Oh what fun it is... to participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange!
Tell me I'm not the only one who enjoys doing this. I guess I like it because I enjoy surprises myself, so I find it fun to surprise someone else with little things I think they'd enjoy.
We are currently doing a voluntary Secret Santa exchange at the school where I work. I wasn't there to draw a name, but another teacher drew for me and I received the name of a dear Kindergarten teacher. I seriously doubt she's reading this blog, but just in case, I won't mention her name just in case I spoil a surprise!
Over three weeks' time, the Secret Santas are to place a minimum of two gifts per week in the recipient's mailbox. At our holiday celebration, we are to bring one final gift and reveal who we are to the recipient.
I was excited to get started with my secret gifts, but wanted to stay within a certain budget without my gifts coming across as cheap and unusable. So, I started a list of ideas for this certain teacher. I decided to run to the store and get some of the things I needed on the list. The only problem was, I wasn't able to get to the store that evening and I wanted to give my first gift the following morning. So, I got a little creative and went shopping in my own house! Don't worry, I didn't choose some kind of used, junky gift that I hadn't gotten around to throwing away yet. I found a new, unopened set of yummy-smelling tealight candles that I wrapped and was quite satisfied with my first gift.
Just in case you're interested in participating in a Secret Santa, but are worried about spending too much, here are a few budget ideas that are sure to please both you and the recipient.
1. Go "shopping" at home. At any given time, I have perfectly usable "stuff" hanging around my house that I'm just not going to use myself, but it might make a lovely gift for someone else. If you have a give-away pile, check that first for any new items that you could regift. Just make sure you're not giving an item to the same person you received it from!
2. Bake and take some holiday goodies. Another one of my Secret Santa gift ideas came to me naturally after hosting my annual cookie exchange. I had plenty of fresh, homemade cookies that I was never going to eat by myself, so I bagged them up, added a pretty tag, and they were ready to be gifted!
3. Hit the dollar store for themed gifts. If you've read any other post on this blog, you've probably figured out that I'm a true fan of the dollar store. I was actually there for something else, but I started noticing that some of the holiday-themed items would make great Secret Santa gifts. I ended up getting a lovely holiday mug along with some hot chocolate packets and some peppermint tea. I put them all together and had a perfect themed gift.
4. Make a gift. I like this idea so much, I'm devoting the entire next blog post to it, but people always seem to appreciate a handcrafted gift. Put your skills to work, whatever they are. I like to make jewelry and stamp cards. Maybe you can sew simple ornaments or bedazzle a plain ball ornament with rhinestones. You probably already have the supplies you need in your house. Take an afternoon and work on some holiday crafts and you'll have some great gifts as a reward for your time.
5. Re-gift a gift card. Disclaimer: please make sure you check the balance first of any gift card you plan to regift and make sure it matches the price displayed on the front! There is nothing worse than going to use your gift card and discovering it only has five cents left! However, if you have full-value gift cards to restaurants and stores you don't think you'll visit anytime soon, these can make great free Secret Santa gifts!
I hope this post inspires you to get creative with your Secret Santa gifts this year! There's no reason you can't provide great gifts and still stay on budget. Happy Holidays!
For more awesome savings tips you can use year-round, check out my book called 8 (Really Creative) Ways to Save here. It also makes a great Christmas gift!
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