Family secret Santa

[Missushb]

Hi all, due to expanding families and trying to cut back, secret Santa has been suggested for us and DH siblings;DS x 2 plus their husbands. We will still buy for each other's kids. We are all for this apart from one of his sisters, who says other people who have less money still buy everyone presents! I wanted to do it to save money and also the time of trying to think what to get adults who don't need anything! Any successful family secret Santa set ups?! Surely we're not the Grinch?!

Some of my friends do this with their families and spend around £30. My own family is even meaner, we don't buy for the adults in our extended family at all but we do enjoy a good game of bad santa

We do this OP, started with one side of the family and then we introduced it to the other. All the adults love it, we each write a short list of things we would like and you will get one or a more of the items depending mainly on who got your name. I love that I no longer get 3 pairs of gardening gloves a year [santa]

We do it in my family. Something to eat or drink, something to wear and something to do - budget varies but usually around £30. Doesn't need to be split equally so could spend 25 on one present then get £ shop gifts x

I suggested it this year and my dad said no. He doesn't do any bloody shopping

We do this in our very large family. £10, and we buy a gift then draw out of a bag on Boxing Day when we all get together. The men buy for the men and women for the women. Keeps it really simple and you have to be slightly imaginative.

I tend to keep an eye out on the jewellery shops for sales - one year I put a set of Links of London earrings in there and they went to my lovely younger cousin who doesn't have much money, so it was a fab gift for her as it turned out.

Yep!
I buy separately for my DM and 3 siblings.
We also do a secret Santa between my DM and her 2 sisters, her BIL, my 3 sibs and my 4 cousins. Around £15-20 limit.
For adults Xmas should be about being with people. Any adult that bitches about presents is an arsehole in my opinion.

Agreed! It's the time it takes to think of that to get too, as well as of course the money, which we really can't afford.

*time it takes to think of what to get that should have said!

We've been doing this for about 8 years. Works brilliantly for us.

I really want to do this for the adults in our family but dh won't so he will be doing all the shopping!