has anyone organised a secret santa?

[ItsaTenfromDen]

Thinking of setting one up at work this year, any tips gratefully received:)

Find out who's interested in taking part, then write all the names on gift tags and have people pull them out of a (Santa) hat, avoids handwriting giving the game away. Put a Santa sack somewhere private but accessible so that gifts can be dropped off anonymously.
Decide when you're going to exchange gifts up front so that you know everyone can be there.
Set a firm limit on the amount spent, the less money there is to spend, the more imaginative people have to be! And spread the word that it's meant to be fun, nothing worse than someone receiving a cheap vase!
Have everyone bring in food or drink to have a little party at the same time otherwise it only takes 5 minutes. The pound shops usually have crackers nearer Christmas for a cheap festive atmosphere.
Um, that's all I can think of right now.

It's not worth it, by the way - one person will be offended by their gift, one will hate theirs and say so, upsetting the giver. Almost everyone else will think WTAF? My colleagues don't know me at all!

Use a website like this one www.secretsantaelf.co.uk

Best one we did was a quid limit and it had to be something you could wear. All items were brought along to our Christmas meal, wrapped up, and everyone picked a present and had to wear it there and then. Thanks to the pound shops, we had a variety of items from deeley boppers, festive shower caps, socks to fur edged rubber gloves!
Fun and no-one got offended

We had to buy for specific colleague, from a charity shop, maximum £5 IIRC. It was pretty amusing, but most of the stuff got binned straightaway. At least the money spent went to a good cause.

I like CleanHankie's idea for the small budget and immediacy