What are your top Secret Santa suggestions?

hellokittysmum

We do a one pound lucky dip. Two years ago I cheated a bit and bought a bottle for 50p and filled it with my homemade sloe gin which went down well. Last year I was away early December on a business trip to Sri Lanka so bought a carved elephant (several of us on same trip so several Sri Lankan souvenirs). This year I bought (6 weeks ago) a gel hand warmer from Primary but there's some debate about whether we are even having Christmas.

Sharon87

Me and my housemates have decided we're doing Secret Santa, with a max spend of £10. Now I've just moved into this house at the beginning of the month, so it will be hard to know what to buy them!

gloriouslyhappy

CCP wrote: »

We're doing a variation of Secret Santa in our office this year: we're all donating the usual £5 and nominating a favourite charity - whichever charity gets their name pulled out of the hat at our Christmas lunch gets the contents of the pot.

It's wasn't my idea, more's the pity, but it's a great one!

Thanks for sharing, that is a really great idea, and I've emailed it to my niece who's just requested ideas for her office xmas celebrations.

ribrab30

AnneMary wrote: »

After several years of people grouching over gifts they received ( a bottle of wine shaped candle and racing grannies were particularly unpopular). We tried only gifts from the newly opened 99p shop; we haven't looked back!
We changed the rules to maximum spend £1 as someone wanted to get something from a carboot! It is amazing how inventive people are and if you hate it - you can write off a pound.
We also do "lucky dip" that is pick any present except your own - it takes the pressure off.

We do this on Christmas day, every guest buys 3 £1 items and wraps them. When we arrive for Christmas Lunch we each put our items in a box and pick one out each between each course of lunch. This keeps people entertained while the food is served and also if there is a delay with timings

purpleweasel

bassitt74 wrote: »

I've also made 'patchwork' gift wrap out of leftover scraps of christmas paper. I tape them all together then draw over the join with a thick black marker and add lots of 'stitched' marks. Gets a chuckle at the group hand over but as its a secret santa no-one knows who its from anyway.

They do now

gloriouslyhappy

Another really great idea, we'll try it this Christmas, thanks ribrab

ribrab30 wrote: »

We do this on Christmas day, every guest buys 3 £1 items and wraps them. When we arrive for Christmas Lunch we each put our items in a box and pick one out each between each course of lunch. This keeps people entertained while the food is served and also if there is a delay with timings

VfM4meplse

I'm doing an Secret Santa with a group of friends and really had to rack my brains as to what to get, because the recipients are unnamed. I was told that it was best to get something I would like to have myself. The problem is that I hate receiving random stuff that I would never use, I've done some serious decluttering this year and still have a load of stuff for the charity shop

The only gifts I appreciate are well considered books and consumables (food and drink gifts) so am creating a small Christmas food hamper with low value luxury items. It's a gift that can be used up, and I would love to be on the receiving end of it

Kezl89

Why not try a donation voucher from an animal rescue? Many years rescue have donation vouchers for £5 and £10. They rescue over 2500 dogs a year, and find cataract surgery for many dogs, details are on the website under Xmas merchandise.

sillyvixen

Ggardener wrote: »

We're doing a £1 shop Secret Santa at my workplace! Basically we're all tight and you can get some decent stuff in £1 shops.

we used to roll a dice for our secret santa amount - one year we had a £1 limit - while everyone else hotfooted it poundland - i may home made shortbread cut with a christmas tree shaped cutter - a bit of effort but it was agreed it was the best pressie for a quid.

JDills

Blow up doll