The Sursy
The first time I heard the word, “sursy”, I had recently moved to South Carolina and someone brought me a candle and called it a sursy.
A what?
A sursy.
What’s a sursy?
I recently had this conversation with a new co-worker, who moved here from Denver, Colorado just a few months ago.
She’d never heard of the word either.
So of course, like a good southern lady, I told her what a sursy is.
First, I googled it, so she wouldn’t think I totally made up this somewhat-of-a-silly-sounding word.
The urban dictionary {as opposed to the SUBurban…} states that a sursy is: a term commonly used in the South to denote a small, unexpected gift…for no special occasion, particularly to show affection or thanks.
Now, I am from the South. I am southern, born and bred. But I’m telling y’all, I’d never heard this word, ever before until South Carolina came into my life.
Of course now, I love to use the word. The word itself just sounds friendly. For those of you who don’t know, it’s pronounced like “sir see”. I enjoy finding little sursies to gift to friends or coworkers.
When Andrew and I were in our pre-marital counseling we discovered that neither of us was {is?!} a good gift giver…as in giving sursies…unexpected gifts. Sure, we’re great at the birthday, anniversary, the um, important dates. But not really the unexpected.
And as I write this I’m thinking that I probably need to find a sursy for him…because he’s not gotten a sursy in a while. hmm.
Anyhew, back to everyone else! ha!
The key to the sursy is that it’s unexpected. And inexpensive. For me it’s the something that says to the recipient, “hey, I saw this today, thought of you and wanted you to have it.”
It can be a small candle {like I received}, a pretty little trinket holder, a neat/unique pack of notes. I even gave someone some witty post-it notes once because this particular coworker had post its lining the shelf above his head.
I don’t give sursies often…that’s what makes them unexpected! And I wait for things to speak to me. Kind of like the Pier One commercials where the birds or the gnomes start talking to the lady shopping.
Ok, I know I sound crazy now. But take today for example. I saw a pretty little dish with a fabulous little saying on it and thought, “that’s perfect for…!”
I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed it, put something I had for me in my hand, back on the shelf and made my little purchase. And yes, I’ll take the gift wrapping because I want that tiny little rosette!!
Y’all. It’s way more fun to give!!! Who’s going to get your next sursy?!
I have always lived in South Carolina but I first heard the word from my very thoughtful roommate at Winthrop College in Rock Hill, SC in 1963.
Thanks for your comment Lisa! It seems that so many ladies in SC know this word, and from various colleges!
The first time I heard the word was in 6th grade reading class taught by Miss Margie Horton…that would have been around 1959…were reading about surcingles and went into a discussion about other words that begin with surci…this word was one Miss Horton mentioned and defined as a small special gift… much later in life a dear friend gave me a surci and I knew then she was a real friend…Now in the small town I grew up in there is an awesome flower shop plus and the name is “Surcees”..Thank you Miss Horton
I grew up in South Carolina and went to Lander College ( not university then) from 1959-1963. Any time someone went downtown, we always told them to bring us a sursey.. (Until tonight, I hadn’t realized one thing. I had never seen the word written down anywhere. We said it, but we didn’t write it.)
We always just called them because….because it talked to me, because it made me think of you, because you are so special, because I love you…Mom was from very northern New York and Dad was raised in Texas (born in AZ but raised from about 9 mo in Texas) and never heard them called that. We would find a because anytime from anyone in the family. I still do it for the loved ones. Mom was famous for her because gifts.
Wow — I’d always thought this was a family term inherited from my mother-in-law — a native Floridian. Interesting as I’d never heard any non-family use it.