Useful Secret Santa?

[ThePonderer]

Is there any good way to give an anonymous gift which isn't creepy?

There are two women from another department at work who I occasionally sit with in the staff canteen. I know that one of them is really living from one pay cheque to the next, and the other has been talking a lot recently about how she can't afford Christmas presents. I have recently had a promotion and my financial situation is ok. (Not amazing, but I have some leeway.)

If I give either of them a gift outright then I am guessing they would feel they needed to give me something in return, and I don't want to put them in that position. Is there any possible way for me to give them something but make it look just like good luck for them? I was thinking, I suppose, of a Sainsburys or Tesco gift card.

Or is it just patronising and I should butt out?

I think it's a lovely idea.

Could you post a christmas card to them at the office with the voucher inside and 'accidentally' leave the senders name off?

Rather than being completely anonymous could you maybe send the gift card alongside a letter or a card suggesting that it's a prize of some kind? Just like "Merry Christmas - Congratulations on this award from the Santa's Elves Benevolent Fund"?

I suppose the problem is that, if I got an anonymous card I would really try very hard to track down where it came from. It would have to look really authentic. Otherwise they would eventually find out it was me and then things would get awkward.

Maybe I could do the illegible squiggle Christmas card trick. "Lots of love from [squiggle] and [scrawl]; hope we can meet up next year." Not sure it will work for two different people, though!

Could you say they won it? That you bought 10 raffle tickets for an event you are involved with (church, kids club?) and as you are an organiser you can't win so you put down names of 10 people from work and they both won it?

Oooh, I rather like that, Mushypeas! Think that could possibly work if I made it look like something where they were almost helping me out of an awkward situation....

It's a lovely sentiment, but I think you should just be more open about it. Maybe on the last day that you see them before Christmas, you could give them a bag each with wine, nice chocolates, nibbles etc?