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. :)

I've decided I'm going to pretend that I've entered it next year (its done online) and just buy something for myself and 'wow' thank you to whoever bought this, very thoughtful

Whenever I did secret Santa in the past, the people who I bought for always used their presents I bought them in the staff room, office or classroom. I always bought quirky or humorous mugs, stationery or other useful items that seemed to be appreciated.

In return, I always got something really shit, and gimmicky, apart from one year when I received some toiletries, and year after when I didn’t receive a present!!! Whoever was supposed to have bought mine hadn’t bought me anything, yet there were no absences on the name reveal or present exchange day. I never received an apology, nor did I ever receive a present. I was so fucking outraged, and I made sure that everyone heard about it.

After this, I refused to participate, as did a few other people who were worried the same would happen to them.

I didn't take part in my work one. I don't get much at Christmas, for many years it was nothing but mostly now it's one thing and everyone was just buying stupid sex tat with penis mugs and straws and shit. We have limited money and I would rather spend it on a my kids.

There's about seven people in my works secret Santa who have sent but not received actually.
I also remember the year dc form did it and the class bully got laughed, found DC1 name in the tub and removed it and screwed dcs name up on the floor so no one was matched with them :( DC1 bought a lovely gift for someone and was told by this kid during the exchange that they weren't getting anything as the bully had removed their name. What the teacher was thinking organising it but not checking who had who when they knew it was a known issue I don't know.

RaingodsWithZippos - Wow. Horrible to receive but, secretly, must be so satisfying to give to someone you hate

Haven't done secret Santa since the recipient of my gift had a face like a smacked arse when she opened it.

The work one this year was one short...

Everyone has posted their secret Santa and if I'm honest I'm totally gutted. But i know I made an effort 🙂

This is one of the other ladies secret Santa

This was mine. Please can someone hand me a grip?

Blimey christmastits, is that all you got? No way is that £30. Looks like the sort of thing you get for about £5 in B&M or The Range.

Is there an organiser with details of who bought gifts for who? I ask because a few groups I have been on had this and if it was obvious that someone had put very little effort/ didn't purchase to the value agreed/ or didn't buy someone a gift then they would be banned from future Secret Santas. The Harry Potter selection, I would be very surprised if the Secret Santa, got everything for £30. There will always be those people who are happy to spend above and beyond the agreed price, which is lovely but can make other peoples gifts look a bit shoddy.

If you know that your Secret Santa spent a lot less than £30 then I would contact the organiser, so that they can have a word with the Secret Santa/ decide whether they want to exclude said person from next years Secret Santa.

I think I'll have to have a word! Yes that's all I got along with a travel mug 😕 I just feel a bit miffed! Oh well I won't take part next year!!

While yours wasn't £30, nir was the other persons so you can't compare really.
I'd feel disappointed though.

Make sure you post your photo on the same group

But put a bro in the photo so they can see the size of the frames

In my experience they are very hit & miss so there is no way I would agree to be involved in a SS if the budget was more than £10!

The stuff in the first pic clearly wasn't £30 or under!

Chocolates are 3 for 10?
Coloring books and other stationary from The Works which is also pretty cheap
Might not be far out the 30 limit

I think some people are expecting way too much from an office secret santa. It's just a bit of fun, it clearly isn't going to be your dream present. There's always someone in the group who is tight or lazy or unimaginative, and if they get your present, it's going to be shit. It's not personal, you just drew the short straw. Having said that, £30 is far too high a budget outside the family. I'd say a tenner should be the maximum at work, and maybe £20 for friends.

£30 is far too high a budget outside the family
But then you don't take part - not take part and only spent a tenner.

We did a tenner one plus postage. My gift is lovely but whilst I wrapped mine lovely, the one I received was all different shapes and thrown into a padded envelope. So when it got to me had holes etc in and no sign it was my SS until I opened it :(

We do one with mates. I normally get tat/toiletries but I'm not bothered as it is only one bit of tat rather than the 8 or 9 bits of tat I might get if we bought individual presents and I love the challenge of buying something I hope the recipient will love. This year I was very disappointed as my recipient did not attend the party where we exchanged gifts so I didn't get to see if she liked her present or not. I was miffed enough to consider taking the gift back home with me but as it was personalised there wasn't much point.

I did get the usual unwanted toiletries but at least it was sufficiently in advance of Christmas for me to get it to the charity shop where hopefully it will be a better present for someone else.

Best secret Santa I ever took part in was £1 budget, it was hilarious. Someone always gets a rubber chicken.

I know everyone says its always shit, but last 3 years with £15 limit I've had - prosecco and lindt truffles. Gin and tonic. Hotel chocolat hot choc and lovely proper mug. Lush bath bomb and real techniques brushes! This year I got a copper pineapple goblet thing I'd been eyeing and three alcohol minis. Mine have all been great. Depends who you work with I suppose!

4 years clearly...

At my place of work we do funny gifts, this years were fab. This is mine 😂 it comes on a pair with plenty of hoops if anyone wants half 😁

I just can't understand feeling miffed because the £5-£10 gift from a work colleague as part of a Secret Santa wasn't some personalised shawl hand knitted from the chin hairs of Himalayan goats.

They're your colleagues, not your friends. If they're friends, presumably you buy each other real Christmas gifts if it's that important. SS is just a bit of office festive fun and you're not supposed to make it so very personal.

Anything over a tenner for it is silly (it's always been a fiver everywhere I've worked). But assuming it's only a fiver or so for a bit of workplace fun, getting offended because the gift wasn't specifically tailored to you personally is just ridiculous.

(Obviously I'm not including horror stories like the lady with the cheating husband getting a chlamydia testing kit, but that's not SS, that's bullying.)