Between finals, having snowball fights before the snow melts (again), and trying to book your train tickets home for the holidays, you’ve completely forgot about that Secret Santa exchange you and your friends mentioned in passing. Now you’ve got just a few days to find the perfect gift and you’re all out of ideas.
Here are 5 tips to help you :
1. Do your research
If you chose to use a site like Elfster to organize your Secret Santa draw, there’s a chance that the person you got created a wishlist with some ideas of what they’d like. If you chose to go about the draw the old fashioned way, try checking out their Facebook, Twitter, and/ or Instagram for ideas. More than half of social media users follow brands that they like on Instagram, so if you know their Insta account, that’d be a great place to start. If you don’t mind making your exchange a little less secret, you can also casually ask their friends for ideas.
2. Themed presents are fun for your giftee (and can make things easier for you, too). Deciding you’re going to go with a baking theme can mean a one-stop shop at Walmart or Dollarama and a very successful present. Other theme ideas:
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Beach
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All one colour (bonus: all in their faculty colour)
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Everything starts with the same letter
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Pet care
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Art supplies
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Movie night
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Harry Potter
3. Know when to give a joke gift
You’ve known your giftee since the first day of first year and you’ve been inseparable ever since. You know she’d find that electronic yodelling pickle absolutely hilarious and that American flag sticker ties into that inside joke you’ve had for how long? Joke gifts like these show you know her on another level and, when done well, joke gifts are still super meaningful. However, if it’s a Secret Santa exchange with a larger group, and you don’t know the sense of humour your giftee has, you might want to put that Kermit cross-stitched pillow back on the shelf.
4. Use gift cards or food as more of a last resort
Gift cards can often feel like a cop-out, so unless your giftee has made it very explicit that they would like a specific gift card, they are usually best to be avoided. As for food: if you’re an A+ baker, a tray of your world-famous brownies might be just the thing, but avoid putting Cheetos in a fancy party bag, slapping a bow on it, and calling it a day.
5. It’s the thought that counts
It’s been said time and time again, but it’s true: at the end of the day, it’s the thought that counts. Secret Santa can be a bit of a hit-and-miss. You don’t necessarily have the same knowledge ol’ Saint Nick has when it comes to gift-giving. However, your giftee will be able to tell when you put some thought in and they will definitely appreciate it.
Happy holidays, Waterloo!
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