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Original poster

Worst secret santa gift you've received?

231 replies

buddhasbelly · 02/12/2021 11:02

Mine was gin infused chocolates, when the whole office knows I'm a recovering alcoholic.

Please tell me your worst secret santa gifts you've received?

My office pal got the chocolates 😂

OP posts:
caringcarer · 03/12/2021 01:59

DH once got some edible sexy knickers. Halarious and we let son re-gift them following day to a friend of his on his 18th.

AlfonsoTheUnrepentant · 03/12/2021 08:44

@ilovepixie

Ours was banned after someone got a bottle of urine and a naked photo of the urine giver!
You win the thread! That is the worst yet.
Sweetener12 · 03/12/2021 09:24

I participated in Secret Santa by mail once, it was anonymous and I got a book that clearly had been read multiple times (the cover had scratches and some pages were stained by the glue I guess?) and a bag of cheap gummies. I wasn't offended or anything, I kinda expected something like this to happen in anonymous gift exchanges, but I stopped participating right after that and switched to card exchanges. E-mailing Smartshow 3d vids is cheaper and there is never a place for dissapointments Grin.

HPD76 · 03/12/2021 09:30

A tub of body butter which had a clear finger scoop of body butter removed and a hair on top. I put it in the bin 🤢

Tomeeornottomee · 03/12/2021 09:36

Rubber gloves. Large. I’m 5’3 and small build. And I have a dishwasher.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 03/12/2021 10:05

@Gearedtoyou

DH seemed to be genuinely traumatised by his SS experiences. Twice, there was nothing for him (it was done on Christmas Eve and it seems people not in didn't bother even though they were in the draw and had gifts bought for them.

It wasn't the lack of the gift but the embarrassment of being the person without a gift. And he wasn't usually an over sensitive soul at all. This really upset him.

I've never been left without a gift. So far this year I have bought three Secret Santa gifts and I always make sure any newbies have something.

For some reason, someone being left out makes me feel really sad.

MintyGreenDream · 03/12/2021 10:09

Not me but a colleague got a box of hair dye

Whitefire · 03/12/2021 10:19

Some of these are just plain bullying by the giver.

evtheria · 03/12/2021 11:19

Nothing! I acted like I didn’t mind/hadn’t noticed despite us all being at our Christmas meal and manager handing out the secret Santa gifts, but when the penny dropped that I was the only one sat there without one he was furious. I was more upset wondering if the person hated me.

BackInBlackAgain · 03/12/2021 13:10

I have only took part in secret santa twice, the first present was really nice (lovely smellies) and the second time was as collection of random things put together, candle, a christmas dinner plate etc, multi packs that had been split up but it was ok but i dont do them now as i really dont like the concept.

Poor DP always takes part and chooses really nice presents, tries to find out what his person likes and gets something nice for them. He however always seems to get utter shit.

One year the limit was £20, he got.. teeny tiny condoms that would only fit on your finger, the gifter was laughing her head off, he asked what he was supposed to do with them, she replied to put them on your fingers, he asked then what? she look puzzled then walked off. Went in the bin and a waste of the £5 she spent.

And he still participates and still gets crap and i put up with all the moaning.

2bazookas · 03/12/2021 13:18

This thread has confirmed why no bargepole is long enough to keep my distance from Secret Santa.

CharityDingle · 03/12/2021 13:48

@2bazookas

This thread has confirmed why no bargepole is long enough to keep my distance from Secret Santa.
Same here. It was proposed one time on a team I was on. I said I wouldn't be taking part. It can lead to horrible stuff imo. I know of a situation that ended up with HR when a would-be hilarious present really upset the recipient badly.
momager1 · 03/12/2021 15:03

