Secret santa...a funny one!

[merryone]

Sorry to start yet another secret santa thread, but the other one having expired. After receiving my gift last night I was compelled!

Once our secret santa parcel has arrived in the allocated box we're allowed to take them,and it's the norm to open them before xmas day. Mine was a nicely wrapped large, heavy box, I thought hopefully a litre of baileys? (yum), a tasteful flower vase (you can never have too many of them can you?).

I got home and removed the paper to find a shoebox inside (trainers) weird I thought but on opening the box, my first impressions were that my "buyer" had raided a rubbish skip! There within was not a pair of trainers, but some random items wrapped up in pieces of kitchen towel!

A small Harry Potter owl (complete with stain) and tattered label

A slightly dogeared book about the 1960's

A photo frame, in very good condition BUT I highly suspect it wasn't brand new as this sort of thing normally comes boxed and there was evidence that someone had tried to polish it up, hence enamel work very streaky!

A small hair barette

But the piece de la resistance was an absolutely hideous china money box. Teddy bear driving a car and the plastic bung that stops the money falling out of the bottom was missing.

I'm guessing that they bought it all from a charity shop ...so all I can say is hey, at least a charity has benefitted from this even if I haven't.

Don't mean to sound nasty, but I'm not sure how I feel about this, as they've tried to give me things they think i'd like, but I couldn't give anyone second hand stuff unless it was completely, and I mean completely not detectable!

Obviously if all the stuff had been brand new it would have exceeded the recommended budget by a mile, another giveaway. Wouldn't have minded a book about the 70's or 80's (a new book that is lol!)

Photo frame I could live with, though I don't really take photos and all the old ones I have already have frames... might have put that aside for regifting if it was a bit more presentable.

I'll probably bung Hedwig in the washing machine and see how it goes!...and the money box...well there's a skip up the road! I've taken some piccies and but I'm having trouble uploading them but will try again later.

What would you make of this...think another rule to be added to last years list of no nos...so please nothing offensive, no skimping on the price with cheap chocs, please make sure your gift is brand new!

 

[DunmowDizzy]

Do you think they may have mistakenly wrapped up a box of bits they had put by to take to the charity shop and your gift is now on sale in the charity shop window?

The charity shop is where it would be heading if I got that lot, have enough tat of my own. Haven't got my secret santa gift yet but ours is only £5 so don't really worry what it is.

 

[Minx In Space]

How bizarre. Even putting aside the fact that the bits were second hand, Hedwig and the teddy money box are very strange choices for an adult female colleague (or, indeed, a male one!) If the person was on a tight budget, just a box of chocolates or a nice bottle of bubble bath or something would have been preferable, wouldn't it? Or, by signing up, do you commit to a minimum spend? I know some people love poking about in charity shops and boot sales, so perhaps the person who drew you is of that persuasion? They say one man's trash is another man's treasure! :wonder:

 

[merryone]

How bizarre. Even putting aside the fact that the bits were second hand, Hedwig and the teddy money box are very strange choices for an adult female colleague (or, indeed, a male one!) If the person was on a tight budget, just a box of chocolates or a nice bottle of bubble bath or something would have been preferable, wouldn't it? Or, by signing up, do you commit to a minimum spend? I know some people love poking about in charity shops and boot sales, so perhaps the person who drew you is of that persuasion? They say one man's trash is another man's treasure! :wonder:

Bizarre indeed! Yes, I do like sweet things, especially animals, but I don't collect cuddly toys, and as for a money box (a broken money box) for that matter which is designed for a baby a strange choice. The person who picked me is most definitely not the sort of person who goes into charity shops at all, so I was very surprised there. The thing is, is that I believe that she probably did spend the budget as there was a number of items in the box, and had they been brand new would have cost well in excess of £20! However, it was blatantly obvious when I opened the box that the stuff was second hand. Had she simply wrapped the photo frame (the item that was in the best condition) in a pretty sheet of coloured tissue paper and wrapped that up, I'd have been none the wiser. Ok, it wasn't to my taste, but a photo frame's a photo frame and I'd have been happy enough with it! or she'd wrapped up a book that was in pristine condition..no problem. I'm just in shock that someone could gift something that is in an obviously second hand condition. If she insisted on buying me a cuddly toy, all the card shops sell that kind of thing for a tenner or under! ....Oh and she most certainly isn't on a tight budget either, well no more tight than the rest of us.

