My Secret Santa recipient could not have looked more pissed off at her present today

[Hassled]

I thought it was quite nice - some Occitane hand cream. I don't know her very well but she's always highly groomed, dresses well, seems very pleasant - I thought hand cream would be safe. She has no way of knowing it was me, at least. But seriously - a room of 30+ people opening their gifts, everyone going "Yay! Thanks, Secret Santa!" and generally being cheery, and she just sat and stared at the hand cream like it was a glittery turd or something. I feel bad about it. Anyone else got their Secret Santa present so drastically wrong?

I ve never worked at a workplace were they did secret santa.

How would you get the gift into work without anyone seeing you with the gift bag and knowing who their secret santa was?

Do you guys remember the 90s when you'd buy women you didn't really know bags of pot pourri and a coordinating bowl??

We should bring back pot pourri. Bit late for this year though.

My dd who is 24 loves l'occitane handcream, I think you do not have a problem but the recipient is an arse!

Chelsea - I really would not want that. Are the gifts meant to be joke gifts?

I can't be without hand cream, my hands are so dry. have used it since my teens.

Sorry, I think I'd cry if I got that melting snowman.

My sisters office have a theme for secret santa each year. Hats, mugs, stationery, socks etc. Then it makes shopping easier and the theme can be interpreted.

This year the theme was Christmas Mugs, she got a lovely mug with packets of hot chocolate and marshmallows. She gave a wine style mug and a bottle of mulled wine.

I quite like the green bag - as long as I could get rid of the flower.

Hand moisturiser is for "old ladies', god the ageism on here 😡
Rude

I'm counting my blessings now that at least our SS doesn't involve "hilarious" joke gifts - I think I'd have cried if I'd got nipple tassles.

This woman does usually seem perfectly nice and sane and normal - we've chatted now and then and I've liked her. She just clearly hates hand cream with a passion. I suppose the theory of SS is that I should have found out what she loves and hates and bought accordingly but the reality is no-one has time for that, which is why the potential for it to go tits up is so high.

Maybe she has eczema/dermatitis or something that means she can't use nice toiletries? My DP has eczema which means he can only use very bland unscented stuff.

I have eczema caused by allergies, but luckily one of the side effects is NOT a face like a slapped arse whenever I am given something I cant use, which is quite often.

That would be lovely to receive! One year I got a pair of tweezers. Another year a garden journal (I didn't have a garden). Another nobody picked my name and the organiser didn't bother trying to sort it out so the person who'd been picked twice opened both gifts and gave me the one she liked least

I've used hand cream all my life. My hands get especially dry after gardening. I would love decent handcream.

Meh, boring.

I got my manager a pocket pussy. I'm sure he loved it.

What did you get?

A lovely gift - unless you're allergic to just about every scented handcream you've ever tried. The much loved Bodyshop Hemp makes my hands bleed and I've chucked a tube of Lotil to the back of the cupboard because it left my hands worse than they were without it. Will probably end up sticking that in the bag of things I pass on to my mum to try.

bejazzled I Am an old lady

I got seven tubes of hand cream one Xmas.

I bloody hate the stuff now.

I can't see how hand cream could be a bad secret santa present especially a quality one, i find my hands get quite dry in the winter so hey i would of been well happy if it was me, don't beat yourself up about it at least you put some thought into the present and didn't just buy some cheap old tat

I am 29 and would have loved this. I always keep a tube of hand cream at work. It's not an old lady thing, it's winter and going from cold air outside to centrally heated houses and offices, I get awful dry knuckles every year. Add in the fact that I have a baby now too and wash my hands a lot more with the constant nappy changing!

I would be really disappointed with hand cream. I never ever use it. Or any kind of moisturisor. Hate the stuff, and have allergies too. If I got a small tube of something, however expensive, I'd be disappointed someone hadn't tried to find more out about me I admit.

Though I have bought my colleague hand cream. I've seen her use it loads, and know she can't use perfumed lotions, but loves her hand cream. I bought another colleague pot pourri and a bowl so the previous poster made me laugh!

I would have loved handcream

All I ever got was mugs, I don't even drink hot drinks :) mind you by the end of my 10 years at the company I guess people thought I liked them as I had a large collection on my desk with pens in

Its a great granny thing. I don't know anyone at all who uses hand cream.

What a bizarre comment. You do know there are other people in the world aside from the onesyou know and that some of them use hand cream?

OP, was it the full size one? Aren't they about £18? I love L'Occitane hand cream - they all smell delicious!

I got a reusable shopping bag last year that's probably just about big enough to fit a paperback book and a banana in. Awful pattern too. My recipient face was oscar worthy

Hand moisturiser is for "old ladies', god the ageism on here 😡
Rude

Why is is rude? why is it ageist?

It is generational. I honestly do not know a single person under 80 who uses hand cream. Actually under 85.

This all sounds awful.

Yet one more reason why I work for myself.

Its just me and the printer at our xmas party.