Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think if you want to take part in office secret Santa

150 replies

lastqueenofscotland · 07/12/2016 23:32

You have to get into the spirit of it....

Not gladly accept the well thought out £10 gift from another colleague while handing the person you got (who you happen not to like) a bottle of that £1 Alberto balsam shampoo and a normal sized galaxy bar.

We are all on fairly senior roles in the city so money is NOT an issue.

She'd spend more than the budget on lunch a day

I'm not even the reciever of the gift, but I organised it within the team and am annoyed at the lack of effort when everyone else tried Angry

OP posts:
IvorHughJarrs · 07/12/2016 23:42

It could be worse. At one place I worked a group of people used the anonymity to give really inappropriate stuff. One female manager got nipple tassels from Ann Summers and was clearly mortified and upset, another senior team member got a tacky trophy for "Biggest timewaster" while a very large lady who, constantly, battled with her weight got a huge bar of chocolate

littlesallyracket · 07/12/2016 23:50

Was it compulsory or did people have a choice? If it's compulsory I can understand people being crap (I would never choose to take part in Secret Santa myself tbh and would be annoyed if I had to) but if they've voluntarily taken part then yes, it's shitty of them not to make more of an effort.

A woman I used to work with was once given a pack of pornographic playing cards for Secret Santa. Actual, full-on, hardcore penetration photos. Never found out who they were from, and was really freaked out by it.

Goodythreeshoes · 07/12/2016 23:50

Unfortunately this always has the potential of going horribly wrong when gifts are given anonymously. That's why I've never suggested it for our office - too many smart arses!
Sorry it happened on your shout OP.

Original poster
lastqueenofscotland · 07/12/2016 23:53

People did have a choice, sent an email round in October!! And asked people to opt in rather than opt out IFSWIM

OP posts:
Footinmouthasusual · 07/12/2016 23:55

ivor Shock

That's bad op. Realiy mean.

MothersRuinart · 07/12/2016 23:56

I don't take part in secret santa anymore, im too afraid of accidentally but mortally offending someone while others think i did it on purpose. Also i hate nonsense generic gifts. And im poor, financially and time-wise.

DixieWishbone · 08/12/2016 00:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JellyBelli · 08/12/2016 00:15

I dont think secret santa should be secret or anon, because there are always people that will bully if its anonymous.
I do like the sound of dirty santa, that actually sounds fun.

KC225 · 08/12/2016 00:45

Hands up, I did have a little snigger at Ivor's post. I think I may be one of those who would take advantage of a tenners worth of anonymous bad behaviour

jayisforjessica · 08/12/2016 03:02

Beware "Dirty Santa" if you have anyone like Dwight Schrute or Michael Scott in your office. There's an entire episode of The Office dedicated to the pitfalls of that particular game.

dailyfailplagiarism · 08/12/2016 03:08

Secret santas can unfortunately be used as an anonymous way to sexually harass or be passive aggressive. I don't like them at all.

SelfCleaningVagina · 08/12/2016 03:35

That would piss me off. It's almost as though it is a deliberate snub.

I agree, either do it with a bit of enthusiasm and generosity or don't bother.

Trifleorbust · 08/12/2016 06:57

I laughed at the shampoo and normal sized Galaxy Xmas Confused

Tight arses.

Whocansay · 08/12/2016 07:09

I would engineer it so that she gets it back next year. That really is mean, in every sense.

Although, I would probably ask her if she'd forgotten the rest of the present and try and shame her into it.

We have a 'max spend' at work of £15. It's not a big company and we all tend to spend the whole £15 so it's fair. It isn't compulsory mind you and no-one is judged for not taking part. We all like each other, which probably also makes a difference!

RoseGoldHippie · 08/12/2016 07:10

I worked in a horrible office once, I really hated the job and the stuck up morons that worked there. SS was not optional and all the gifts were given at the Christmas party. (The presents were collected at work beforehand and used as place cards on the table)
The budget was £5 so not breaking the bank or anything.

I spent hours searching for a lovely gift and ended up giving a beautiful crystal swallow (small) to hang in this woman's window (she had just moved and I had even got this in the colours she had decorated her living room!)
When she opened it she was like "what the fuck is this?" And I think she ended up leaving it on the table at the end of the night.

I got a lego set.

I left in the January

OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow · 08/12/2016 07:17

You may laugh trifle, but last year I got a really cheap shower gel, a very tacky little tea light, a flake and a sachet of hot chocolate (supermarket multipack one) So they had spent about 2quid out of the fiver budget.

Trifleorbust · 08/12/2016 07:19

Am still laughing. Blush

greenfolder · 08/12/2016 07:21

We do homemade secret santa. Everyone makes something. Can be simple like biscuits in a jar or more complicated. I hate Christmas being used to upset people

RoseGoldHippie · 08/12/2016 07:24

greenfolder stealing this for next year! That's awesome!

Lotsofplanetshaveanorth · 08/12/2016 07:30

Not sure on the "dirty Santa" either though. I am a sensitive soul and felt quite sad when my thoughtful gift was rejected :( I know others did too. There was no intentional meanness though and I work for a right on charidee so thankfully no nipple tassels.

AppleAndBlackberry · 08/12/2016 07:31

We used to do random secret Santa, so everyone buys something for £5 and then people pick a gift at random from the bag. It was kind of fun but we do nothing now which is probably better as we're not filling up landfill with random 'office toys' etc. Personally I like the idea of edible or alcoholic SS and also the stealing one, which we play with family.

WipsGlitter · 08/12/2016 07:32

Homemade would be awful!! I just wouldn't have the time or skill!!

Welshrainbow · 08/12/2016 07:33

Homemade secret Santa sounds great.

growinganotherhead · 08/12/2016 07:35

Our miserable, pain in the arse and bald as a billiard ball manager got a giant tub of hair gel from his secret santa.
I still crack up when I remember it Xmas Grin

eurochick · 08/12/2016 07:36

Homemade would be my worst nightmare! I'm as creative as a log and have zero free time.