Secret Santa CF's

[BoyzIIMen]

If your group of friends do a Secret Santa, is there always one person who spends the bare minimum rather than the budget you've all agreed in advance?

Every year there is always one awful present and it's happened again this year. The budget is £10 and someone has bought a large bag of crisps!

We always give the option that anyone can withdraw from being part of it if they want, but they never do! None of us are struggling financially!

I'd be interested to hear of other CF Secret Santa presents!

My worst was at school. Someone nicked the gift before I could hand it over. Had spent ages finding something lovely too!

Doritos? Not even Posh Crisps?!

This is such a non issue. Albums without songs which reference sex are few and far between. Was the headmistress particularly prudish or something?

Long ago, one of my colleagues (let’s call her Sue) received a corkscrew with a penis-shaped handle. I can’t remember what I received, but I remember the organisers sort of swooping in and telling me that “Sue is very religious and her gift is inappropriate. You don’t mind swapping, do you Weedrat?”, followed by my gift being taken out of my hands and replaced with said penis corkscrew.

This, dear readers, is but one example of the ”Good old Weedrat, she’ll do it” attitude that has dogged most of my career due to my overly accommodating, people pleasing nature. But that’s another thread for another day.

A bag of foam letters that you stick on craft projects (I guess? I can't see what else you'd do). I have never shown any interest in crafting and don't have kids.

@MeanWeedratStew But surely the person who bought that present should have had it back and foregone their own gift? It's outrageous you had to have it!

You would have loved my dad. He would invariably get one of the young women in the office and have no clue so would go to one of the department stores and ask for help end up spending £50 when there was a £10 limit. In previous years he would ask my mum but would get the angst that a £10 present didn’t look very much.

I organised secret santa last year at a group I go to. Someone was left without a gift. After checking the app, I spoke (in private) to the person who was supposed to have bought for them and asked them what had happened, gave them leeway for not being to afford it etc. They said they didn't sign up (but funny how their email address was in the app!). I just don't understand why they took a gift when they hadn't contributed, and didn't come forward to hand over theirs when the other person was left without a gift. I ended up buying a gift the next day for the person who had missed out.

A “friends” SS. Every year I got something bad, but the final year (i opted out after this) I got an empty tin (bit like a tobacco tin) and what I think was soap (it was squidgy). Clearly out of a drawer and a “that’ll do” attitude from the sender. I’ve opted out of the work one this year as every year it’s tasteless tat that gets chucked in the bin afterwards. I hate it.

I once worked in a school where the SS was a lucky dip, fortunately I had liased with a colleague and we had bought good presents and distinctive wrapping paper, it worked out OK for us as we got our dips early,🙂 not so well for the colleague who got a child’s jigsaw puzzle, 20 pieces. The giver said she thought it would be a nice thing for the receiver to donate to her classroom ! Because yes, that’s what SS is all about, propping up the inadequacies of a school budget.

I declined taking part after that.

People who message at the last minute to say they’re not taking part when they were happy to sign up voluntarily a few weeks prior. Then someone else has to receive the gift meant for them. So someone in our office ended up with a plain navy blue stainless steel cup (perfect for the flakey drop out) when she was into cats/ cute kawaii stuff. I ended up swapping because I’m senior to her and felt guilty! Especially as she organised the whole thing.

I'd actually be quite happy to receive a big bag of crisps that I could actually enjoy.

Last time I received some crappy keyring that had probably been a free gift from a petrol station. Actually I hope it was. If they actually bought it thinking I'd like it I would be even more offended.

Just saying for those who get someone who they know likes a drink Tesco do bottles of Baileys for £10 instead of £22 around Christmas. My ss colleague was delighted with hers 😊

I opt out now every single time. The only time I did ss, I was left in the dark about the point.
I stuck to the limit of five pounds and got something generic from boots or similar.
Every single other person was in on the joke, the point seemed to be spend shit loads on "funny" tat so everyone could have a great laugh. As no one bothered to let me in on this my gift went down like a lead balloon and the person that got it asked if it was what I'd put in, I said no of course not and she proceeded to slate it badly. I was near tears because of it and had to leave early, make up an excuse. I was bloody gutted. Any one of the team of 15 could have told me.

That's the sort of thing I did when I was about 13, but I didn't put money, just a small present so they couldn't guess it. I thought it was a great idea because unwrapping is fun (when you're a kid).

Not so much a CF present but when I was 17 and took part in a ss at work, a colleague was buying for one of the male 45+ bosses. They bought something very sexual then went round and told everyone it was off me. The joys of being bullied in the workplace.

Years ago at work we used to do a £1 secret santa - you just picked out of the bag. Guess you could pick your own if you wanted / could feel which it was. Some bought serious things (insofar as £1 could buy anything remotely nice) but a lot just put jokey things in, me included. No one needed to fess up. It was quite amusing when we had had alcohol at the same time, but got boring eventually.

Yes, bought one for myself last week!

I got a cocktail mixtures set looked lovely only it was 2 years out of date and clearly a forgotten present which was regifted. I got an 5 pound dove set when the max was a tenner. I stopped doing them after that

*Owl23 *
Thank you so much. I'm good now, thank you, l've been divorced from him over 20 years now.
He did actually threaten to kill me, and my dogs (I was not having an affair, never have, never would) and repeated it to my mother. She took his side.
I'm on my own now, in my mid 60s, just retired, and it's a struggle sometimes, but l have peace of mind and l'm safe. And living 100 miles away.
Thank you again. x

Amongst friends- someone forgot my present so he just bought a big glass of wine and a packet of crisps from the bar and put a plastic bag over them. A better present than some of the tat I've seen though! Haven't seen anything too bad at work, but ours is tomorrow so I will report back any horrors.

I worked with some odd people, it's not that far-fetched, if I'm honest.

XmasSocks, we're dying to know, what was the pressie?

Last Christmas I saw a Pringles Christmas gift set. I wouldn't have minded that, but no thought, or money, seems to have gone into a simple bag of Doritos!

Not something I experienced directly, but a friend of mine had the pleasure of a Secret Santa every year in her office, Her boss (of a different culture but who wanted to take part) wrote an email to the Secret Santa group saying something along the lines of "Dear Santa, I don't want the usual rubbish from you and I don't drink. I am doing my house up at the moment so would like....." and then sent a list of tools the unlucky recipient of his name could buy in B&Q. I think that put the kibosh on the idea of Secret Santa presents in her office. I can't remember what the limit of spending was as it's a few years ago now, but whatever it was would have been less than the B&Q tools.