Aibu to pick my own name in the secret santa

[drbonnieblossman]

Organising the work secret Santa. The agreed amount is £10. Would I be unreasonable to pick my own name so I can buy myself something I like rather than get something which will go straight into the drawer for school fairs etc. I would make sure my surprised and delighted face had been honed, of course!

I organise ours and although I don't pick me out - too many who spend too much time working out who got who - I do pick a different person each year who I buy for and don't add to the pot normally if I have seen something or had a good idea for them!

Some friends organised a Secret Santa for their New Year dinner party, gifts £5 max. One recipient received an illustrated book on Canada, rather nice, but pleasure slightly marred by the donors openly boasting they had only paid £1 for it in a second hand shop.

Donors' smugness received a blow when recipient politely leafed through the book and found several hundred dollars tucked away inside.

They steadfastly refused all suggestions from the donors that the money should be shared out between all present.

I love the idea of writing your name with 3 suggestions. Mine would be ;

1. Red Wine
2. White Wine
3. Rose Wine

Our limit is £12. You can get something decent for that.

The last time my partner took part in a secret Santa he spent hours searching for a nice selection of different beers for his colleague. He settled on a lovely £10 gift set of ale for him.

He got a pack of 10 Mayfair cigarettes in return.

Id love to do this!! So far, my secret santa gifts have been:
A page a day desk calendar with movie facts on each page...but no dates...so just 365 random movie facts
Lemon body butter that smelled of piss
A make up bag that had a broken zip, was dusty and had clearly been part of a bigger gift that she had split up and regifted.

I know it sounds ungracious but every year I organise it and I always put thought into what I give, but end up with stuff that someone has clearly regifted/got free or just picked up without thought.

Oh I would totally keep my own name if I picked it, now that you've given me the idea!

Not so much because of wanting a present but because I also get anxious about what to buy the recipient.

Might volunteer to arrange it this year :o

Last time I did secret santa, the person who had picked me got very drunk on a night out prio to the giving, told me all about what she'd bought me, how she'd wrapped it up all nice, how grateful I would be when I opened it..... Then actually gave me something else, something totally shit.
Weird.
Its like she told me about a fantasy present, forgetting i'd actually be there when it was opened.

Oh, and I always organise it, taking out the person I want to give to before I let anyone else pick.

We've given up Secret Santa and donate gifts (toys/clothes) to charity instead.

Yes.
That isn't secret santa, it's just shopping.