to be a littled peeved that all I got from my secret santa was...

[PurpleCrazyHorse]

... a bottle of M&S shower gel? The limit was £5, but surely even M&S shower gel doesn't cost that much. We all opened them over dinner tonight and I was a bit embarrassed just unwrapping that and my first thought was where's the other half?

I nearly cried on the way home (I am post pregnancy though and had a really bad day anyway).

Eek... now I sound really ungrateful.

I can beat that. Our dept went out for a Christmas drink yesterday and didn't come back. Myself and a colleague weren't invited (no idea why). Sales team (of 4) head said he was taking them for drink whilst we sat there. Didn't invite us. Our manager said he was going shopping but was later spotted with the sales team drunk (another dept member came and told us). I left the office at my normal time having spent the afternoon working. My colleague left early thoroughly pissed off. We don't do secret santas or have a dept lunch or any Christmas decorations.

I started my new job beginning of Dec.

Didn't get invited to contribute to Secret Santa or get bought anything.

Maybe next year...

Mollie- what are you going to do about it? Sounds a very bitchy atmosphere to work in. I'd be really upset by that.

TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied, I just said "thank you whoever, very useful". It was at the Christmas lunch, not the place to make a scene. Thing is, if you were "in the clique" it probably felt like a wonderful place to work.

Nothing I can do afaik. I was pleased that it wasn't just me who had been left out but it was a very horrible afternoon. I think if they had meant to invite us but forgot then one of them could have emailed - my manager was checking his emails and I sent him phone messages so if it had been a genuine oversight then he could have replied and suggested we joined them.

I HAD to come here and tell you. I just did Secret Santa with work tonight and I spent exactly the £5 on a lovely little set which I thought out.

I got a pack of primark tea-towels.

Purple Crazy Horse - I haven't read all these posts but my DH asked me to go out today and get his secret santa gift which he'd forgotton and needed ASAP. I went out to town, pregnant, back ache, sinus pain, with 2 young kids, one of whom promptly wet himself -twice - and bought shock horror - shower gel!! It was nicely packaged and cost £4.95. Argggg!!! I had no idea this was so crap a gift that it might make someone cry! Boring, but fairly pleasant I thought. Going to one more shop would have made me cry! Someone at my old work once unwrapped a bottle of wine that was half drunk! Much worse surely?

YANBU. Surely it's all about the thought that goes into it and the low price limit is supposed to mean more thought, not less?

I have had a couple of really lovely SSs - think I've only done one work one (in an office I hated, where I didn't feel particularly liked) but I got a gorgeous book about gardening (on which I am keen); no idea to this day who got it for me, but it still gives me a warm glow that they got me something so nice.

My church home group do SS. Limit £5, must be from a charity shop, all in a bag & pick one. I gave a jewellery wrap & necklace, and received a "Marco Pierre White in Hell's Kitchen" recipe book. I was chuffed.

Maybe they added the cost of the wrapping in with the gift

at least you didn't get tat - the shower gel is useful!

In my last company we had a secret santa - but as well as choosing something that was relevant/significant for the recipient, it had to be something to do with you as well, so they would be able to guess who their santa was. At the Christmas party when the gifts were given out that was the game for the next 20 minutes or so - to work out who your santa was.

It was really difficult but it made it really fun too.