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.

Maybe you've hit the nail on the head. I personally would've preferred what others got. Oh well, I've been put in my place. See ya.

Whether or not you like them is deeply personal. We’re all different. It’s why buying presents is always so hard, even for people we know. and if these items are so personalised, there will have been planning and thought put into them. It wasn’t just done on a whim.

But I do think it would add up to £20. I imagine the mug and socks probably were slightly under so they’ve topped it up with the chocolates, which was the decent thing to do.

£20 is a bit much for SS, imo. I'd have been happy with decent bath stuff/eyeshadow palette etc. Who needs yet another mug? Or random socks? Yes, I'm an ungrateful cow, but frankly, I'm clearing out unused rubbish from years ago, I don't want yet more stuff.

I'm a bit hmm today, 2 people gave me really lovely expensive chocolate, but they know me really well and know very well that I don't eat chocolate or sweets of any kind.

i once received a toilet roll with Christmas jokes printed on it for secret santa.

That really was a shit present 😂

I'd forget about it, but probably opt out of secret santa next year.

I am another one who thinks your gifts sound like £20 worth and I personally would much prefer a mug, socks and chocolates to some of the other crappy gifts you describe people getting. I could use and enjoy all of your gifts.

However the other things I wanted to ask are:

1. How can it be a "secret" Santa if you claim to know who bought your things?
2. What did you buy and why?

Small box of celebrations - do you mean the tiny individual box ? @ £1/£1.50 and would fit in a mug as it's so small
or do you mean the normal small box @£4.50ish 300 gr.

personalised mug - so not a 99p xmas mug from ASDA

Do you really want an ornament from Next ?!!!
that would almost be my idea of hell as everyone's taste is so different.

and can you really buy ' perfume ' for £20 ?!!!

A long time ago I got a Secret Santa gift that I thought was crap. Now, as a much older person, I realise the person who got it for me thought it was nice and if I received it today I would really like it. It makes me cringe a bit to think of how I felt back then.

How do you know the socks are cheap? It’s all personalised stuff, so hardly from a raffle. I don’t see how your gift is worse than the others you mentioned?
Its secret Santa fgs, you’re silly to be upset.

You feel crap because of secret santa gifts? It sounds like there is more going on than that. Actually if someone got me something that had my name on for SS i'd be pleasantly suprised . I got the obligatory girl gift of Sanctuary shower gel, which I have pretty much got on and off for 20 odd years. One year I got these really weird lobster corn on the cob holders, loose so clearly from someones cutlery draw! I would have a think about why you have measured your worth on secret santa gifts.

I think you need to give your head a wobble. You were given a personalised gift, which does show some thought. It might not be what you would have chosen but sometimes it's hard to know what to get people, especially work colleagues. I think you are being a bit of drama llama and ungrateful to be honest, I wouldn't be getting as worked up as you are even if a close friend had got me that, because I'd be grateful they had got me anything at all. This is not something to get all sulky about, far worse things happen every day, and honestly it makes you sound a bit materialistic. If I was the gift giver I'd be hurt to know you were annoyed enough to start a post on Mumsnet about it, what an over reaction.

Could you let us know what you bought for context?

I know because I've had initial things before and mugs which she likes to buy people. I brought a large box of chocolates, candles and baylis an Harding smellies for mine because I thought they were nice and would hope my person would think the same and I don't even know them particularly well. As I said I've taken the comments on board and maybe I've been ungrateful and underestimated how much they might've cost.

The £1 box. Everyone's taste is different but yes I would've preferred the ornament.

Can’t stand Baylis and Harding smellies.

I think this proves the point perfectly that everyone has different tastes and that what you think is a great present isn't necessarily going to be viewed as a great present by the person receiving it.
There is nothing wrong with your choices, but personally, a Bayliss set would have gone straight to the charity shop for me and I would have thought it something you just grabbed as a "didn't know what to buy" present. I wouldn't be upset about it though.

I find Secret Santa a minefield - people try, but we don’t know a huge amount about colleagues’ home lives and the budgets often don’t allow to buy something you’d actually want.

At a previous job (not a particularly close knit team), everyone got really generic gifts (tree decorations, chocolates etc) except one person received a leather harness and ball gag, and he was sitting next to the boss’s wife when he opened it.

I would hate an ornament or cheap perfume or smellies from Bayliss and Harding.
A mug is useful, socks are useful, and chocs are always nice.
I think your gifts were perfectly fine.

Its just different tastes i think. I never use candles and I always regift smellies so I wouldn't have been impressed by what you bought and much prefer mug and socks but thats not to say there is anything wrong with what you bought its just not to my taste

See this is why secret santa is a crap concept. I would much prefer the gift you received rather than the gift you gave.

I agree. Chocolates, candles and 'smellies' are a very generic present. I always try to get something personal. And of course get something shit in return. As I did this year - someone trying to be funny. Won't be participating next year.

I think that could easily amount to near enough £20, some personalised name mugs are about £12 upwards on etsy plus postage, socks a fiver and celebrations are at least a couple of pounds. The trouble is people often go over whatever the budget is. It's only supposed to be a token gift for a bit of fun.

The only way a secret Santa works is
if everyone buys their own gift ,
then gives it to " Santa " to wrap for them ...
bingo .. everyone happy with their gift

Same here!

I might change my vote now I see you gave bayliss and harding 😂

I brought a large box of chocolates, candles and baylis an Harding smellies for mine because I thought they were nice...

Are you new to MN OP? Personally I wouldn't mind receiving those things from you but they are all despised on MN and appear to be the equivalent of giving someone a gift wrapped steaming turd.