Some places of work like to hold Secret Santa’s each year as the holiday season approaches. While this can be fun for some, especially if you draw the name of one of your work friends, it can be incredibly difficult for others. Should you pick out someone who you don’t work closely with, or even know that well, you may be unsure on how to proceed. Luckily, there are some fairly simple solutions to your problem that can be achieved quickly and make your recipient grateful for your efforts.
A personalized canvas
Although you may not know your colleague all that way, it could be rather easy to get some information from them. You may have overheard them discuss getting married, their children, or even a beloved pet. Using this information, and pictures provided by social media or other co-workers, you may be able to order them some photo tiles featuring their loved ones and memories. This may be especially useful if they have recently moved house. Depending on the budget set out by your department, you may also be able to get a number of tiles to create a beautiful collage in their home.
Make something for them
A homemade gift may not always be something they want or need, but the effort can make it loved, nonetheless. When doing so for someone you don’t know very well, you might want to think about crafting something that many people love to have. One example of an often-used item that can be made at home can be a candle. You may be able to purchase the supplies to make candles from your local store. Should you wish to, these could even be scented, so you can make them with Christmas in mind. You might even want to consider making these for some of your other friends too, to really help give more this year while sticking to a lower budget.
Go for a gift card
Although some people may think that gift cards are somewhat impersonal, they can be a bit of a lifesaver when you know pretty much nothing about a person. Even then, you may be able to personalize the card you buy a little. While you could pick from some of the most popular gift cards given on special occasions, you may want to think about the little you do know about the recipient. As an example, if your colleague often comes in with a coffee each morning, they may be rather grateful to receive a gift card for Starbucks, or even a local, independent coffee shop. Alternatively, if they have mentioned having a big family, they may benefit from a gift card for a store that can allow the next grocery shop to be less expensive for them.
When participating in a Secret Santa, it can be important to spend more of your time focusing on how you can improve your recipient’s experience, rather than thinking about what you may receive. This could allow your gift to prove popular, or even help you to make a new friend in the workplace.
