Christmas is around the corner and secret Santa has become a new tradition that is followed in every workplace. Secret Santa is a western tradition in which people of a group or community are assigned a random person to whom they have to give a gift. The identity of the gift giver is maintained a secret. So, the person receiving the gift has no idea about who gave them the gift. The tradition has been followed at the workplaces to celebrate the Christmas. The colleagues gift each other gifts randomly without telling each other who sent it. The gifts could be anything and this game helps the co-workers to understand each other and know each other’s likes and dislikes. The compatibility between them increases and the environment in the workplace becomes cordial and warm. The office secret Santa has to make the effort to think about another person. The tradition of secret Santa brings the people of a community or a group closer and it enforces the idea of thoughtfulness, compassion, and humanity among people.
When the office secret Santa gets the responsibility to gift something to someone among the staff, then they have to make an effort to know the person better so that they can give a gift that will make the receiver happy and content. It aids in the building of team spirit among the staff members and the colleagues who are new and have not made friends will get an opportunity to know the people. People use various methods to choose the person randomly like drawing the chits. Also, there are other variations of secret Santa like the White Elephant gift exchange where participants bring one gift each wrapped in such a way that it cannot be guessed what the gift is and players open the gifts one by one. They can open a new gift or steal a previously opened.
In Conspiracy Santa, all the participants work together to select a gift for an individual without their knowledge, so it is a conspiracy. There is a Secret Santa Online which has become quite popular and it helps the participants in deciding about their gifts. All these are forms of one secret Santa tradition. However, these traditions can be a little expensive for some people. We all have to send gifts to our family, friends and when you also have to send a gift to someone you hardly know, then it can be a little troubling. What should a person do to become the best secret Santa even on a budget?
#1. Try To Know About The Co-Worker
If you want to be an office secret Santa then you must try to get to know the co-worker as much as possible. Why? You should know every detail about them so that you do not waste your money on something they might not even like or need. Imagine if you gift the person something expensive and they tell you that they already have that thing. What would be your reaction? It would burn you into ashes to know that the gift you bought has no value for the person because they already own it. You wasted your money on something that wasn’t needed. Save yourself from such a situation and be smart. Try to know what kind of gifts they have received and which one has been their favorite. Get clues and hints about the things they may like, or they wish to have this Christmas. Talk to their friends at work and they may tell you something about them. Do not make ask directly because the person should not know that you are their secret Santa. Maybe the person needs something which is very inexpensive. And when you know what to buy you can research about it and find places you can buy them at a lower price.
#2. Do Not Force Participation
If you want to be the best office secret Santa, then you should participate as much as you can but do not force anybody else to participate. It is every person’s choice and if they do not want to participate, then it should be fine with everyone. If you have taken the responsibility of arranging the secret Santa, then make sure that people get what they want. Do not give rigid guidelines to the people participating. Every person should have the freedom to gift whatever they like and do not force anyone to buy expensive gifts. You have to celebrate the secret Santa under budget keeping in mind your and other people’s budget. Do not expect people to give you expensive gifts when you cannot do it yourself. It should be a fun game and the sole purpose is to support compassion and understanding.
#3. Set A Price Limit
Sometimes, it becomes unfair when people bring gifts that vary in their prices. Some get inexpensive and worthless gifts while others get costly gifts. What you can do is set a price limit for everyone. Nobody should buy gifts that cost more than 25$ or a price that suits everyone. Also, set a limit for the starting price. It will be a fair way to distribute gifts and every person will be satisfied. Christmas should not bring a feeling of inferiority or superiority in anyone. When an overpriced gift is received by a person, it demoralizes the person who cannot afford it. The tradition should not bring the feeling of inequality. Every person rich or poor is a child of the God and all should get the same respect as the others.
#4. Do Not Give Personal Gifts
It is advised to think a hundred times before gifting anything. Do not gift something that might offend the other person. Do not give something that may send a wrong message to the other person. Gifts should be general that can be used by the other person. Gifting a perfume to a female colleague will make it appear that you have other interests for the person which may be untrue. It can blot your reputation at work even if you did not mean anything like that. Avoid buying things that you might give to your partner. Give generic gifts like paintings of the person’s favorite painter, a music album of their favorite singer or band, clothes that do not require a specific size because you do not know what may or may not fit the person. Personalize the gifts so that you do not have to spend extra money for it. Wrap the gifts on your own or make the cards at home so that you do not have to buy them.
#5. Be Grateful Towards Your Gifter
When you receive a gift, you can only guess who gave it and if you cannot guess even then express gratitude. You know that the person is someone from the office itself and would be there when all the gifts are opened. Give a speech thanking the person whosoever gifted you and tell them that you feel elated to have such caring colleagues. Even if you did not like the gift pretend as you loved it because it is the efforts one makes not the gift or the gift’s price tag. This way you let your office secret Santa know that you are very considerate and the money they put buying a gift for you was not worthless.
#6. Avoid Talking Bad About The Gift
If you did not like the gift, then do not tell everyone about it. You tell one person that you did not like your gift and all the people at the workplace will know it. You will become a bad person in the eyes of every colleague and especially the one who was your secret Santa. You will be an office secret Santa yourself and the person you gift something may not like it as well. How would you feel if they told everyone that the gift was not up to the mark? It will hurt you. Do not criticize other people at work for the gifts they have brought. Be appreciative of the people's participation in the secret Santa tradition.
#7. Make People Laugh
It is Christmas! There shall be laughter, joy, and warmth in each heart and if you fail to do that, then you are not the best secret Santa. Try to make every person laugh in some way, or you could organize some quick comedy sessions if you have the skills. You could invite other people to participate and all the colleagues could enjoy the Christmas together. It will be free of cost.
Have you ever been an office secret Santa? How did you become the best secret Santa under budget? Share your experiences with us through the comments section below. We look forward to your replies.
