Shhh… Christmas is coming

5th May

We’re on the countdown to Christmas and, like many offices at this time of year, we’re joining in the festivities with our annual Secret Santa. We take a look at some of this year’s great Secret Santa ideas…

Secret Santa is a classic Western Christmas tradition that is honoured across the world. The tradition is growing across the UK, with Brits predicted to spend over £38m on Secret Santa gifts this year, according to City A.M.

Themed Secret Santa’s are gaining popularity, with alcohol, mugs, Christmas jumpers, chocolate and naughty gifts all popular choices. Mugs might be seen as the classic unimaginative gift, but there’s plenty of products out there to make your gift stand out. Alternatives, such as portable wine flasks and light up pint glasses, for those colleagues who prefer a harder drink are also available. There’s also a range of unusual chocolate-y treats available, and plenty of staple Christmas jumpers in a range of 3D and musical styles.

Bored of the traditional Secret Santa? Some offices are going virtual. Using TheGivingMachine Secret Santa generator encourages users to buy their gifts through from TheGivingMachine and generate free donations for charity. And if you want to go a step further, the Secret Santa Sacrifice donates the cash-equivalent of your chosen present to Age UK and gives you a humorous gift receipt detailing the campaign to your chosen Secret Santa instead.

One of our favourite Secret Santa campaigns is the record-breaking Reddit gifts Secret Santa gift exchange. Participants are allocated a giftee, and must research their online presence to gain a good idea of what they would like. The presents are then shipped across the world, culminating in thousands of online thank you notes and photos on Reddit.

If you want to steal some present ideas, the hashtag #SecretSanta displays a wide range of pictures of appreciated gifts. If you’re lucky, you might come across some Secret Santa-themed giveaway competitions, too!

Or, if you’re really stuck for ideas, you can always try Tesco’s Secret Scan-ta app to find the perfect present. The app scans your selected Twitter profile and suggests gifts to suit your price range. The dodgy gifts displayed might not be appreciated by your colleague, but they’ll certainly give you a good laugh.

Check out our Twitter feed to see what the @RightAgency team unwrapped for our Secret Santa presents!