Does anyone else dislike "Secret Santa" exchanges?
There is so much pressure and expense at the holidays, I hate when I and my children are expected to take part in "Secret Santa" gift exchanges at work, school, sports teams, clubs, etc. I don't see the point in everyone adding more stress and spending more money to buy a silly gift for someone they don't even know well. I always get stupid gifts I can't use, and I find the entire charade pointless.
With the economy the way it is I urge people to think twice before they suggest another "Secret Santa" for their church, scout group, etc. I really feel it's gotten entirely out of control.
I agree and have had this philosophy for most of my adult life. I see no point in exchanging gifts by 'drawing names' in any way. The people at my work have a $20.00 suggested amount. Why not just exchange the $20.00 bills? The gifts between kids in school are usually just small $1.00 gifts and when I protested (when my son was younger and in public school) that it was silly, the response was "It's only a $1.00!" Well, multiply that by all the gifts that need to be bought, it does add up. I don't mind giving to a worthy charity, but hate to just throw money away. I agree, the entire charade is pointless and out of control.
They have a secret Santa gift exchange at work, and I do not participate. Everyones financial situation is different so if I ended up getting an expresso machine while I only gave a christmas mug filled with chocolate (hypothetically speaking) I would just end up feeling cheap, even though it was all I could afford. Although I work in a grocery store with about 100 employees, my dept is only 6, and those are the only ones who will get my gift basket of candy and goodies. They are who I care about. Nothing wrong with opting out for secret Santa exchanges.
Why don't you just opt out of being in the Secret Santa exchange. I know I have many of times because I think it is just a waste of money because the person who receives the gift normally just throws it away or doesn't even appreciate it. I fell let other participate if they want but as for me I don't want any part of a Secret Santa exchange.
I think it can be fun but it can get out of control. Like you said, sometimes you wind up with a silly gift or no gift at all from the person who picked your name. Sometimes, they want everyone to spend a set amount even though you can get really good gifts that don't cost near that much or are on sale for a less amount. Some people feel that the amount is too high but they don't want to feel left out so they feel obligated to spend that much.