Secret Santa

whitewing

Yes, I was going to say a beautiful Christmas tree decoration too. One of my employees gave me one one year and it's still treasured. I wouldn't have spent that much on a single decoration for myself but it's beautiful.

kazwookie

I hate this santa thing, and have been dragged into it at one of thep laces I work at, I am not looking forward to it at all. I was told today who I need to buy £5 gift for and have until mid next week as there is a dinner and we are all expected to swop then! great I am working every day till then, and barely know the person I have been given.

Ho hum, off to think............

Jellifer

Some great suggestions here..... I've gone and picked a guy for secret santa that hasn't even joined the company yet ! Any ideas on how to spend a tenner? All I know is he is male and under 40 (don't know how much under!) Girls are easy but no ideas for boys!

Thanks in advance

sopranino

I know it's sometimes difficult, but the best Secret Santa presents I have received have always given a nod to my personal hobbies. Once I received a lovely Choir girl CD, knowing I sing in a choir, and one year someone had got me lots of German Christmas goodies from Lidl and made it up in a hamper for me, knowing I studied German.

I really appreciated the thought behind them as well as the actual gifts of course!

Matt007

Last year I had a colleague who likes fine dining! So, I brought from Sainsburys a cheese gift set which came with a miniature bottle of wine.

We haven't picked ours this year, but will definitely be looking back here for some top tips!

Hezzawithkids

If you don't know them that well I'd avoid smellies too. I bought some last year for a colleague (female, 30s, 2 kids - I thought she might have liked a bit of pampering) and I overheard them saying that their secret santa must have thought they smelled

Love the posh decoration idea - think I might steal that one!

LannieDuck

C_J wrote: »

We always do a White Elephant Secret Santa at work, where you buy a gift which isn't person-specific. All the wrapped gifts are put in a box, and people's names drawn out of a hat - when your name is called, you can either take a new present from the box, or "steal" a previously unwrapped one if you have seen something you really like. The person whose gift is stolen can then choose a new one from the box (or steal someone else's). It always turns out to be loads of fun, plus it takes the pressure off trying to find a gift to suit a particular person.

What happens if two people really want the same gift? Does it get stolen back and forth?

sax11

Say you made a donation to charity on their behalf and keep the fiver.

rygbi

My friends and I do a sh*t Secret Santa. We set a budget of £2 and the aim is to buy the worst piece of tat. It can be new or from a charity shop (as the end results end up back in the charity shop afterwards!), but you can't go over budget.

It's a great laugh and we really enjoy it. No stress, no strain - you know you're going to get something horrendous, and it's become a contest of who can buy the worst thing! This year I have managed to buy the most HORRENDOUS flowery decorative flowery teapot, which cost me £1 from a local shop.:D

I can highly recommend this - it cheers people up no end, and there's no ill will or disappointment. A good laugh at Christmas - what more do you need?!

C_J

What happens if two people really want the same gift? Does it get stolen back and forth?


Yes, each person whose name is drawn has the choice of either a new unwrapped gift or stealing a previously-unwrapped one. Last year there was a pair of inflatable sumo wrestling suits which everyone kept stealing back and forth so much that we had to introduce a new rule that an item can only be stolen three times before it is declared safe.