In addition to the Advent calendar, the mistletoe and cleaning boots on St. Nicholas Day, there are countless customs and traditions surrounding Christmas. So does Secret Santa. This ritual, which comes from Scandinavia, is now common here too. But what exactly is Secret Santa and what can be given as a gift to whom? These and other questions are answered in this article.
Table of contents:
2. How does Secret Santa work?
3. What taboos are there?
4. How do I find a suitable Secret Santa gift?
5. Conclusion
What does Secret Santa mean?
Why is it called Secret Santa? An elf is an old Nordic mythical figure who secretly does good things or plays little pranks during the Christmas season. The Swedish tradition is called “Julklapp” in its country of origin and takes place from the first of December to Christmas. Julklapp is made up of the word “Jul”, which means gift, and “klapp”, the knock. Even today, the gnome traditionally throws his gift at his partner's door, knocks on their door and then has to sneak away quickly so that the gnome remains unknown. With the traditional Julklapp, the small presents are only handed out on Christmas Eve.
Secret Santa is less about material values than about originality. This shows mutual appreciation.
How does Secret Santa work?
There are now different types of Secret Santa, such as Scrap Secret Santa, Dice Game Secret Santa or Robber Secret Santa. Classically, weighting is carried out anonymously in a group. The names are then randomly drawn from a hat or something similar.
You just have to make sure that the participants don't pull themselves. An app that selects partners by lottery can also help here. There is a lot of discussion between work colleagues and friends. The advantage here is that everyone only has to get one gift and thus gets more involved with the person being given the gift. This way you can get to know each other better. Secret Santa within a team or company can strengthen the “feeling of togetherness”.
But there are also rules that must be observed:
What taboos are there?
As simple, beautiful and nice as Secret Santa sounds, it also involves some risks. In order to avoid bad moods, arguments and faux pas, there are some taboos when it comes to gifts that should be observed. If you choose a colleague whose preferences are unknown during the company Secret Santa, you can either take refuge in an alibi gift (cf. bath salts, tea mixtures or candlesticks - the internationally recognized declarations of bankruptcy among Secret Santa gifts) or simply despair.
Another pitfall are gifts that are meant to be funny. They are by far the biggest and most important taboo in the Secret Santa cosmos. Because if it's meant to be funny, it can go terribly wrong. A few examples: A hip flask for the (actually) anonymous alcoholic, a cookbook for losing weight for overweight people or a free membership in the dating agency for the newly divorced. Especially at Christmas, kid gloves are required when it comes to feelings. Basically, alcohol, anything offensive or anything too private has no place in Secret Santa bags. Hygiene products or organizational aids should be avoided - these can quickly end up in the wrong place. Gifts that far exceed the agreed limit (usually €5 or €10) are absolutely inappropriate.
How do I find a suitable Secret Santa gift?
So what to do? After the draw, you only have a few days or, at best, weeks to find out more about the person to be chosen. It would be madness to fall into thought patterns based on clichés. Just because the accounting colleague is a woman doesn't mean she would be happy about kitchen utensils. Just because the colleague from technology is one, he certainly doesn't need a brightly colored screwdriver.
Creativity is required – and a few James Bond qualities. For example, it certainly doesn't hurt to pay more attention to the person receiving the gift than usual for a few days. "Aha!" he says at the coffee machine that he doesn't like the office noise at all and that he has an original branded coffee machine from the sixties at home. A coffee gourmet! You can do at least as much with this as with the casual remark from the person sitting next to you that your colleague will finish work an hour early the next day because she wants to go to the David Garrett concert.
The more personal and original the present is, the better - because gifts mean appreciation. Sometimes it's the little extra thought that makes a small gift something special. For example, when a colleague doesn't feel particularly valued anyway and receives a fairly personal and well-chosen gift. While we're on the topic: Homemade things, be it a tin of cookies, a cake or a photo book about one of your colleagues' passions, are always better than something carelessly bought.
So it doesn't hurt to keep your ears open and your eyes open, especially when you're an elf. Watch your colleagues during working hours chairs. And for anyone who wasn't able to uncover any new information in this way, here is a list of ideas for your Secret Santa gift.
DIY gifts
- Baking mix in a glass (made by yourself)
- Home-sewn or home-knitted items
- Homemade chocolates or colorful broken chocolate
- Homemade jewelry
- Solid hand soap
- Preserves such as jam, syrup or pesto
- Homemade things like cookies or cakes
- Crafted Advent calendar (can be filled with different teas, tool parts, etc. depending on the recipient's preference)
Secret Santa gifts under €15
- Wireless cell phone charger (find out beforehand whether it supports your colleague's cell phone)
- A cup warmer for those who like to forget their coffee or tea
- USB fan
- A personal mug for the office
- Tea bag sorting box (for tea drinkers)
- Plant a tree: “Plant For The Planet” (a campaign worth supporting)
- Hot water bottle with a winter motif on the cover (for those who are frozen)
- Advent calendar
- Custom muesli (various online providers mix the desired mixture)
With a larger budget
If you have a larger budget, a community gift is a good idea. How about a new one, for example Office chair for ergonomic work?
Conclusion
Secret Santa is a well-established ritual in many offices. Actually a good idea: If everyone receives gifts from everyone, colleagues who are close to each other don't get into the trouble of having to secretly give gifts past their colleagues. An understandable logic: If some people get something and some people don't, it gives those who didn't receive a stupid feeling to put under the Christmas tree at home.
And if we're honest, who doesn't enjoy a little something that conveys appreciation and creates a contemplative Christmas mood. So don't hesitate any longer and let the Christmas elves work their magic in your office too.
With this in mind, we wish you a calm and prudent pre-Christmas period!