Work secret Santa stories

I never really enjoyed secret Santas or any other secret gift exchanges. What's the point of filing out a questionnaire if the person who drew your name wasn't going to follow it? I always stuck to budget and the answers on the questionnaire. One time, she noted that she's lactose intolerant so I made sure I didn't give her anything with milk in it. Another time, the name I drew said she loved a particular scent by Yankee candle. I found a car freshener.

What did I get? A cheap glass that was written on it with a paint marker. I said I collected snowflakes. I got a snowman. I don't participate anymore. DH's family gift exchange is basically a secret Santa but everyone buys for everyone and the limit is like $5 max per person. Three people/families are dog owners. Two people got a towel with their dog breed on it. Guess who didn't? Us. Beagles are just as common as huskies and labs. I see plenty of beagle stuff but nope, we didn't get a beagle anything. I hate doing it because it feels like we don't rate high enough to get something beyond cleaning supplies and seasonal paper plates on clearance.

We didn't do it this year, and I am relieved. I always thought ours was excessively expensive - three $20 gifts - but, as a member of the leadership team, I felt obligated to participate. I did always get good gifts, for the record, and the other person usually followed my wish list. I love surprises though, so I usually include a good long wish list so I won't know what I'm getting. I also include generic things that are easy to find (fun socks, slippers, bottle of wine). The last year, I asked the organizers to do a survey that included likes and dislikes so that people weren't bound to a specific list. Oh - and our organizers tracked down anyone who didn't bring their gift. It was serious business.

ITA about the candles.  

I no longer participate.  I've worked in my office for almost twenty years and have seen it go very very wrong several times.  People who are too sensitive and think that the person buying for them didn't put enough thought into it, even though the gift they received was very nice.  People who go WAY overboard and spend too much (very awkward when the person they bought for was the boss).  

Last year one person got their person a gift card to Starbucks.  A few weeks ago we had a short staff meeting and discussed how Secret Santa works for the new staff members.  The person who got the Starbucks card last year spoke up and said she wished she knew who had gotten it for her as it was driving her nuts.  Then she went on to say that she had received a Starbucks gift card and whoever gets her this year do NOT get her that as she absolutely hates Starbucks, never goes there and on and on.  Everyone's mouth was hanging open.  Then she went on to tell us how she had regifted it.   Whoever got her that Starbucks gift card sure hasn't said a word.  The person who got her this year muttered under breath that she was very tempted to get a Starbucks card.  Personally I thought it would have been hilarious to get a hold of some empty Starbucks gift cards and put them on her desk as a joke.  But she's the trouble making kind and would probably go to HR and claim harassment or something.  

We just did one for the first time (since I started in 2013). We had stockings hung up that we were encouraged to put little things like candy or pens in during the month. Everyone contributed a "wish list" and we had a budget of $20. They encouraged us to not do gift cards, and to write down specific fragrances if we wanted candles, etc. No one put a gift card on their wish list... except for the person who I drew. Oh, and of all the people participating, the majority of them women, I got one of the 4 guys, and the only colleague who I (still) couldn't pick him of a line-up, I've seen him so little!

Before they did the wishlist thing, I had already bought one of the fleece throws from Kohl's Black Friday sale. I got a neutral dark brown. Then when they announced that there would be wishlists, I figured I would wait to see what he said, and go from there. But then he said Walmart or restaurant gift cards! BOOOO!

He wasn't at work yesterday, but I took his gift in anyways. Then they told me that his name had been drawn twice, while one of the women hadn't had her name drawn at all. So I gave my gift to her, and the other person that had his name gave him their gift (restaurant gift card).

I was very pleased with my gift, a Wilson 9x13 metal cake pan. My old ones were reeeeallly old, and it was an easy and affordable idea. She also gave me a Wallflower holder from B&BW. So of course today I had to go get some Wallflower!

The whole thing went better than I thought it would. I wouldn't mind doing it again next year.

the person who 'forgot' should be required to take their gift from under the tree, put their recipient's name on it and return it to under the tree.

We do and for the first time in my work life I actually enjoy the exchange. We do "hand made - home made". You don't have to do it yourself if your not the crafty type but you can purchase handmade/homemade item. The employees get very into it and come up with the great gifts. Last year I got a blanket and this year Salsa. There are a lot of pies and cookies and tamales. Someone made bath salts, jams, Christmas Tree...stuff like that. I gave my photography calendar this year.

We had 47 people participate this year!

We don't exchange gifts anymore which is good by me because in the 20 years that I have been at my current job I have only gotten one gift that I liked and still have.

Our boss tried to start exchanging again this year but it was unorganized and people started backing out. It was one week before the day the party was planned for and she still didn't have us pick names. We all have kids that we have to buy for we need to know at least by late November who we are buying for. She also didn't reserve the table at the restaurant she wanted to have the party at.

We used to do a Secret Santa in our department of 9, but it has since expanded to the whole company. It is entirely optional. You have to secretly leave little gifts each day for one week and let them know who you are on Friday. They collect a list of likes, dislikes, allergies, things you collect, favorite color, etc ...

Things on my list are coffee, tea, any snacks, cats, Kansas City Chiefs, Starbucks and the color blue.

I had a very good Secret Santa ... I got a "prescription" coffee mug, fruit tea, chocolate covered pretzels, trail mix, a calendar with kittens and on Friday, my Secret Santa met me at my desk first thing in the morning with a Venti White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks!

