Ridiculous £5 secret Santa

[Baileysoncereal]

I’m new at work and they’re doing a secret Santa. I didn’t want to do it but everyone else was very excited and I wasn’t going to be a big Scrooge and refuse to join in, especially when I’m so new. It’s £5 limit which is ridiculous too and we are telling people after they open the gift who got what (again, not my idea) so I don’t want to buy something shit and then have to confess

i honestly don’t have the time to be going to the shops hunting around so it needs to be something I can buy online.
any ideas?

ive never even met the person I’ve got, it’s a woman in her 20s-30s, no idea if she has dietary restrictions, allergies etc. So I’m worried about just buying food gifts.

Please help me!

The best secret santa I ever gave was a pack of two nerf gun type things that were in the sale. Much fun was had in the office. But I'm guessing you don't know your colleagues or the culture well enough for that!

I've also recently moved into a new job and have to buy someone a £10 present. Problem is they won't tell us who we're buying for - I'd probably not know them anyway (I WFH as well as being new), but at least I'd know whether to get men's socks or women's socks 😆

Etsy

The sock thing was in reference to PP saying you 'can't go wrong'.

I will forever find socks bizaare though... who gifts a stranger socks, I mean you wouldn't gift her pants or a toothbrush would you.

Socks are hardly a 'gift' it regardless of it people wear them or not, why not insoles if your going that route.

Even the people I know who wear sock don't want a random mismatched pair, they buy all the same so they can grab any 2 out of the draw and have an instant pair.

It will just forever baffle me that people first though when picking a gift for the boss at xmas is 'foot underwear'.

Thats the kind of stuff DH office secret santa does... they always seem to have a great time but 'novelty' ideas are usually shot down on here (I guess you have to have the right type of work place).

DH had nerf guns, a kids scooter, a punchbag, keg of beer and all sorts in his secret santa.

Well everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but this is hands down the weirdest thing I have ever read on MN.

Not only your claim to not wear socks. But saying they’re not a gift. Describing them as “foot underwear”. Likening them to a toothbrush or toiletries etc. And then, just when it seems very weird, saying that everyone you know has ONLY identical socks?!

I don’t know what I’ve just read 😂

A nice a4 hardback notebook and a nice pen from the works. Easily get both for a fiver

You can go wrong with a candle if you're buying it for me. I have a phobia of fire and would never burn a candle in my home so would be very disappointed to receive one as a secret Santa gift. I'd be giving it away to a friend or a charity shop.

If she looks like an outdoorsy type/ festival goer, get her a she-wee.

Candles are shit if you have lung issues or a cat

M and S have some nice bits under their SS section. Or as a pp said a notebook and pen from The Works

Love the idea of a she-wee! Much more useful than a candle and less contentious too.

A Christmas bauble is a great idea.

And if the recipient hasn't declared any allergies, some lovely posh chocolates will be perfect.

No its an awful idea

But surely you wouldn't expect a new colleague you've hardly spoken to to know that. You'd say thank you and internally shrug and think it was a pity. You wouldn't think it was somehow an offensive gift or that they'd done something wrong.

Has your electricity been cut off? Or do you light all the candles and play “Firestater” by The Prodigy?

I worked in a school with a secret Santa tradition. We set a £5.00 limit but some people spent way more and it became slightly embarrassing. Lots of people dropped out because they felt they had cheap, grotty gifts compared to others. Not really the spirit of Christmas!

Are adults you know really running around it mismatching socks?

My mam only wear white trainer socks, My DH only wears those 6 pack of black primark socks, my dad only wears thermal from one brand... it make life easy because everything isntantly matches.

The idea that fully grown women are have a draw full of novelty/furry non matching socks is wierd.

A greggs or coffee shop voucher. The she can get herself a treat she likes.
Personally I'd hate a candle or a plant as can't stand either in the house.

We have a £5 limit in our office. Last year I was given a lovely Christmas decoration, which I loved.

Etsy is great for small presents, I have to admit that I cheat a bit and don't include the postage in the price. Last year I gave a shopper/tote bag with the initial of the recipient and this year a really pretty tea light holder.

Have you also had a look in Tiger?

I think socks is a shit gift – aside from alpaca wool ones, which would blow the £5 budget – but not do any of mine match, who has the time and why would I care what’s in my sock drawer? They’re not novelty or furry though. They’re just socks. Slavishly devoting myself to a single type of sock is bizarre.

The idea that fully grown women are have a draw full of novelty/furry non matching socks is wierd.

Ahem...

I have a drawer full of novelty fluffy socks of all sorts of colours. I do also have one full of black socks though.

Honestly - it's not worth stressing about. This thread has demonstrated you can't guarantee a win as everyone's tastes are so different. But if you try and choose thoughtfully and wrap it up nicely, then jobs a good 'un as far as I'm concerned!

Not mismatching socks - they’re all in pairs.

Not novelty/furry.

Running socks for running. Pop socks for small shoes. Plain dark socks for work. Thick socks for walking/hiking. Pretty/normal socks for day to day wear. Thick socks for winter/house wear.

Does she have any pets? One year someone gave me a selection boxes for my dogs and chocolates for me, I thought like that was thoughtful, i think the budget was £10 though