Secret Santa is actual wank

[christmastits]

We had a £30 budget a giant fuck off list of stuff the person liked or wanted. It's a voluntary thing, so it wasn't forced or done through work.

I spent a long time picking out nice things I knew the person I had would love and some extras because I knew she's having a shitty time.

Yesterday was the day we were meant to open.. I hadn't got mine. Saw photos of other people's and they looked awesome, the lady I got loved hers,

I got my delivery info this morning and it was posted yesterday.. it arrived this morning but it was just awful, she clearly forgot, grabbed the first thing she saw and posted it :(

I feel so pathetically sad about it, but at least my lady liked hers. :)

You see, I would be quite pleased with a mini bottle of prosecco.

I'd keep it in the fridge for emergencies, and then open it when i found myself unexpectedly alone & able to watch what I wanted on TV.

I'd be quite happy with miniature wine too! Handy to keep in the fridge and no temptation to drink a whole bottle when you only originally wanted a glass.

They’re not my favourite. I got offered to join one this year as I’d recently started a new hobby. I asked if it would be possible to do something along the lines of everyone giving 3 hints about themselves, predominantly as I have a few things about myself that restrict the usual choc/alcohol stuff ( I’m a veggie tee total with a nut allergy!) and was told we couldn’t do that as it would give away who had bought for who ( think she misunderstood). So I opted out, don’t want others wasting their money on me!!

I always remember doing one at brownies. Everyone else got chocs, I got a road sign

I’m not a creative gift giver and so avoid joining in secret Santa for this reason. Generally a waste of money for everyone.

I try and be a bit thoughtful with secret Santa if I know the person well and go fairly safe with others. I do remember once being given a Mickey mouse wallet from the Disney store. It wouldn’t have been cheap, but I was 23, not 13

I really can't believe how seriously MN takes this little bit of work fun. I worried like mad over the gift I bought a colleague I hardly know on a £5 limit because apparently chocolates show you're an empty husk of a human. Pretty much everyone got chocolates of some description in the end and they all got eaten.

It's a small bit of work fun and nobody is supposed to judge your humanity on it.

SS are so mixed. I once got a lovely frankincense candle which I was over the moon with then one year I got a broken plastic light.

I would be annoyed if the budget was £30 and the gift was naff.

Where my sister works they buy gift cards for SS and you get to give a choice of 3 places so there is a tiny element of surprise but there is no waste.

I can't stand SS and avoid if possible. But I avoid most work social stuff, not my cup of tea.

However, those people who spend loads of money and time on the presents are sort of missing the point. The point, is to have something silly to open at the office Xmas party or lunch. No idea why people buy anything other than silly things. Why waste your time?

That's why I don't do it anymore Silence, I am rubbish a jokey presents. I get them soooo wrong or make reference to a joke everyone found funny but no one seems to remember but me. Awkward!

The one year I nailed it, someone else took credit and people thought I was joking when I said it was me.

£30 is a lot of money. I'm not sure I spent that much on my sister! For £30 you'd expect something thoughtful.

I would hate to do one with a large budget, if it's £5 you don't care so much if you don't like what you're given. Would be quite happy with chocs/wine etc.

What exactly would count as a thoughtful secret Santa, for those who object to the usual stuff?

Unless a person has specific allergies/skin sensitivites/dietary restrictions then most folks would be happy with chocolates, fancy biscuits, bath stuff or a bottle of wine. They are nice things to have and generally will be eaten/drunk/used, where as an ornament or whatever might be completely unsuited to someone's taste. Things like socks and gloves are also reasonably OK as most people go through a few pairs of those in their lives.

(At my straight, public sector, respectable day job SS, someone got the 50 Shades trilogy. At least it wasn't me - I would have had an awful panic attack thinking 'THEY KNOW! THEY KNOW!')

Years ago when I was working in an office we did secret santa and on a break chatting to some guys they asked me for advice. I stupidly asked if they liked this person and they laughed and said "not really, dont know her haha". I said well in that case buy some smellies, you can't go wrong with that. It turns out that guy was buying for me. Felt pretty shit.

This year the "ladies" from my class did it, 5 pounds limit and everyone gave handmade things or really thoughtful stuff. I asked what colours my SS liked and bought her something I knew she would love, and my SS ordered something quite expensive and gave me some of it, and I loved it, again she made sure she looked for something she knew I liked even though she doesnt know me that well. One person however didnt get the memo and bought a novelty gift for the teacher.

My husband can't be arsed with SS at work, says it's not him and that's true, it totally isn't.

I always buy a bottle of wine or a box of nice chocolates. I think food and drink at Christmas is generally welcome. Our SS is £10 per person. Obviously if my gift recipient was a recovering alcoholic or diabetic then I'd buy something a little more personal. It's just a bit of seasonal fun at work.

We had a budget of £10 last year, and one person received this

I would hate to get wine or chocolate as being a teacher l would get lots of those from the dc so my colleague would know that. So you can't win. I like handcream or tasteful decoration l would keep forever.
So really its impossible to tell. I have given colleagues what l thought were wonderful gifts but who knows they may have hated them.

we do secret santa swap - so can swap/pinch the others presents - means everyone puts some effort into it - and often buys for a recipient in mind so guaranteed that you get something you like

Ha ha! I'd love a big tin of baked beans - they're my favourite snack (eaten cold).

I got an IOU which included a really crap excuse and it's for something I don't really want. I would stop participating but I like buying presents.

We have a £10 limit. Last year the person who bought for me aced it - really put some thought into I

Whoops!

Clearly put thought into it. The year before I got a bottle of prosecco that cost half the £10 budget, and this year I was regifted a set of smellies (box was damaged and dusty/sticky).

I always make an effort and will go a bit over the budget if I see something perfect for that person (we're old friends so know each other very well)

I don't think I'll bother next year though, it's so cringe-worthy faking delight over a crappy gift.

We had a £1 from Poundland SS at work this year, everything went in for lucky dip instead of buying for specific people, was so easy to do and honestly got nicer and funnier stuff than any other year when the limit has been £5.

One year, when I was a team secretary supporting 5 people I was handed an envelope with £5 in it. The shit couldn't even be arsed to pop to one of the many shops between the parking garage and our office (city centre) and buy a box of chocolates. One of the guys on my team went out at lunch and bought me a lovely bottle of wine and my favourite chocolates to make up for it though. Strangely the arseholes work was always bottom of the pile, he complained that I didn't stay late to help him and favoured nice colleague over him. Funny that!

Oh and I'd got the recipient a nice mug and tie from the team he supported. Which he loved and wore / used all the time.

I loved my SS gift this year. My colleague however was really upset by hers. She is a quite unpopular manager (although I get on fine with her, but she doesn't manage me) and it was obvious that one of the people in her team got her. She was given a grown up Ladybird book (How it works: the wife) and a note saying she had been chosen at random as part of a drive for equalities and fairness at work, and each month would receive an instruction manual in her pigeon hole to improve herself and interpersonal relationships. The ladybird book was the first lesson. I felt awful for her. She may have been difficult to work for and a micro manager, but to use Christmas as a time to make a passive aggressive point is really mean.