Real Life MMD: Should I still get him a secret Santa present?

milvusvestal

If this is all you have to worry about, then thank your lucky stars you aren't like 99% of the population.

I've never participated in what seems to be a harmless means to fritter away money, but would have thought that the whole point of it is to have a laugh about who gets what. Get your colleague something that's completely useless; he can keep it until next year, and pass it on. Likewise with your closer friend.

Moneygonewhere?

What about some moist toilet tissue!

Talent

Just do what you agreed to do in the first place, buy him something for a fiver. Simples!

ayayay

I might be missing something here, but I thought the whole point of these secret santa £5 gifts was to buy some rubbishy joke gift as a laugh for everyone? Is perhaps that what your colleague was referring to?

Augustus_the_Strong

Mrs_Hornsey wrote: »

I would buy "him" a gift for a family abroad through Oxfam or another charity :T helps others and he gets nothing :rotfl:

What a great idea! Gives you moral superiority too. Secret Santa presents are usually just rubbish anyway and I resent wasting money on something that gets thrown away after a moment's laugh. This way someone gets something worthwhile. Merry Christmas!

skipraider

How is it a 'Secret Santa' if you know who you are buying for? When I did this once, all the men brought a male-oriented gift marked with an 'M' and all the women female gifts (marked 'F'), then everyone picked a gift as appropriate to their sex. Lots of fun and no moral dilemmas.

Maat

I think you have to bite the bullet and get him something reasonable. Don't waste loads of time and effort on it obviously, but pick something that's easy to get and acceptable for the price.

The issue of him getting some trash for someone else is between the two of them, not you. Take the opportunity to stop worrying about it. You're neither the person who's being a jerk or the person who's gonna be treated less favourably by it. This guy just sounds to me like all he's gonna buy is a pile of ill will towards himself. He can safely be left to alienate the rest of your colleagues, you need do nothing, and you'll win yourself no favours by pre-empting the general dislike of this guy.

Let well alone, do what you need to do and leave the rest to deal with itself, it's not your responsibility to advise your colleagues what a selfish, disrespectful little something this guy is. They'll find out soon enough.

I hope you have a good Christmas, Chanuka, Yuletide, Saturnalia, whatever. It's great that you care this much, just let go for now.

aloiseb

I think a nice present for him would be a Lakeland (or Dyas or wherever...) Banana Keeper. A nice useful present for his lunchbox.

purple.sarah

One person's crap is another person's treasure, he could simply be planning to regift something he didn't like but someone else might. Anyway you agreed to participate in the secret Santa knowing the terms, that the recipient is randomly chosen and you might not like them. So stick to your side of the bargain and get him a small gift. Or you could suddenly refuse to participate in the secret Santa and spread petty office gossip but it won't be him who looks bad.

Torry_Quine

As others have said don't stoop to what you think he may be doing. Get something good that he will appreciate.