How do you make your Secret Santa gift look so much more?

Pollycat

DigForVictory wrote: »

I have a default gift of a nice mug with chocolates in.

The budget steers where I get the chocolate & I do research the recipient's chocolate related preferences/prejudices/anti-palm-oil/type 1 diabetes etc, but the nice mugs are all charity shop finds of a reputable & recognized make, like Denby or Cath Kidson.

I can then 'bling' it with tissue or cellophane (cadged off an Interflora florist, they always have cellophane that's gone out of requirements) or just wrap in in mysterious copier paper...

I think this is a really nice idea. :T
Thoughtful and useful.

I have a Cath Kidston china mug bought for £1.00 from a charity shop that's a bit too big for me.
My friend likes her coffee in a big china mug, I'll look out for some good quality dark chocolate and gift it to her.
Not Secret Santa though.

Owain_Moneysaver

Pollycat wrote: »

Not sure how that fits into the 'Secret Santa' thread. :think:
So someone bought you a £1 gift?
So how much did you spend on their gift?

Probably about £10. But that's not the point. My (to them) gift was chosen with care and thought, theirs (to me) was firmly in the 'token' camp.

Pollycat

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Probably about £10. But that's not the point. My (to them) gift was chosen with care and thought, theirs (to me) was firmly in the 'token' camp.

I agree it's not the point.
As I said up-thread:

Pollycat wrote: »

:TThat's my point.

If you can't commit to buying something other than 5 items of tat from Poundland, then opt out.
And maybe this waste of time and money will die a death.

If you're going to buy a 'token' gift, do the decent thing and opt out.

spadoosh

My college friend has to go down as giving one of the best secret santa presents in the history of secret santa. Bear in mind hes about as socially awkward as you can imagine someone.

Worked at a golf club, £5 limit.

He spent £5 on a goldfish and a vessel to hold it. Handed it over at the xmas meal and the poor girl then had to carry it round with her for the rest of her works do night out. Apparently the clubs let her check it in the cloak room. Although that makes me think she probably spent more storing it that night than he did on the present.

I just cant picture a 19 year old girls face receiving a goldfish as a secret santa and then having to carry it around town with her. :rotfl:

firebubble

If it's for work colleagues, successes have included: new work mug with their name on it so it doesn't get borrowed, a female colleague who was always cold in the office received a half-size hot water bottle which she was delighted with, or whatever the spend is in scratchcards - this always goes down well.

Secret Santas I have witnessed which were disasters: pen1 s bottle opener (nearly resulted in the female giver being sacked), naked lady pens or mugs (each time, everyone was offended including the receiver who was publicly embarrassed), swear jar (particularly as it was the second time the recipient received one), 'novelty' chocolate pen1 s (outed gay colleague, who was rightly very upset), 'novelty' chocolate breasts (given to the boss because he was 'a tlt', but he took offence because his wife was black and thought it had rascist intent).

kboss2010

I just bought an Aztec print kimono for a colleague from a website called Shein for £5.50 & a pack of rope bracelets for £3.50. Our budget was £10 so I’m pleased! I just hope the size is ok when it arrives.

She’s a total hippy so I’m hoping she’ll like it! If nothing else, her kids might like the bracelets.

Mischiefmanaged

I bought my work mate a personalised wooden chopping board (e.g. Sarah's Kitchen). She loves cooking and recently started a baking business and the chopping board is placed behind her Instagram pics. I say that's a success.

For our work one we write our name with three likes and 3 dislikes. The dislike list is the most helpful x

Savvy_Sue

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

What else do you get for a fiver for someone you barely know and possibly don't like?

This year I've managed a very nice mug, bought in the sale in a very 'arty-crafty' local shop. I'm hoping it will stop people borrowing MY mugs, which are Wilkos cheapies, but very nice.

However, we don't do Secret Santa any more, we do Bad Santa, which is a lot more fun.

You buy your gift. One person chooses any gift from the pile. The next person may either 'steal' their gift, or choose a new gift. And so on. As you go on round the circle, there is a wider range of opened gifts to choose from. You keep going until everyone has a gift (may have to go round the circle a couple of times to achieve this!). To keep it sane, no gift may be stolen more than twice.

Some of last year's gifts are in pride of place on my colleagues' desks! Bone china cup and saucer, novelty sellotape dispenser ...

skintscot

My colleagues are quite a creative bunch so we've had homemade sweets, cakes, biscuits, soap, lip balms, plant cuttings in decorated pots etc. All dressed up by fancy wrapping.
If you don't want to make anything, a nice mug for the office or fancy tea, coffee, hot chocolate depending on what they drink.

Teacher2

Don’t buy tat. Buy the biggest bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk you can for the money.