Mumsnet Secret Santa?

[elfbeyondtheshelf]

I'm on a small forum that is running a secret santa game which I put my hand up for because I'm a Christmas tragic. It's $10-$25 Australian plus postage... £5-£15 in your money.

Does anyone think this would be possible to do on MN? Has it been done before - maybe I'm missing a therad? I'd love to get a small gift from overseas and would love even more to send one!

It's a lovely idea but I suspect that present buying is going to be cut back to the essential ones only this year.

It has been done before. It was lovely for a few years, then issues started cropping up, there was some arguments and bitterness, some security concerns. MNHQ tried to mitigate for a bit, but it was eventually retired (sensibly I think). This site is just too big and impersonal these days.

I've seen it work on another site I was on, but it was a forum for people with a certain pet so small and friendly.

As a PP said MN is huge and there are many many differing opinions.

I remember the old secret Santa on MN and loved it. Can't remember the ladies who started it but they worked hours and hours on it before MN took over.

But then things got too big, just some of the issues I recall - competitive present buying despite limits, then disappointment for other who got something more basic, thank you threads then people getting disappoint they didn't get thanked, people nominated because they'd been helpful but embarrassed as they felt they didn't need/deserve it as much as others. It was a minefield.

I remember doing those! I think the site felt different back then though (or maybe we were all a lot more naive!)

Under a different user name I was once involved in a Christmas card swap for posters who otherwise might not have anything much to acknowledge the season at all, but security concerns would keep me distanced from such a thing now sadly.

Not on here but have you seen givin.gifts? It's the new redditgifts and has loads of exchanges on it :P

We used to have this on mumsnet. However it started getting too many chancers, putting their names down but not actually sending any gifts and only receiving. On the last one I did i never received anything either.

The poster who usually arranged yearly it sadly passed away.

There used to be one and also a post Christmas gift exchange
Both were abused by people who took but didnt honour their obligation to gift

We used to do it years ago on here but it took a bad turn. I don't think they'll ever want to bring it back.

Problem is, we would all be gifting the exact same stuff from the bargain threads!

Terrible idea