December has arrived, accompanied by enough Christmas cheer to hopefully motivate all you collegiettes™ through finals. With strands of Christmas lights hanging in dorm windows, artificial trees adding a homey touch to otherwise barren common rooms, and Elf playing 24/7 on ABC Family, who wouldn’t want to spread some Christmas cheer by planning the best, most jolly Secret Santa gift exchange ever? Because as Buddy the Elf says, “the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear, and of course, being someone’s secret Santa.” Okay so maybe Buddy didn’t mention the second part, but here are some tips just in case you want to have a little fun this holiday season with your friends!
1. Lay down the rules ahead of time.
You don’t want to be called a “cotton-headed ninny muggins” for making up rules as you go, so plan the logistics of your Secret Santa ahead of time. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to write the rules out and post them somewhere that all participants have access to– Facebook event, common room wall, or even your fridge.
2. Agree on a price limit.
One of the perks of doing a Secret Santa is that you save money on purchasing gifts. Instead of having to buy for all seven of your roommates, you can get one person something extra special. So talk with your participants and figure out what everyone is comfortable spending. Remember, a gift doesn’t have to be expensive to be meaningful. Just think, Buddy the Elf would be perfectly content receiving some maple syrup or even a hug for the holidays.
3. Set a date, time, and place and make it known!
Who doesn’t like an excuse to throw a party or go out to a nice dinner? Make an event of the actual exchange, but be sure to let all your participants know ahead of time when and where they need to be! If you want to save some money, have everyone bring their favorite Christmas cookie to your dorm and watch a Christmas movie together after the exchange. Or if Christmas cookies aren’t your thing, supply an elf’s four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. Because really, who doesn’t love sugar?
6. Use a Santa hat to draw names.
Alright, so maybe this isn’t really necessary, but it makes secret Santa that much more fun. Plus, you will have a goofy Santa hat to wear throughout the month of December. Nevertheless, have all your participants write their name on an index card and throw it into the hat. Pass the hat around and let everyone pick a name. I suggest punching a whole in each index card and letting your participants tie ribbon through the card. Hopefully this will make it so participants don’t lose their index cards! If you decide to use ribbon, remember what the Gimbel’s Manager told Jovie: “6 INCH RIBBON CURLS!”
5. Keep it a secret and HAVE FUN!
No one wants to be that person who ruins the secret in Secret Santa. Try not to give any hints about who you have and try to avoid any accidental slip-ups. And remember, Secret Santa is supposed to be fun, so be creative and enjoy shopping for your friend! Maybe try a DIY gift, perhaps something humorous, or even a plan for a fun day out. Buddy would be all for making snow angels, ice skating, eating Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as possible, and then settling down for some good old snuggling.
Are you feeling confident enough to start planning your Secret Santa? These are just some basic starting tips. If you want more guidance or advice, there are tons of websites (believe it or not) that specialize in Secret Santa planning. Check out www.Elfster.com for a customizable Secret Santa planner and no, I am not joking– Elfster really does exist. And last, but not least, if you need some help getting into the Christmas spirit, just look to Buddy the Elf for inspiration. Who could possibly feel like Scrooge after seeing a face like this?
Photo Sources:
http://www.hark.com/clips/bmssjqxpkb-buddy-the-elf-whats-your-favorite-c…
Remy Hassett
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