The person I got liked chocolate, Diet Dr. Pepper and loves camping (and I know they have an RV). So, I got him chocolate bars, chocolate covered cherries, A big pack of RV toilet paper, some bottles of Diet Dr. Pepper and a personalized family Christmas ornament that has bears peeking out of a tent, camping out and says "Happy Campers"

It is really fun! Because only people that want to play are included, it is a lot of fun.

I like Secret Santa, but I agree, people should read the wish lists! You don't have to participate if you do not want to, so if you're going to be too busy or you otherwise suck, then do NOT participate.

I LOVE Secret Santa exchanges!

I think the people that enjoy them the most are those that expect nothing or very little to come their way. If you get something decent, great. But if you get upset because exchanges aren't equal, then you're bound to be disappointed.

For me, Secret Santa is a way to be silly, challenge myself to be creative and really see if I can brighten someone's day. I think that if I never got feedback or got to see if my giftee enjoyed his/her gift I might feel differently. But Secret Santa is truly about the giving, not the receiving for me. I really get into stalking the person, going beyond the list that was shared, checking Pinterest boards, etc.

That's not to say that I don't really appreciate the awesome gifts I've received. And that I haven't been bummed when I was forgotten in the past. Just that hitting the mark with a gift makes everything else worthwhile.

I've joined Redditgifts because I love secret exchanges so much. And about half the time I've received crap or have been stiffed. I do love getting a package and seeing what someone chose for me. But I get far more excited when my recipient posts a long thank-you and says how/why they enjoy what I selected/made for them.

The first two years that I worked for my current employer, they'd held a Christmas ornament gift exchange. That worked out OK but I was glad when they changed it to a gift exchange or Secret Santa rather than doing the ornament exchange. Our organization holds a Christmas dinner in one of the area's finer restaurants. We play games, eat dinner, and then have the gift exchange. There's usually anywhere from 13-18 people who attend so it works out pretty well.

We had our party this past Friday at a newly renovated restaurant in town with great food, lovely scenery and fun games. For the Secret Santa, everyone chooses a number (numbered from 1 to however many people are participating) from a hat. The person with number 1 approaches the table full of gifts and picks out a gift. Now, we've done it both ways in the past. Some years, we do NOT open the packages until everyone has gotten a gift; this year, we opened out gift right away (which, I think, is the better way to play it). After number 1 chooses and opens a gift, number 2 goes up and does the same thing. However, the people with numbers from 2 on up can either choose a gift that hasn't yet been opened, or they can take a gift from someone who has already gotten theirs. Of course, some gifts become popular (just about everyone wants it) and so to make the game go faster, all gifts have a limit of 3 times that they can be taken. After that, the person who has it gets to keep it.

It's a lot of fun and from what I've seen, everyone enjoys it. Thankfully, I've never received or seen a gift that wasn't worth getting. Our gift limit is $10 and I think that's a reasonable amount. This past year, I found a lovely package of various foot creams, sponges and spa lotions for $9.99 at Tuesday Morning (great place to shop for the Secret Santa gifts!). The lady who received mine had it taken from her and finally got it back on the 3rd take. I received a gift of homemade brownies - another gift that had been taken three times; luckily I got the third and last chance.

While I enjoy that one, I've participated in some that I didn't like at all. The one that comes to mind was the exchange held by a lady that I used to work with. She'd invited me to attend a Christmas dinner with her and a group of ladies. That particular group had been meeting for their annual Christmas dinner for about 20 years by the time I was invited to attend. They held a similar Secret Santa as the one mentioned above, with a $10 limit. One year, I had gotten a cheap, child's candy necklace which had been thrown into a small Christmas box. The necklace wasn't wrapped in plastic or anything so there was no telling who all had handled it. The box was a lot nicer than the gift, actually. Needless to say, I threw away the necklace and kept the box. I stopped participating a number of years ago. I really like the lady who invited me but I didn't enjoy getting together with the group. I can understand why some people don't like to participate in the Secret Santas.

When you have a fun group of people who aren't afraid to put a little thought into buying the gifts, it can be an enjoyable experience.

I opted out this year.  Ours is first 4 days a small gift of $1-2 and the last day a $25 gift.  You get a wide variety and some people just have to go overboard.  While last year I got a small candy cane or some other piece of Christmas candy for 4 days in a row, people were getting bottles of wine, $10 gift cards, etc.  the year before that I was missed one day, got a note pad with an initial that wasn't mine another day and an IOU for my main gift cause it hadn't come in yet. (I did get it after xmas and did like it). But my main gifts in the past have been candle holders, cheese boards, diffusers.  Just more stuff I didn't need.  Not to sound ungrateful but I just don't need more "stuff" and we don't do wish lists or likes and dislikes.  After I opted out a few of the other girls said they wished they had too.  There is just so much better use that could be done with the $35-$50 people spend, so many charities that could benefit.

Ann

I would be so stressed if I'd have to give anyone a gift in the US around Christmas time. The importance that people allocate to what they get seems so huge. I keep reading it everywhere, not just this thread. Someone else gets a dog themded gift and you don't? Disappointed. Your mom gets a McD giftcard? Disappointed. You get a less expensive gift then you bought? Hisappointed. You get a lotion or a candle that's not exactly the scent you wanted? Disappointed. Someene gets your kids something noisy? Disappointed. Someone gets your kids something that's not wrapped in the right paper? Disappointed. Your husband does not get you a gift? Disappointed. Your husband buys you something that's not on your amazon wishlist? Christmas is ruined! Your husband gets you nice lingerie (!!!) ? HOW DARE HE!


Good heavens.


Good heavens.

Gosh, I'm so glad you explained that. I never would have known. *eyeroll*