I've heard that she is geniunely excited with what she got me and thinks I'll be thrilled with it, unfortunately quite a few people know I was horrified and a little bit disgusted and I'm dreading her finding out that I've shown people photos, guess I shouldn't have done that, but I was so shocked at the time! My plan is to make out that I'm saving opening it until xmas day and with a bit of luck when I get back from the xmas break, it'll all be forgotten, but I get the feeling that it won't. I don't want to hurt her feelings, even though she has inadvertantly hurt mine, she's over sensitive at the best of times. All the people I've shown have been disgusted too, and can't stop going on about it, so I reckon it's only a matter of time before she finds out, and I'm not quite sure what I should say. Seriously, when I opened that box, it was like finding something that had been dumped in a skip, or left on the pavement for people to help themselves too. No problem with buying from charity shops whatsoever, but if it's a gift for somebody else I feel you really need to be sure that it looks box fresh and brand new!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I thought mine of a 15 year old quiz book was bad! Personally I don't think it is even available in the poundshop it is so out of date so I suspect it was recycled. It was related to a very old TV quiz show.

This is definitely THE LAST time for me and I don't care if anyone is offended.

Very depressing when you have spent time and effort on the one you are giving and seeing everyone else opening nice/funny bits and bobs.

 

[Minx In Space]

I thought mine of a 15 year old quiz book was bad! Personally I don't think it is even available in the poundshop it is so out of date so I suspect it was recycled. It was related to a very old TV quiz show.

This is definitely THE LAST time for me and I don't care if anyone is offended.

Very depressing when you have spent time and effort on the one you are giving and seeing everyone else opening nice/funny bits and bobs.

Oh my goodness, what's the matter with people?!

 

[mediastar]

It astounds me how people can be so very different and insensitive to what someone else may like, yet be oversensitive to offence caused to them. I hope you manage to resolve that without causing further hurt (to yourself or your colleague), but how they can find those "gifts" suitable (especially stained and/or tatty). I like vintage and antique items, for instance I have a small collection of that novelty porcelain with crests, but only of places I've actually visited, so I would be delighted if a friend got me an unusual piece if it related to a place we had been to together. I would hope they would give it a gentle wash before wrapping and giving it to me.

 

[merryone]

It astounds me how people can be so very different and insensitive to what someone else may like, yet be oversensitive to offence caused to them. I hope you manage to resolve that without causing further hurt (to yourself or your colleague), but how they can find those "gifts" suitable (especially stained and/or tatty). I like vintage and antique items, for instance I have a small collection of that novelty porcelain with crests, but only of places I've actually visited, so I would be delighted if a friend got me an unusual piece if it related to a place we had been to together. I would hope they would give it a gentle wash before wrapping and giving it to me.

Me too, I'm astounded too, and I LOVE vintage - but there's a world of difference between vintage and the "old toot" I received! and to add to it, I found out it was a gift that "keeps on giving" 'cause as I was sorting out stuff to go into the recycling including the hideous money box a sizeable chunk of dust fell onto the carpet, it was lodged in the nooks and crannys around the top, I'm surprised I hadn't noticed that before, because when I looked again there was quite a lot of dust on it! I've decided that I'm just going to try and avoid the subject of secret santa, 'cause the more I've been thinking about it the more insulted I'm feeling, and I'd so love to (but won't for the sake of a quiet life) say "what ever made you think I'd want that tatty and dirty heap of junk you foisted upon me in the name of Secret santa?"
Kind of does put me off bothering next year, and yes, loveallthingsitalian, a 15 year old quiz book is as bad, and I'd have been just as upset!

and I agree, it's very difficult when your colleagues have received some lovely little gifts, the recipient of my gift was absolutely thrilled with it! And looking around the shops just before xmas I saw loads of affordable secret santa suitable gifts I would have loved to receive, but to be honest I'd have rather had a simple box of chocs than what I received!

 

[mediastar]

What if someone either puts her "wise" or if she asks you outright? Good job you didn't have to open it in front of everyone at the exchange of gifts!!! OOH myyyy, can you imagine?

 

[maymorganlondon]

I think I would be furious to receive a secret Santa like that one. I would struggle not to make my feelings known. If you are given the name of someone you aren't familiar with, surely you make discrete enquiries about their likes and dislikes? Failing that you get something as inoffensive as possible... Certainly I don't think the first thing that would occur to me would be to trawl the charity shops or second hand stalls for a cobbled together collection of random tat!

Well done on your restraint. I think I might have told the donor I'd have preferred her to make a charity donation to the amount the tat cost. Sometimes it really is preferable to give rather than receive!

 

[merryone]

Well she did ask! and shouted across two counters "did you like your secret santa present"...I just shouted back "yes thanks", she said Oh I'm so pleased...I wasn't sure, but I asked and somebody told me you like vintage!!!! I truly believe she meant well, but she really does need to acquaint herself with the term vintage! One lady got a beautiful tea caddy complete with teabags and a small pot of jam from Fortnum and Masons - Lovely gift!!!

