{"id":11830,"date":"2020-03-05T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T13:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=11830"},"modified":"2023-02-21T12:44:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T17:44:25","slug":"the-top-5-secret-santa-variations-elf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/05\/the-top-5-secret-santa-variations-elf\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 5 Secret Santa Variations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Secret<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I talk about the holidays a lot. It\u2019s a magical time of year, as we all know. It\u2019s not about the gifts (really!) and it\u2019s not even about the parties per se. The holidays are about people bringing light and happiness to the darkest days and longest nights of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then? December turns in January, which slogs on into February, and the joy of the season slips behind you. But it doesn\u2019t have to. You can bring that spirit with you year-round. Because there are a lot of ways to celebrate with gift-giving for any holiday. Secret Santa variations can be played year-round, whether they\u2019re for traditional gift-giving occasions or whether you\u2019re putting a new spin on a ceremony. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Secret Santa Variations are Great All Year <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Okay, we\u2019ll get something out of the way. You don\u2019t have<\/em> to call something a Secret Santa if you\u2019re, say, exchanging patriotic gifts on the 4th of July. I suppose you could call it a Secret Sam or something. Or you could just say, \u201cHey, we\u2019re going to do a fun gift exchange!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then you\u2019ll tell them the rules<\/a>, and they\u2019ll say, \u201cOh, like a Secret Santa!\u201d You can handle it however you\u2019d like. Really, it doesn\u2019t matter what you call it. What matters is that everyone is excited to play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The great thing about these Secret Santa variations is that you get a chance to surprise someone and be surprised by other people. You get to find out what\u2019s important to each other. And you get to laugh as people try to figure out who their Secret Santa is, faces straining to not give anything away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Great Secret Santa Variations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here a few pretty dang good Secret Santa variations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mother\u2019s\/Father\u2019s Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is a fun one for families with older kids who can buy their own gifts for their parents. If you have at least three kids (and these numbers can grow with spouses and grandkids), you have a fun way of showering parents with gifts\u2014while also putting them on the spot. You can structure it essentially like a classic Secret Santa gift exchange except the gifts are all going to mom or dad, then the fun is trying to guess who gave what. Did Chip know I wanted these commemorative plates? Or is that more of a Lucinda thing? You\u2019ll have a blast, and given that mom or dad makes their own wish list, they\u2019ll actually get things they want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wedding Shower<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s another time when gifts are expected\u2014but the unexpected is not. The happy couple can create a wish list online and then everyone selects gifts for them. You can twist things up by having the newlyweds-to-be guess who got them the fondue set, or the weighted blanket, or the gift certificate to a restaurant at their honeymoon location. You probably don\u2019t want to do this for parties that are too big (or limit them to two guesses for each gift). But it\u2019s also a great way for one betrothed to see how much they know about the other betrothed\u2019s family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t normally a huge gift-giving holiday, but gifts are becoming more and more common. These are especially fun when you have a spring theme and can give people plants or flowers or seeds. Plus, there are easy ways to make an Easter wish list<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earth Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This traditionally isn\u2019t a time for gifts, but you can have a gift exchange that celebrates the reason for the day. Having people give each other plants<\/a> or books on trees<\/a> helps us reflect on what we have to do. This can be conjoined with planting seeds and plants. It\u2019s a gift exchange, yes, but it\u2019s also a present to future generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

May the 4th be with you! This is an easy one. You\u2019re already in costume. You\u2019re already surrounded by people who have the same passion you do. Just have a Star Wars-themed gift exchange<\/a> and see who can find the most obscure, most random, most only I know this piece of trivia<\/em> gift possible\u2026 and see who else knows it too! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Few Tips for Secret Santa Variations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We know people are going to be surprised when you tell them your Arbor Day Pig Roast is going to have a gift exchange portion. But really, they should be expecting anything, given the circumstance. But for more normal get-togethers, people might be taken aback. Here are a few ways to make things go smoothly: <\/p>\n\n\n\n