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?

Yeah, I did a secret santa last year and put a ton of effort into sourcing interesting things that were in the style that the recipient wanted, going outside the budget too. Ill-concealed disdain was the result.
Not doing it again.

It's a mine field. I have a green handbag like the one up thread that I asked for. Though very specific taste surely better than nipple tassels?! Or was it second hand? M and S are good for refunds otherwise!

I think that's a safe but fine choice.

I've had some secret santa treats over the years. A desk mobile phone holder (when we worked in an office where mobile phones were not permitted on desks), some dodgy earrings (my ears aren't even pierced), a keyboard cleaner, a book about cats (no cat, do have a cat allergy though). Bottle of wine when I was pregnant. Starbucks gift card when there was no local Starbucks Various workplaces. I tried not to take it personally, I think people just grab anything sometime. Also had wine, chocolate and flip flops which were great!

Our secret santa day at work is Friday. I got my boss. I've bought him a sweary to-do list notepad

I'm a really oily skinned sort of person and I still love handcream. Have tons of it everywhere. I think it's a great present, very posh and L'Occitaine is a good quality brand as well as being naice.

It's also beautifully regiftable if someone doesn't like it - I tend to only use the heavier creams because the lighter ones don't moisturise enough for my taste and sometimes I end up a bit dry with the heavily perfumed ones.

I am definitely being unreasonable by wondering if the non-cream-users have older looking hands than me... (I am TOO VAIN TO LIVE)

I just can't imagine anyone getting upset/disappointed by a SS gift that is totally inoffensive.
Definitely a first world problem

I've only been with the company for five months, and there's an office of about 45, almost all women. Limit was a tenner.
I struck it lucky, got my desk neighbour. Initial plan was a deciem the ordinaries selection; ordered the Buffet, Advanced Retinoid 2% and Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 as we have had a lot of conversations around skin care, diet, general wishful thinking overhaul dreams etc. She is a reluctant online shopper so thought it was perfect, if double the budget. Ordered it 25 November, promised despatch no later than December 7th. Na-da!! Just a fluffy, very annoying email saying they've got lots of monkey love but no idea when anything will be despatched

So instead she's getting a USB charger and spare charging cable for her mobile as she takes public transport to from work, and often mentions she runs out of battery. Not very exciting, but still over budget.

The poor sod who got me is screwed... I don't drink alcohol and I don't drink hot drinks

I love L'Occitane hand cream. It is gorgeous , a real treat and I asked for and got the rose one from DS for my birthday. I don't think it is for just old people, anyone can want soft hands.

I would've been thrilled to get that for secret Santa, OP, much better than the usual tat. It's a really generous and thoughtful present OP.

I got given a mrs Brown's boys DVD last year.
I was GUTTED . There was no way I could see that as anything but an insult.

'Automatic' doesn't mean that someone should automatically make a claim. It means the court would recognise these instances as being clear cut examples of constructive dismissal as a result of sex discrim.

The posts I referenced were not just 'bants'.

I was given an edible string thong on my first job. By a pervy male superior in front of a baying crowd.

^I got a mr dick (huge huge huge dildo that looks like a penis also made out of skin like stuff shock) and a tub of lube!
I had to open it in front of 40 people at our Xmas party. It was horrifying.^

Some of us are happy to laugh this stuff off, others would feel quite stricken. Shouldn't be happening at work.

I would have loved to receive the hand cream. Like previous posters I have a tube in my drawer at work, in my bag and also one at each sink in the house

I once got a secret Santa present in a massive wrapped box. Terribly exciting until I opened it. Inside the box was a bright green shower cap covered in prongs which, according to DD, was the alien character from Toy Story. It was a child's size and did not fit me. Also a bottle of glitter shower gel ( child's style bottle ). Charity shop got both items.

I did wonder whether the giver had given me a gift meant for his DGD. He retired the next year so no chance of me getting my own back !