I banned secret santa for this year for my staff. I will hand out small gifts to everyone at our party (which is in January, as we have NO time in december for us all to be together due to reservations in the restaurant) So in Jan I will be ordering in Pizza so no staff has to cook (we are a bar and grill and specialize in steaks) will give them all a little token gift, and open the bar for free to them. Also have hired a small school bus (there are only aobut 27 of us) to pick them all up at home...and drop them all off at 11 pm at home. I banned secret santa after last year... one of our servers is about 6 foot 7... and very openly gay. It was no reason for the person that picked his name to get him a tiara and a disney magic wand. He was hurt. I also had bought 3 extra gifts just incase someone showed up without... yes. I needed them all and i even was relieved that a customer had given me a lovely box of chocolates the day before that i had not opened yet.. so i put the staff name on it. (luckily i knew what was in the wrapped box as he buys them for me every year for the last 20 or so), and they are a craft chocolate company in a town about 1 hour away, and amazing. If any of you are in Ontario Canada.. Check out Reo Thompson Chocolates from stratford ontario. I was miffed that i lost out on my mint smoothies chocolates lol

Snuggleworm · 03/12/2021 15:28

@SpiderinaWingMirror

It was a near miss but so inept. Team Leader was clueless. She thought I was Laura, but I am Louise. She bought a gift and wrote Laura on it. Apparently it was a candle of a womans vvvv large breasts. I am blessed with norkage but in no way did the team give each other such gifts. Laura has gone off on leave and took the gift with her to out under her parents tree.Laura was flat chested and sensitive about it....
Oh my lord, I am sorry but I really laughed at this one.
my8thMNusername · 03/12/2021 15:30

Edible ants from Harrods

TheChosenTwo · 03/12/2021 16:19

I haven’t done mine for years due to all this nonsense! Some of these are downright fucking horrible.
To be fair I like the team I work with but due to Covid restrictions and bubbles largely remaining in place for the last 18 months (work in a school) I haven’t even met a lot of the ‘new’ starters who have been with us for over a year.
I would like to say none of my colleagues would buy anything inappropriate, they’re more likely to go down the practical but possibly a bit impersonal route but it’s the safest option if you don’t properly know the person to be honest.
I got the boss once, she was new, went with L’Occitain tin of 3 mini handcreams and a box of hotel chocolat treats.
Boring but consumable and safe!

LifeIsTricky · 03/12/2021 16:32

3 packs of nurofen, "because you're always popping pills"... I have an array of health problems which require 24 tablets a day to keep me alive... I am also allergic to ibuprofen!

MsFannySqueers · 03/12/2021 16:39

A jar of jam! I spent several years working with a horrible group of people who all sat around every Christmas opening lovely SS gifts they had bought each other while I always had some random shit. Even though they were vile I still made an effort with my SS gift. One of the benefits of retirement no more SS!

jingletits44 · 03/12/2021 16:39

Not particularly bad but the endless amount of Baylis and Harding gift sets ive ended up with over the years is criminal. I always try to put a bit of thought into a secret Santa and get something at least a little bit personal. So to get those soulless, boring gift sets back every year just puts me off the whole thing. Humbug.

MsFannySqueers · 03/12/2021 16:41

@LifeIsTricky that’s awful!

ImInStealthMode · 03/12/2021 16:44

An old-fashioned flat advent calendar with nativity pictures behind the doors. Worth about £1 of the £10 suggested budget. We did Secret Santa exchange in the middle of the month Hmm

Worst received, a keyring onto which you could record short voice notes, for the accountant who kept locking himself out of the building and not knowing the entry code. I thought it would be useful. Ungrateful bugger Angry

AlfonsoTheUnrepentant · 03/12/2021 16:48

I knew someone who, every year, gave everyone bottles of homemade dandelion wine. She was terminally offended that it might not be everyone's ideal gift.

Original poster
buddhasbelly · 03/12/2021 16:58

Baylis and harding sets = emergency raffle present when called upon. Which then probably get put back into a secret santa.

No one's actually bought a Baylis and Harding set since 2010, its just the same ones in their very own circular economy.

OP posts:
DriveInSaturday · 03/12/2021 17:13

buddhasbelly I won a big prize in DS's school Christmas raffle once. It turned out to be a huge Christmassy cardboard box containing what must have been all the Boots 3 for 2 gifts and scented candles that the teachers had been given over the last few years.

ImInStealthMode · 03/12/2021 17:14

No one's actually bought a Baylis and Harding set since 2010, its just the same ones in their very own circular economy.

GrinGrinGrinGrin

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