Secret Santa: Something to leave off the Christmas wish list

Every festive period, Secret Santa divides many friendship groups, workplaces, couples, families and now, exclusive to 2020, even social bubbles. Many couldn’t bear the 12 days of Christmas without organising Secret Santa whereas the rest hope to avoid the tradition at all costs. For me, Secret Santa is something I hope to leave off my Christmas list and here’s just four reasons why.

1. Waste of Money

First is the fact that Secret Santa is the biggest waste of your hard earned cash. We’ve all had those Christmas periods where money is tight, and this year may be tighter than ever for some, so the last thing we want to worry about spending money on is Secret Santa. Yes, the tradition always tends to be at a low expense but that £10-30 can go far over the festivities. Call me a scrooge but I say save your gift-giving and spend time together instead (covid-19 permitting of course!)

2. Hard to spend the set amount

Another pet peeve of mine is the idea of setting a monetary limit. Of course, the aim of the game is to make things affordable (hence the point above), but who on earth can get find a meaningful, worthy gift for £20? The low amount almost always means the gift will be something novelty and worthless like a personalised keyring or a Boots gift set. When I am involved, I overspend every single time to make sure my recipient really loves their gift. I guess if I’m in it, I want to do it well but it is forever difficult to stick to the amount!

3. Getting someone you’re unfamiliar with

Something most likely experienced in the workplace… There is ultimately nothing worse than receiving a recipient you aren’t familiar with. Imagine, the names are drawn and you receive office newbie, who you know nothing about. Where do we even begin? You can drop hints all day long but it’s often an awkward pursuit. As well as it being awkward as hell, you then end up impulse, panic buying, and getting something super beige like a new mug or journal. It’s almost an unavoidable negative, especially when you’re in a huge office full of people, but it’s another annoyance to add to my list.

4. ‘Something else’ to think about

If you’re anything like me, you’ll suffer gift-giving anxiety in the run up to Christmas. I am forever worrying about whether so-and-so will like their gift or whether they will completely despise it and send it back at the first opportunity. I always try to make my gifts as personable and meaningful as possible and there’s absolutely nothing worse than getting another pair of socks to add to last year’s stock. So throwing Secret Santa into the mix adds yet another thing to worry about. I often try to drop hints to learn what they’d really like but often end up impulse buying something I would personally like and hope for the best. Elfster, the online Secret Santa generator, offers a ‘Wishlist’ function which is revolutionary in my eyes. Some may argue this takes away the fun but for me, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders.

 

So there we have it, my top 4 pet peeves about Secret Santa. Funnily enough, whilst writing this article, my friendship group suggested Secret Santa and for the sake of FOMO, I just had to join in. Call me ‘The Grinch’ but maybe this year will change my mind.

 

Written by Laura Buckle

Image courtesy of suju on Pixabay. This image has in no way been altered. Image license can be found here.