Another year I got a nylon blanket. As soon as I picked it up it crackled with lots of sparks. Yeah, thanks a lot. It was like something you would get free with a fill up of petrol.

I effing hate secret santa.

I never used hand cream until I had DC. Now, all the damn time.

I don't think I understand Secret Santa. I sort of understand it in the abstract in large families where you decide to spend say £100 on one of your siblings rather than £20 on each, but that's where you would be getting them each a present anyway. I can comfortably say I wouldn't otherwise have got every colleague a present (except when I was living in).

I WFH now. A supplier has sent me a box of expensive truffles. Now that was a nice surprise!

I got given a mrs Brown's boys DVD last year. I was GUTTED . There was no way I could see that as anything but an insult.

Oof. Neither can I.

Perhaps she's allergic to an ingredient? I love Occitan handcream

• apart from the lavender one. I'm allergic to lavender. But it's still a good present, and she can always gift to someone else or save it for guests.

Maybe she had a bad day?

Theproblem I was also wondering that. I need a photo of Snowy's hands.

I've used hand cream since I was a teenager. Baffled that quite a few people see it as an 'old lady' thing. Especially as so many high end beauty counters have a hand cream in their skincare ranges. I feel like it's quite an outdated view and perhaps more people nowadays take care of their skin.

I hate hand cream & scented candles but if someone gave me some at work I would still do my best to look pleased.

See I would have a) hated any kind of smelly anything (lotion, candle, etc) and would have also not known that this was a great brand and thus assumed you were regifting some sample/poundland/similar purchase.

I also just got an awful SS gift of a glittery mason jar. Was promptly regifted to someone who exclaimed what a lovely gift it was when told about it.

*ranges...which they wouldn't do if there wasn't demand from their mainly 25-65 target customers.

We had sock secret Santa and because I think socks are pretty boring I bought a phone sock with a Disney character she was very fond of and some lovely cotton socks from TKMaxx (rrp £10). Recipient held up the socks and very snootily said " who could think I would wear these!". Ungrateful cow.

Some of the 'gifts' listed here are just nasty, using anonymity to humiliate people. the blow up doll was a particularly unpleasant dig, why on earth would anyone think that's appropriate? Silly is fine if that's the done thing, especially with a tiny budget, but even more difficult to get right I would have thought.

Most of my workplaces people have just given team members little gifts (I usually buy small nice edibles for my team). More presently we have had a game where similar priced presents go into a pool and then are drawn at random with lots of swapping. This year all our office parties have gone for foodbank donations instead of gifts, which is much easier.

I just wish secret Santa organisers would ban all sexual "fun" gifts. I remember my horror when I was given edible knickers by a perv in front of everybody. I was young and one of the most junior employees. The perv celebrated his witty gift with much pleasure. I have since then seen Dolly the blow up sheep with an anatomical opening, dick and balls soap and rubber boobs for a beer bottle.

It is only fun when everybody is laughing, otherwise it is bullying.

I would have loved the L'Occitane hand cream - everyone I know who works in an air conditioned office uses cream, and most people keep a tube on their desk. At the very least, it's a very re-giftable present

Chelsea - I saw one of those melting snowmen today. It's not something I'd be thrilled to get, TBH, but his seven yo would probably like it

paxillin I 'd guess if SS wasn't anonymous, the recipient of the dodgy present could have decent case for a sexual harassment claim

I want a whole line of melting snowmen, I could have them all in various stages of death and occasionally grimace a bit whilst shrieking "I'm meltinggggggg" that would please me

I have never bought or used a hand cream. I am 48 not 78. Its a great granny thing. I don't know anyone at all who uses hand cream.

I've used hand cream daily since my teens. All my friends (in their 30s/40s) do too. We have nice soft hands that don't look old and strong nails. Skin on hands really shows it when you don't take care of them. Hand cream is not an old lady thing at all - it's just looking after yourself and if it feels and smells nice, that's good too.