Christmas time isn’t just for family but also for friends. A great way to involve your friends in the holiday festivities is through activities such as Secret Santa. Secret Santa is a type of gift swap that randomly assigns each person in your friend group to another friend to anonymously bring them a gift. That way you don’t have to buy a gift for everyone, and you still get to participate in giving mood. While Secret Santa can be a highlight of the winter season, it can also bring on some unwelcome anxiety. Here are some tips to help counter those unseasonably negative feelings and ensure your Secret Santa runs smoothly.
1. Budget
Having a set budget is a must-have when planning your Secret Santa experience. Everyone has a different outlook on spending money, and how much is worth spending on Secret Santa. Cheaper, or even homemade, gifts can even be worth more to the person who receives them than a gift that leans on the more expensive side. It’s paramount to talk with everyone before setting a budget and make sure that everyone feels comfortable with the cost that comes with buying gifts.
Most Secret Santa price budgets land around $10 to $20, meaning you shouldn’t plan on emptying your bank account to participate in your friend group’s gift swap. You can go as cheap or expensive as you want, as long as everyone is on board. You can even set a rule that all gifts must be homemade, ensuring that every gift is personalized and special.
2. Wishlist
One of the best ways to ensure your Secret Santa leaves everyone with a smile is to have everyone create a personalized wishlist. One of the main struggles when participating in a Secret Santa is knowing what to give your person, especially if you’re not particularly close to the person you were assigned to. A wish list can act as either inspiration or examples of gifts you know your person will definitely appreciate.
Budgets and wishlists go hand in hand, meaning everything on their wishlist should be under a certain amount. That way you don’t have to go out of your way to find cheaper alternatives. When creating your wishlist you can even make it online and include helpful links to ensure your Secret Santa knows exactly what you want. Looking at others’ Christmas lists or scrolling through sites while using a max price setting can help you come up with the perfect gifts to add to your own list.
3. Online Secret Santa
Pulling names, assigning gifts, and creating wishlists can lead to a lot of unwanted clutter. One way to make sure everything stays organized and stress-free is to use a website to set up your Secret Santa. For the past couple of years, my friend group has used a website called drawnames.com. The website assigns everyone a name without fear of people receiving their own name. Alongside that, the website has a built-in wishlist category that even allows you to search for inspiration under a custom budget. Overall, drawnames.com and other similar websites are very helpful for making sure your Secret Santa runs smoothly and stays jolly.
Whether budgets, lists, or websites, there are a lot of things that can help enhance your holiday gift swap. Secret Santa has been a staple in my life for years, either for youth group, camp, or just friends. Even if all you have is slips of paper, a hat, and a handful of friends, Secret Santa can still be the highlight of your holiday season as long as you just have fun.
