The Biggest Reason Secret Santa Gift Exchanges Could Be Banned
Not everyone loves a Secret Santa gift exchange at the office, and here's why.
It never fails. When names have been drawn and it's time to open those twenty-five-dollar-and-under Secret Santa gifts, somebody ends up with a pretty cool Echo Dot, and someone else gets an apron that said "I kissed the cook," or some other sort of oddball gift like a cheeseburger scented candle.
Secret Santa gift exchanges cause anxiety, and that's the biggest reason some people want them banned.
Are we taking these gift exchanges too seriously? Maybe. But we also want life to be fair, and nobody wants to get stuck holding that toilet seat cover that Jerry in IT thought would be funny.
A new study found that about 17% of millennials felt judged by their co-workers for their choice of gift. And 78% said they contributed “more than they should” to an office party gift. About a quarter of them felt financially strained by the gift exchange. And then there's the frustration that comes from receiving something corny when everyone else gets something cool. Maybe Secret Santa creates more trouble than it's worth.
By the time we get gifts for family members, sig others, and friends, a lot of us have weary budgets, and then the office gift exchange pops up. Is it too much? Oh, and then there's the tension aspect. If there is a co-worker that's not your favorite and you draw his name in the gift exchange, well, that's a whole other can of worms. In fact, an actual can of worms might make a good gift in that case.
Oh, it's the most wonderful time of the year! We're not going to stress about gifts because that's not what the season is all about anyway, right? And if a Secret Santa gift exchange does pop up for you, a gift card might be a good thing to throw in the ring. Gift cards solve everything.