 

[mediastar]

I love F&M teas, I once went to the Royal Academy to see an exhibition of Turner's paintings, which was lovely, but horribly crowded (saw a touring version at Birmingham a few years later and it was lovely as I was virtually alone in the rooms), as it was the week of my birthday, I took myself off to tea in F&M (it's virtually across the road), and the very cockerney waitress (think old black and white film style, blonde bouffant, black and white uniform) took me totally under her wing, I told her why I was there and that it was my birthday week, she recommended their Welsh Rarebit and Tomato chutney, I haven't forgotten it yet! I should have loved to have received that gift! Oh well, I hope no one else takes their lead from her next time!!! You will end up as the repository for all the tatt in everyone's attic!!! I do hope not!

 

[merryone]

Apparantely, she's asked a couple of people whether I'd said anything about my "gift" and they just said "No"...thankfully she's on holiday next week, so hopefully she won't mention it again! Call me ungrateful, but I ended up putting the whole lot in the recycling! Onwards and upwards as they say!

Presents are difficult at the best of times, even if the intentions are good. One of my friends bought me a silver unicorn pendant, because she knows I love unicorns, trouble is that apart from a small silver frog I wear around my neck at all times, I know I won't wear it, it's too big to go on the chain with the frog, and too small to be worn as statement jewellery. I don't wear much jewellery as a rule, apart from my wedding ring and occasionally my pandora bracelet. If I do wear a necklace with an outfit, I'll choose something bold that'll go with the outfit. I prefer to receive useful presents as opposed to decorative ones!

 

[merryone]

Well secret santas happened again..and this year I got a slightly disappointing gift..a box of chocs...ok nice chocs and I'll happily eat them..think they were a couple of quid below the specified budget...but a million percent improvement on last year's gift! Got an idea who got me this year..it's a fella, I don't know him that well..but I'm thinking at least I've been given something I'll make use of...ie stuff my face with and enjoy..probably better than a set of toiletries that may've cost more but would just be added to the stockpile. Anyway I think you've gotta be really lucky cos there's only a few of us on our section who really try and get something special for the recipient!...I got a guy I don't know that well, but I got him a t-shirt with his "catchphrase" on it and a keyring to go with it ...also with his "catchphrase on it...I hope he loves it!

 

[maymorganlondon]

I received a secret Santa, more toiletries!!! I'm awash with smelliest so really didn't need it.

Your secret Santa sounds way better than last year, I with that is what I got, but I'm really ungrateful as I didn't know about the secret Santa so hadn't anything to gift.

 

[merryone]

Gotta be a bit disappointed though to get somebody who doesn't really get what it's all about and spends about half the budget cos he can't be arsed to try and find something a bit more "personal"...Luck of the draw though I guess and like I say ANYTHING was gonna be better than last year!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

After my fiasco last year I just opted out.

 

[iloveshopping]

I was lucky. We didn’t pull a name out of a hat but just bought a present for 10 euros because we are all friends and a similar age. Used to be 5 euros which I preferred. I bought a memory foam pillow and kept the receipt. Anyway no one wanted my gift which looked very obvious so I agreed to keep it for myself but as a I don’t need it I took it back to the Chinese shop and exchanged it for a couple of bras, 3 pairs of socks and a pair of knickers. I am over wintering in Spain and have discovered that I did not really have enough underwear and was having to wash stuff more often than I wanted.
At least one person who refused my lovely pillow was disappointed with her gift of a photo album. I think someone had forgotten that the amount had increased.

 

[merryone]

Well secret santas happened again..and this year I got a slightly disappointing gift..a box of chocs...ok nice chocs and I'll happily eat them..think they were a couple of quid below the specified budget...but a million percent improvement on last year's gift! Got an idea who got me this year..it's a fella, I don't know him that well..but I'm thinking at least I've been given something I'll make use of...ie stuff my face with and enjoy..probably better than a set of toiletries that may've cost more but would just be added to the stockpile. Anyway I think you've gotta be really lucky cos there's only a few of us on our section who really try and get something special for the recipient!...I got a guy I don't know that well, but I got him a t-shirt with his "catchphrase" on it and a keyring to go with it ...also with his "catchphrase on it...I hope he loves it!

He didn't!! I was talking to a colleague and she told me that she asked him what he got and he said...I just got this t shirt and keyring in this non plussed sort of way! She called him a miserable sod, cause she knew the effort I went to and like me thought he'd love it! ..saved me the bother...anyway this year I don't think anyone was particularly thrilled with what they got...We've kind of agreed that we shant bother next year...You either get something that's required no thought whatsover, or you make an effort and they don't like it anyway...Sod 'em!