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.

I personally think SS is just a bit of fun. Most of it's crap unless someone hits on a lucky find that's just right for the person. Sorry you were disappointed, but don't over think it and move on if she's usually a good friend.

It’s obviously landed badly with you, op, but that’s easily twenty quids worth.
Is a personalised mug and socks really so much worse than a random “ornament” from Next?
It seems quite thoughtful to me.

A gift that someone has put some thought into against some sort of generic gift doesn't sound crap to me. At the very least it shows they had you mind, rather than thinking everyone likes candles and smellies

I don't think anyone enters into a work SS expecting the gift of their dreams surely? It's just a bit of camaraderie.

As others have said, I'd have thought your gift was naff.

It's fine if you think the gift isnt to your taste but you're taking it far too personally.

Respectfully, your gifts sound more thoughtless and generic than initialed socks and a personalised mug. I’m assuming you drink a cupped beverage. It definitely sounds £20 worth possibly more with postage.

it’s horses for courses and this is the risk you take with secret Santa.

I was thinking that would go down like a lead balloon on here 😅

See OP, I would have thought the same about the gift you gave. Don’t mind a candle and chocolates but Baylis and Harding is the epitome of crap, cheap, thoughtless gift to me. I’d rather the mug and socks.

I think don’t take it personally, you all have different tastes 🤷🏻‍♀️

I can only stand using the one perfume I wear and the toiletries that work for my skin type. No7 makeup I have tried was awful, its so cheap. The other presents sound worse to me!

They’ve very clearly spent the £20 with all the personalised item. You just don’t like what you were given (or maybe the person?).

whe do this differently and it's much more fun. all the wrapped parcels get put in a pile. everybody gets a number corresponding to the number of participants, which they pick out of a hat. the person with number 1 then chooses any parcel from the pile that they like, and have to open it and place the present in front of them. then comes number 2 and does exactly the same thing, but if they prefer number 1's present , then number 1 HAS to swap. so the following numbers can pick out any of the presents that have gone before . So the higher your number, the better choice you have for a swap. If a swap is requested, then it HAS to take place.

What 'lovely' perfume costs £20?
Some customised stuff- socks and mug plus chocs could easily cost around that.

You sound incredibly childish, snobby and spoilt.

I'd be happy with what you got.
One year we were asked to specify what we DIDN'T want. I put alcohol as I dont really drink.
I got a box of wine. 🙄

I hate Balis and Harding crap! It’s just a shit dupe of Molton Brown and is tacky and cheap! I would not have liked your gift at all, so defo each to their own.

I think it's best not to interpret the way you feel about a gift as the way your friend feels about you.

Sometimes we get things wrong, sometimes we miss the mark with a gift. I don't think it says anything about the value your friend places on your friendship.

This whole concept of secret Santa needs to be abolished IMO.

The very fact that the initial responses to this are “it’s secret Santa, of course it’s going to be crap” says everything. Nobody likes doing it, people complain about having to find something, about having another bottle of crap bath oil to dispense to the charity shop.

What exactly is the point?

A box of celebrations, a personalised mug and some socks will come to more than £10. I kid you not, having just bought some mugs the mean cost of which was £15 each (and I got a discount) and they weren't bone china (minimum for that was £23).
It is quite possible everyone else was also pissed off with a Next ornament (never seen one I wanted in my house) or No.7 products (that's Boots' own brand?). They may all be thinking 'lucky OP' she got something useful (socks and mug) and some chocs as well! Secret Santa is always rubbish! Re-gift socks if you like (and chocs) and use the mug (if you really hate it no doubt someone will drop it at some point!).
NB What did you give as as Secret Santa - you did not say!

The personalised mug will have been well over a tenner then shes just bought a couple of things to get up to £20. I dont think any of the 'lovely' things you mention your friends getting sound any better than yours tbh. She's clearly missed the mark with the mug, thought you'd like it and you didn't. It happens. To then be saying this means she's not as good a friend as you thought is pathetic. Grow up. Even my hugely overthinking ADHD teenager wouldn't stretch to that one!

You should have said "this is a bag of shit and you have disappointed me and let yourself down... shame on you... " slapped her round the face and flounced off.

Or just get over it... idk.

Secret Santa highlights for me in the past were fruit flavoured condoms when I was single and a book about farting. I smiled and said how nice and disposed of them later that day.

The satin knickers and pen that when it was turned upside down showed a man's pants dropping off were huge hits with me. Other people would possibly have cried uncontrollably and reported to HR.

Horses for courses basically

Every single time I've taken part in a Secret Santa in the past, the person buying for me has forgotten, of the gift has got lost in the post, or some other excuse. I got fed up of buying but never getting anything so I don't participate in Secret Santas now.

The gift you got given doesn't sound great OP, but then the gift you bought for your recipient doesn't sound great either. Everyone would be better off just spending that £20 on themselves!

What is mumsnets issue with Bayliss and Harding?! Yeah it’s not the best it’s not the worst but when it’s stuff like hand soap can you really not just lower yourself to use it to wash your hands?? SNOBS

Well I have said the gifts are usually rubbish, but I have had bottles of wine, nice toiletries (not Boots no 7), gloves etc, which were nice to have. I think some people's expectations are too high.

No, for me I have eczema and can't use scented toiletries.
So, no, not snobbery.

Thought for next year:

My DD (17) did secret santa with her large friend group. They created a Snapchat group and all said a couple of things they wanted on the group but didn't know who their gift giver was. DD bought her secret santa a specific anime book as requested. Apparently receiver was delighted and DD was equally delighted with her scarf! Win, win.

I would have liked these