A secret Santa one (peed off)

[OneGreyBiscuit]

Went out with girls from work and done secret Santa. The spend was £20. I got a tiny box of celebrations, cheap socks with my initial on and mug with my name inserted into a quote. It basically looked like a raffle and nowhere near £20 worth, a tenner at best. I had to sit there and watch others opening some lovely things - an ornament from next, no7 stuff, fuzzy duck, perfume. And the thing is I know full well who it was from. Obviously that person doesn't think as much of me as I hoped. Aibu to feel a little miffed? Id appreciate no hateful comments as I feel crap enough.

Don't worry. You definitely aren't a snob if you buy Bayliss and Harding.
My then eight year old recieved a Bayliss and Harding gift set one year in her school Secret Santa. She wanted slime so was terribly disappointed that year.

mug with my name inserted into a quote

I remain curious as to the nature of the quote.

I think the present received is nice and inoffensive and equally, going against the grain here, I think the gift you gave is nice as well. I’m not sure why you’re getting the pile on as it’s clear that how you’re feeling about the work friendships is affecting how you’re viewing that gift. Maybe because you don’t particularly like socks and a mug, you’re interpreting that to mean the gift giver doesn’t like them either and gave the gift thoughtlessly. I would have thought it was more likely that the gift giver probably felt pressured to get a gift for secret Santa (as we all do for these things) and bought something that they felt would be used and they may have liked themselves (maybe as you did yourself) and your tastes are both quite different. In situations like this, it never helps to guess the meaning behind something - you’re not privy to her thoughts and would never know if you were right. It’s best to judge someone on their intention rather than the outcome and I believe her intention was probably to get you something that she thought you would like and you could use.

Is it Poundland or £3 in B&M? make up your mind.

You already admitted that you now acknowledge that its pretty much impossible to get these items as cheap as you made out like everyone has pointed out and yet your STILL flipping back to a snobby attitude throwing out what you clearly think are 'lesser' stores names.

Its really odd you think Babylis & Hardy are the epitome of class but B&M is cheap and shameful... they are exactly on par with each other.

No one is saying they are fancy just that they are not 'cheap', frankly all the gifts are equally as generic... no one needs a random mug and no one wants cheap boots toiletries but they are absoloutely standard SS gifts.

Why did YOU expect 'Harrods sprinked with chanel no 5'?

Also if you know this person buys these types of items every time (you said thats how you know who they are) then why the hell did you expect something else? They obviously think that is the perfect type of gift. They didn't buy you something out of the ordinary to be mean.

They just have better manners than you, that’s all.

The last Secret Santa I did I got a lip liner with a light on the top. It was brand I’d never even heard of and I don’t wear lip liner. I suspect the giver found it at the back of a drawer and wrapped it up. I sold it on eBay. I would have preferred a mug.

I’ll be honest, I bloody hate gift giving with colleagues and secret Santa. It all seems like such a waste of money. I’d rather give £20 to the RSPCA.

Lets say the sock are £3 from B&M (that still doesn't account for the personalised mug) but 'Fuzzy Duck' which you bought your receiver costs £3.75 for the single christmas item gift or £6 for the full delux pamper set with 6 items in a gift box (so £1 or less per item).

You basically bought stuff in the SAME price range so throwing out that its a combo of gifts that includes £3 socks as part of it still hasn't changed anything.

Well wasn't he a ball of joy. Sounds like your friend is well rid, what a horrible man.

Although after a quick google of personalized quote mugs did it say something that touched a nerve?

You have been asked several time what it said and haven't said instead focusing on the socks.

After googling it seems some say 'funny' things like:

'Emma - noun. 1) loves a cheeky gin 2) is an awful cook 3) is obsessed with her cat'

'I'm Sarah, lets save time and assume I'm always right'

'Laura is recharging, please wait... this is going to take a while'

Just 3 random ones I saw on google images

I can see how something like that might be 'too personal' or 'taken wrongly' for work especially if you already are looking for issues with someone. I get it could be read as 'is an alcholic cat woman' or 'is a know it all' or 'is lazy/bunks off work' if you already feel a little delicate on those issues but still they are just meant as (bad) jokes.

While they are a little inappropriate for work thats the risk when you have work 'friends', lines start to blur and people get over familiar.

No 7 and Fuzzy duck are 3 for 2 at boots, so they could’ve been free when they bought gifts for relatives. Yours was properly personalised. I’d say that’s more thoughtful.

Note to many on here - take a leaf out of this posters book

Please reread my quote, where does it say I expect that? That's how a lot of YOU are describing the wonderful socks not me!

I have perfectly good manners thanks except when dealing with goading fools like yourself

Bloody hell, those mugs and generic ‘comedy’ quotes sound absolutely awful. I wouldn’t want one either. I’d want a properly personalised quote.

Where did I say I BOUGHT fuzzy duck? No I buy that equally cheap shit baylis and Harding. Fuzzy duck is what someone else got. You're just throwing anything you can in now just to have a pop aren't you?

There was nothing offensive about the quote at all. Of course one of the others changed one word reading it aloud to make it sound like it though.

I'd think the same. Personalised items ar not cheap.

I loathe secret Santa for this reason, it represents the absolute worst of Christmas capitalism. An obligation to add to the mountain of landfill crap destroying our planet. For what it's worth I don't think the gift was exceptionally cheap, it probably did cost close to £20. It's just spectacularly bad taste, which is pretty much to be expected, and takes me back to my first point. A decent pair of socks cost at least £20 and would have been much nicer.

I loathe secret Santa for this reason, it represents the absolute worst of Christmas capitalism. An obligation to add to the mountain of landfill crap destroying our planet.

I wish more people would take note, and stop buying into this nonsense, for people who are just going to grumble about it anyway, pass it on to charity shops, where they will just sit on the shelve, or throw in the bin. Stop wasting your money.

Why did they do that? What did they say?

I don’t mind B&H, but everyone knows if they receive it as a gift that the giver just lobbed it in their trolley halfway up the Christmas aisle.

I keep reading 'Benson & Hedges' for 'B&H'' 😆

I'd be happy with 20 Benny Hedghogs as my Secret Santa.

But its ok for you to attack others for a secret santa gift? How original.

You've been flamed and rightly so.

Lol not a spelling mistake. You don't know you bought them, you think you brought them. You've said it several times. Learn the difference.

Nope YOU did... not one single other person mentioned Harrod or Chanel thats a direct quote from YOU and you alone.

Everyone has simply said they are 'on par' with what you bought, literally EXACTLY the same level but with the added little touch of effort to have been specifically bought for you (you said you bought thinking of yourself not the recipient) but theres nothing fantastic about a mug or sock they are just very standard inoffensive SS gift.