Christmas is one festival that is celebrated all over the world. The level of enthusiasm that comes with the festival is equally high among children and adults. The festival of Christmas has a lot of traditions and cultures associated with it. Gifts and presents are quintessential components of this holiday.
People spend a lot of time and efforts in finding the perfect gift for their friends and family for Christmas. The tradition of exchanging presents on a festival has been around for centuries. Some people opt for various gift options like dry fruit gifts and photo frames. There are other gift options like slogan t-shirts or cosmetics and grooming kits. People can easily buy these items from online stores today at great deals and discounts.
The festival of Christmas is around the corner. This brings up numerous plans and parties in the office as well as homes and social gathering. These events undeniably mean there would be a need for gift planning. One concept that has become very popular with people in the past few decades is the game of Secret Santa. People have played this game for a long time.
The game is a very effective method to create a personal bonding among people of diverse cultures, even in the workplace. There are a few things that play a very important role when it comes to Secret Santa. These details and tips given below can prove highly useful in crushing the game of Secret Santa in the workplace this year. There are many online gift coupons available to keep the gift purchase under a budget and still something worthwhile.
Secret Santa is a tradition that has been associated with the festival of Christmas for a long time. This game is played all over the world in schools, college rooms, and even offices. In this little game, every person in the group is assigned a fellow group member to give a Christmas gift to.
This whole selection remains anonymous, and no one knows who his/her Secret Santa is. This means that every person is supposed to buy a gift for someone without knowing who would be buying a gift for them. The decision of who would buy a gift for whom is made in an impartial manner. Most commonly by picking out a name from a bowl to determine who the giftee will be.
There are beliefs that indicate that the game of Secret Santa finds its motivation from a Scandavian tradition that originated centuries ago. Supposedly the tradition called Julklapp literally means Christmas knock. The tradition was very popular among the Scandavian community and considered a integral part of their culture.
In this custom, people would buy gifts for their fellow neighbors and friends. They would then knock on the door of their house and leave the gift outside before the door was opened. This made it possible to keep the gift giver a secret. The only possible clue was a handwritten note accompanying the gift.
At the common Christmas gathering every recipient of a gift would try to guess who the gift came from with the help of the short note. For centuries this tradition has proved as an amazing tool to create personal and long lasting bonds among friends, coworkers and communities.
Another concept states that the western tradition of Secret Santa was first started by a philanthropist named Larry Dean Stewart. He is believed to have first started the practice of giving anonymous presents. The philanthropist would donate large sums of money on Christmas to support a variety of causes. All these donations were made anonymously and hence he came to be known as ‘The Secret Santa’. It was only years later that he came out with his identity.
No matter how far back the tradition, it has turned to a big event for the people today. With the facility to buy gifts online the efforts of looking to find the perfect gift has reduced. This not only makes searching gifts an easier task but also bring up numerous options that might not be otherwise plausible.
With the huge number of options available online the stress of finding the perfect gift for a colleague increases considerably. A lot of pointers, tips, and ideas become crucial to take into account before buying a gift.
It is a popular belief that Secret Santa in the workplace has a lot of positive impact on the company’s culture and environment. Many employees agree that they enjoy taking part in the tradition. Moreover it brings the colleagues closers together and promotes team work and well being. Yet the authorities specially HR teams of the company should keep a few tips in mind when planning game of Secret Santa.
It is better to keep the participation optional. It is not false to think that some people may not be too excited about the whole idea. Forcing every employee to compulsorily take part in the game can only create resentment. This would serve no purpose apart from spoiling the fun for others. Therefore it is always preferable to keep the game voluntary.
It is always better to plan ahead when it comes to any event in the workplace. This includes the annual Secret Santa game. It is obvious that everyone around the office may be busy with their end of the year targets around December. Postponing the plans to the last minute would just result in a failure or a no show.
It is therefore better start early with sending out e-invites and starting a questionnaire or wish list on the company portal. This would help people prepare for their gifts and keep the gifts meaningful. There are websites that have variety of Send best gift offers available that are customized specially for the purpose of Secret Santa. A pre-planned organization also facilitates the RSVP responses in time to start assigning secret Santas.
There are several ways to reduce the workload of organizing a Secret Santa event. There are several automated tools that can help with the organizing work. These applications work like magic in assigning giftees and sending their names secretly to the gifter. An early start at plans would also require to frequently reminding the participants. Sending the employees alerts about various offers or deals on leading online stores like GiftaPic and more.
Rules help control the fun is true for every game. Like any other game even Secret Santa comes with an intangible rule book. Although the game is entirely a work for god humor it is always better to mark some tangible boundaries. There are a lot of people involved in a workplace Secret Santa game. It is therefore that much more important to keep the sentiments and emotions of all the participants protected in the whole event. This is why certain rules and suggestions can help make the game more effective at fulfilling its purpose. Some of these rules have been listed below.
With the rules all straightened out the issue of strategy planning comes into the picture. The most effective way to ensure who will actually show for the Secret Santa game is to ask for confirmation. This can be done by sending e-invites or email circulars announcing the event. The employees may just have to send in RSVPs to state their participation. This would make sure that everyone gets a chance to take part in the event. Also this would reduce the headache of the organizer in figuring out the ‘who gives a gift to whom’ part of the planning.
