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Original poster

Those considering Secret Santa next Year/ tired of the present cycle

14 replies

countesskay · 26/12/2020 07:29

Do it! It's so stress free Xmas Smile

The adults in our immediate family did it this year (partly due to money issues) we set a budget of £60 and used the Elfster app (all tech savvy adults) The app is free and across Android and IOS

You can create a wish list with exact links from all over the internet or type things you might like.

We found it so much easier just choosing one large wanted gift rather than the Obligatiory £10-15 gifts for the group.

My mum did complain a little because she likes buying gifts - most of these are sadly things we wouldn't use anyway and get regifted.

She was over the moon though with her soup maker that she added to her list.

I really hope they agree to it again I found the whole process so easy and so much less wasteful.

I'd encourage you to go for it if you're on the fence

OP posts:
SnuggyBuggy · 26/12/2020 07:30

Sounds like a much better option than everyone getting piles of £5 tat. We are debating doing this with the children of our friendship group now we have more of them.

Cupcakegirl13 · 26/12/2020 07:35

We do this and use Elster it’s great !

Original poster
countesskay · 26/12/2020 07:56

@SnuggyBuggy I get what you mean about the tat... I've very tat adverse!

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delilahbucket · 26/12/2020 08:22

I would also encourage it. We've done it for three years although it has ended up a not so secret Santa this year due to logistics and not being able to see each other. Definitely means you get what you want and less gifts to buy.

2monkeysinmyhouse · 26/12/2020 08:28

We've done it for a few years and it's much easier, often can buy things like event tickets as budget allows and everyone is happy to add to their own wish list. Such stress taken out of the Christmas shopping!

nosswith · 26/12/2020 08:30

Secret Santa is something other than this year we have done at work. I am going to suggest charity donations next year.

Bluewavescrashing · 26/12/2020 08:32

sounds like a much better option than everyone getting piles of £5 tat. We are debating doing this with the children of our friendship group now we have more of them

We've never bought for friends' children. You have to draw the line somewhere.

DustyOwl · 26/12/2020 08:41

Absolutely! I love thinking of interesting gifts from everyone (and it took a bit of getting used to that I wouldn't get a gift from mum and dad) but it has made life before Christmas so relaxed. You can ask for what you want but you also do get a few surprises along the way. We use the same app, it's great. Oh god, I sound like an advert.

ramblingsonthego · 26/12/2020 08:46

I recommend this every year to family. And then my mum pipes up, but I want to buy my children something (me and my brother) and then my eldest pipes up but I want to buy my mum and nanna something and on and on it goes. We have limited it to £20 budget for adults but it still annoys the fuck out of me. I would rather one nice decent present of say £40-£50 than a fee £20 ones. And it would give people the time to get something decent.

ChillyB · 26/12/2020 08:53

We do secret Santa in my family and it’s brilliant. It’s saved so much money and hassle.
I really wish DH had sorted out to do it with his side of the family as for the third year in a row I have a load of gifts I’m not going to use. I have the stuff they’ve given me the past two years still in the gift bags in the spare room.
I feel dreadfully guilty about it too.

SnuggyBuggy · 26/12/2020 09:02

@Bluewavescrashing

sounds like a much better option than everyone getting piles of £5 tat. We are debating doing this with the children of our friendship group now we have more of them

We've never bought for friends' children. You have to draw the line somewhere.

I personally wouldn't buy for friends children but our childless friends buy for ours. It's a group of 4 adults with 4 children between us at the moment and I'd like to try and limit it to each of us only buying 1 child present.
Moonflower12 · 26/12/2020 09:03

This was our 2nd year of doing it. My DD(29) sets it all up. Takes 5 mins. We do approximately £50. As a PP said slight less Secret this year. With 3 adult children plus partners, - it works so well.
We also do 'Silly Santa' with a £5 limit. This has descended into rude Santa with a race to find the most horrific sex item each. Put it this way, I NEVER thought I'd be texting my son ( who lives in Dubai where he couldn't order such things), the phrase ' I've got some anal beads from you for BIL!!'

Original poster
countesskay · 26/12/2020 09:13

@Moonflower12 love this! Grin

OP posts:
KindKylie · 26/12/2020 09:21

Yes, good idea! I can't bear being part of a really wasteful and pointless rou D of transactional gift giving. The in laws were dreadful for this and I received a lot of scarves for many years.

I think it's good to have honest conversations about who you buy for too.

So in our families we no longer buy for anyone with children and buy for the children only. We don't buy for friends children anymore either.

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