Secret Santa-has anyone else had supposed bad luck with it? Lighthearted.

[Noodge]

I have been in four including this one.

First one, new team member got me and didn't get me anything. Blank stare when he was asked why (by me and others). I had got some lovely hair accessories for the woman I got, which were well received.

Second one, again I didn't get anything. This time the excuse was that his shift pattern meant he didn't have time. We all had differing shift patterns.

He was a smoker and I had bought him some very well-thought out smoke related things. I ended up giving them to my lovely manager who was also a smoker.

Third one, I as always bought some thoughtful presents-I was presented with a box of cheap brown hair dye. I dyed my hair bright colours at the time. There was no 'joke theme' or such for which it would have made sense, and I had no desire to dye my hair. Binned, and had cost a fraction of what I had spent and much lower than the budget given.

Two different work places.

This year, obviously not complete yet but a different workplace, and I have been given the name of a woman who really doesn't seem to like me. I have posted about her on here before, the way she addresses me is rude and unprofessional and she often allocates me more work than others. I like everyone else I work with!!

I end up with her. SO typical!

I almost opted out but nobody else seemed to want to and they're all excited about it so I didn't want to be a scrooge.

Anyone else?

Oh, sodding Secret Santa!!! There’s a mighty row going on at work over this at the moment. - ! Who is in it, Who’s not in it, the cost of it (low cost = shit presents, high cost = no presents!!) Boys v Girls, Management v Shop floor!! It’s been brutal!!😱 Every year we get this, every time the advert for it goes up, the arguing starts!
HELPPPP!!!

I was a new TA, there was loads of time left to the end of term and I hadn't bought a gift yet. One morning break I went to the staffroom and was met by a huge pile of presents. That was when I learnt that they did Secret Santa at Christmas dinner, not the end of term as I'd assumed. I felt terrible. My class teacher searched her cupboard for anything I could wrap up. She found a tub of Celebrations but she'd already dipped into them and in the end I had to fess up to the organiser.

Well, Santa was on my side that day because my Secret Santa person happened to be off sick. After work I headed for the shops with a huge sense of relief, and every time I've done Secret Santa since, I've bought it early.

Last year I was lucky enough to be picked out by a bloke who'd been in trouble a few weeks previously for making sexually inappropriate remarks to me. He got me a set of 3 tiny storage jars, the sort of thing you'd get in Poundland, except they covered in dust so I think he'd just dug them out the back of his cupboard. It made me cry. This year I'm going to suggest we pick out presents at random rather than buy individually, or else opt out.

Last year i got a candle that had come free as part of a gift set and it didn't even smell nice. I hate secret santa 🤣

A colleague was given a big box of Tampax. He was a male.

I stopped taking part after the year my (female) boss bought me nipple tassels. No, i didn't work in a brothel, just a (usually) boring corporate office.

Every year in a public sector job we did secret santa. It was always funny gifts and piss takes..
One colleague who was new and I hadn't really knew that long got me a lingerie set.
I was absolutely mortified! I found out later she was female thank god but at the time of opening said gift I didn't know that.
So embarrassing opening bit in front of lotsbof male and female colleagues.

Does anyones work do a "bottle draw" where you all bring in a wrapped bottle of up to X amount, then swap it with everyone else. Everyone ends up with something they dont want but people seem to love it.

I opt out, I got nothing once, and then 2 crap presents and gave up. The first crap present was obviously bought at the card shop in the train station and just wasn’t anything I’d like or use. I ended up binning it. The next crap one was some really cheap garish make up, the type you find in home bargains, and really cheep make up brushes. The colours were awful and it was nowhere near the budget stated. I subways think carefully and try to get something the person will like.

I have never heard of that! How exactly does it work?

That's horrible, I am so sorry. SS is not the 'a bit of fun' that most people make out it is, for some situations.

Yes, I do find that rude. At least feign it and give to someone else, if it is a gift that's just not to your taste.

I started opted out at one point, it was BLISS.

I WFH now, so don't even need to do that anymore.

I WFH too but they're having the exchange at the xmas do!

That does sound especially hellish! I think I'd have tried to find another job for that reason alone!

Ours is a £10 limit
2022 - ended up with a bottle of wine with the tombola ticket still on it. It's also in the £5 plonk section anyway not like a Chateau en du pap or Chablis even if they did win it.
2023 - a crochet making kit. I didn't realise I was giving off those kind of vibes.

That would've been an ideal gift for me and I am about as far from Nigerian as one could get! Love me some spicy grub! 😂

I'm trying to remember what I've received in Secret Santa gifts over the years - a bath plus with a floating plastic frog, a scarf, and a candle I think. Meanwhile I'm working hard trying to get something the person will actually like / use 🤣. Just no.

Well, given I have 'picked' the most annoying, irritating 'up one's own ass' person in the team that ever there could be, someone else in my team has suggested I buy her a butt plug (so she can literally stick it up her arse).

Hmm....

I naturally would try to find a perfect gift. I've opted in now so may as well do my best-maybe she'll be nicer to me. Or maybe she'll see me as someone who's a pushover, who knows (she's a grade under me but not directly under me).

Or maybe I should send her a hint that she's annoying as....

I have some decent-but-not-to-my-taste gifts that I've received that I could utilise. A grey scarf from TK Max (I am a bit of a snob with scarves and haven't worn it), a fancy '3D' jigsaw puzzle, a bottle of fizzy red wine (just sounds wrong to me although I am sure It's lovely to some... Shall I be one of 'those' people...

Secret Santa is the biggest load of crap ever. I've always opted out in all my work places, don't care if I look like a Scrooge. As a pp said, why would I wanna throw away a tenner and also give myself an extra task, I have enough presents to seek out and buy for my dc and family.

Get them an ice cube tray and some dusters?

That's what I was given by someone senior at work many years ago. I can't imagine she liked me very much.

I havent had any terrible ones but my favourite was beautiful Christmas tree baubles from a dear colleague who has since passed away only in their late 30s and every Christmas I get to take them out of their box and reminisce about all their mad antics. 😅😭

I’m not doing it this year around, last year they forgot to gift me the present and gave it to me in late January- where I didn’t even think of Christmas anymore, and the year before last year my secret Santa forgot again.

Every year my colleagues are very excited to do secret Santa but very few bother to buy a nice present or to buy one at all.

I will watch this unfold all over again this year as a bystander 😂

Someone I managed gave their line report an apple. It was t bad luck he was a rude arrogant twat. She was only just out of uni. He got a warning over that one and didn't stay much longer.