With time several variations have come up for the strategy of the game. But still there are two main strategies that are famous and most common when it comes to Secret Santa in the Workplace.
• Traditional
In this method everyone puts a wish list of gifts along with their name in the pool (say a bowl or a hat). Everyone pulls out a chit bearing the name and wish list of the corresponding recipient. All there is left to do is shop and wrap the gift before Christmas Eve. This strategy is appropriate for offices with less number of workers where intimate gatherings are feasible.
• White Elephant
This is a much more complex and sophisticated strategy that suits larger firms with lots of people. In this method everyone is supposed to buy a generic gift for their colleagues. They can use Amazon coupons and various other offers and deals to buy a gift before Christmas Eve. On the day of the event everyone pools their gifts together and pulls out a lottery number starting from #1. The first person can choose a gift from the pool and open it for everyone to see. Corresponding people can go on by on, choose a gift from the pool of steal their predecessors’ gift. This makes the whole game a little more interesting and a lot more fun.
The perfect gift option mainly depends on the budget set by the organizer. There are various gifts to choose from and the decision can get very tricky. Here are a few ideas for a gift to buy this Christmas for a game of Secret Santa. There are online offers like Myntra promo codes and other online discounts that can be used to make these purchases.
• Coffee Mugs
A pretty cup for the daily morning coffee is a perfect gift for a coffee enthusiast.
• An Interesting Book
For a bookworm on the colleagues list a perfect book, fiction or non-fiction can work wonders.
• A Movie
Everyone likes to watch a movie. There are various Hollywood and Bollywood that release around Christmas season. Booking a movie ticket for the recipient using one of the amazing BookMyShow offers is also a great gift idea for someone familiar.
• Amazing Aroma Perfumes
Perfumes that smell awesome and look classy are a great gift. These are available with huge discount offers on online stores.
• Classy Wine Glasses
If someone on the colleagues list is a wine enthusiast may be a pair of tall and stylish wine glasses work well for them.
• Cosmetics
If the recipient is a female some useful cosmetics would work well. Good quality and reasonably prices cosmetics are available on stores like Nykaa.com.
• Some Good Brand Coffee
Another gift for a coffee enthusiast is a sample of a aromatic and well liked coffee or espresso.
• An Indoor Plant
Small plants that are perfect fit for office table or house décor also prove as a widely appreciated Christmas gift.
• Grooming Kits
A gift that is relevant for a colleague in the corporate world is no doubt a grooming kit. These are a set of grooming items like deodorants, watch or wallets that work well as a gift.
• Aroma Soaps
Some people like to use irresistibly scented soaps. A set of good quality and popular aroma soaps can also prove as a worthy gift for a colleague.
• Personalized photo gifts
Some like to cherish office memories in the form of photos and collages. If the recipient is one of those people, gifting a photo gift like a mug or a throw pillow is a good option.
There are many more gift ideas to opt for this Christmas season. By keeping a note of the tips and ideas given above a pretty decent gift idea can be easily found.
Any gift which would be well received is a good idea. But there are certain gift items that do not serve the purpose well. Some of such gift items are mentioned below
• Office Supplies
No one wants to receive gifts that are freely available in the office itself. This includes items like notebooks, diaries, legal pads and the like. A personalized engraved pen may work but not a simple pen one can get off the office stationary.
• Clothes
The thing that is wrong with gifting clothes is that the size is always an issue. One can never be too sure what size would be the right fit. Moreover gifting something that does not agree with the dressing style of the recipient would just not be useful.
• No Eatables
Food items can be a good return gift but not so much when it comes to Secret Santa level gift. Everyone likes a care package full of chocolates or cookies. But the risk of the recipient having an allergy to any of the items in the package is too big a gamble.
• Avoid Used Or Opened Gifts
It is better to gift something brand new to someone on Christmas. People would not consider it a very generous gift if has been previously used or opened.
The theme of Secret Santa is such that it helps elevate the team spirit among the colleagues. It gives them a reason to sit together and interact on a more personal level. It is evident that a team of employees who get along well personally tend to work well together. Such interesting and exciting games and events help create a friendly work environment.
The strategy for Secret Santa is a crucial aspect that affects the reception of the idea among the employees. An amiable work environment and pleasant coworkers is something any company employees would love to have. It has been observed that companies which plan such events and organize for colleagues to meet and interact have higher rates of job satisfaction. This consequently means that the employee retention rates of such companies are comparatively higher as the turnover levels are less.
It is definite idea to inculcate such event into the yearly calendar of the employees. It brings little break from the monotony of corporate life. This also brings intangible benefits like lower stress levels and more emotional stability.
It is common courtesy to thank someone for receiving a gift from them. The same remains true when it comes to obtaining a gift from a Secret Santa in the workplace. Moreover, it becomes all the more important to show gratitude towards fellow colleagues.
This furthers the bond created over a simple game of Secret Santa. People can prepare a brief and intimate thank you note for their respective Secret Santa. This can even become more gracious by adding a return gift like some discount offer or coupon available for online shopping like BigBasket discounts.
The game of Secret Santa is an old tradition. It is followed by many workplaces today as means to instil interaction between employees. If done in the right way, it can be a fun and exciting event for the whole office. The above-mentioned tips and strategies can prove very beneficial in making this Christmas much more entertaining that the last one.