Rob Ho Ho 92 wrote:It sounds very Scrooge, but my family is pretty much all the same, no one has any idea what to get anyone else, I've even suggested that we at least try (as they still insist on giving gifts rather than stopping) gifting money before the day, we can then all buy something(s) guilt free with the money given, come Christmas Day when presents are opened, its not a surprise for one person, but at least its a surprise for the others who've gifted the money to see what its been spent on and there is still presents under the tree and most importantly, something the receiver actually likes rather than just tat
I admit this probably sounds ridiculous, but when my family feels like its stuck in a rut over gifts I thought something like this was worth trying but of course none of them want to try something different, even put the idea of a small secret Santa forward and still got shot down
(Edit: I see you mentioned secret Santa, but if it helps, this is how it works for us)
We came up with a great solution to this a few years back (well it works well for us, anyway).
We basically have a family Secret Santa. There's an online app that you can put the names into, and you can add some rules (like you don't get your partner, or the same person 2 years running).
We have a set budget.
Each person draws a name, this is who you are buying for.
Everyone makes a list of things they would like (could be exactly to budget, or more and then the person buying can choose from the list), and uploads it to a whatsapp group. Nobody knows who is buying for who, you always get something you want, and you only need to buy for one person.
It doesn't have to be 'things' - sometimes someone asks for a voucher for something, or an experience.
We're about 7 years into it, and it's transformed present buying for us into a far less stressful experience, and puts a cap on the spending so we can all afford it.