchin In 'Secret Santa' Exchange

'What We Deserve Is A Lump Of Coal'

During a recent Senate "Secret Santa" exchange, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) received a gift typically reserved for those with bad behavior: a lump of coal.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) presented Schumer with two pieces of coal carved into the shapes of a donkey and an elephant. A riddle accompanied the gift that acknowledged Congress' low approval rating, saying "what we deserve is a lump of coal... we should be working in a bipartisan way," Fox News reports.

Schumer said the "handcrafted, beautiful" gifts were "much better than a lump of coal."

Manchin himself received several lumps of coal from Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who also gifted a six-pack of Colorado "Snow Day" beer and hiking socks.

This is the first year the U.S. Senate has taken part in a "Secret Santa" gift exchange, according to MSNBC. The effort was launched by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who thought the effort might "create some unlikely friendships" in a highly partisan Senate.

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