{"id":9014,"date":"2017-12-22T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2017-12-22T14:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.elfster.com\/?p=9014"},"modified":"2024-07-23T20:57:46","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T00:57:46","slug":"a-twist-on-the-secret-santa-game-for-last-minute-christmas-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/22\/a-twist-on-the-secret-santa-game-for-last-minute-christmas-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"A Twist on the Secret Santa Game for Last Minute Christmas Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"alternative<\/p>\n

\"twist
Ready to play Santa? | Image courtesy Unsplash user Guilherme Stecanella.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We gathered around my mom, anxiously shifting from foot to foot as she shook a red and green bag filled with slips of paper. On each slip was written a name\u2014the name of the person we would need to buy a present for as part of our annual Secret Santa game<\/a>. Finding out who I was assigned to was always my favorite part (other than opening my present, that is!). But after we drew names, my mom unleashed a surprise: this year, she was putting a twist on our Secret Santa game and making it into a funny Christmas gift exchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead of setting a price limit and letting everyone get whatever they wanted, we had to try to get the silliest gift possible. Then, we\u2019d all vote on what we thought was the funniest gift, and the person who bought it would get a gift card to our favorite pizza place. I thought I would win big when I presented my (balding) father with a curly red clown wig, but it turns out I was bested by my cousin, who got my mom a moose mating call whistle!<\/p>\n

It was one of the best Secret Santa games we\u2019ve ever played, and it\u2019s all thanks to my mom\u2019s last minute twist on the traditional rules<\/a>. It helped make the game less about the gifts and more about delighting everyone in the group with our creativity. Plus, it gave us all a chance to bond as a group working with a specific theme. This year, if you want to put a twist on your Secret Santa game, try one of these ideas to reinvigorate a holiday classic.<\/p>\n

A Charitable Secret Santa<\/h4>\n
\"Give
The joy of giving back. | Image courtesy Unsplash user Tim Marshall<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI already have too much stuff as it is!\u201d my sister exclaimed. She was trying to come up with some easy last-minute Christmas gifts<\/a> to add to her Secret Santa wish list, but she was drawing a blank.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when we decided that instead of giving physical gifts, that year we would donate an agreed-upon amount of money to a charity in honor of our Secret Santa gift recipient. The idea was that we would choose an organization we thought they\u2019d like.<\/p>\n

I made a donation to the local animal shelter in honor of my mom because that\u2019s where she adopted her beloved dog. Seeing her get all teary-eyed with emotion when she opened the card announcing where I\u2019d donated, along with a \u201cthank you!\u201d note from the worker who had originally rescued her dog, was like a present in itself.<\/p>\n

A Re-Gifted Secret Santa<\/h4>\n
\"You
You’d be surprised how many suitable gifts you already have in your home. | Image courtesy Pixabay user congerdesign<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My husband\u2019s family are recycling fanatics. They\u2019ve constructed an elaborate three-chamber mini recycling facility in their barn (they live in a big old farmhouse in Maine), and their inclination to reduce, reuse, and recycle pretty much everything eventually found its way into our Christmas celebrations.<\/p>\n

Not only do we always use newspapers and other recycled things to wrap our presents, but one year we decided to do a Secret Santa game using only items we already owned. My mother-in-law\u2019s logic was that we all had a lot of nice belongings we never actually used, and instead of buying something new, we should try to find a present among our current belongings that would delight our Secret Santa recipient. We also didn\u2019t organize our swap until the last minute, meaning we didn\u2019t have a ton of time to spend shopping at the mall.<\/p>\n

It was a really fun challenge and also a great excuse to take stock of all of our possessions to see how much we just didn\u2019t need. I ended up giving a never-used ice cream maker to my dessert-obsessed sister-in-law, and I received a gorgeous old handmade quilt from my mother-in-law, who had so many from her mother that she didn\u2019t have enough storage space for them. Putting a twist on our Secret Santa game made it feel like a two-part scavenger-hunt\u2014first searching among our own belongings for the perfect gift, then finally unveiling a prize of our own at the end. And we did it all without increasing our impact on the environment, which is always a win in my book.<\/p>\n

A Secret Santa Picnic<\/h4>\n
\"Give
Homemade Christmas treats make wonderful presents. | Image courtesy Etsy seller UrbanSunshineDesign<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My insatiable urge to start celebrating Christmas again usually begins around March. But I manage to restrain myself until the summer when it\u2019s socially acceptable to celebrate Christmas in July<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But one year, I had an idea\u2014what if instead of Christmas in July, we added a little summertime celebration to Christmas? A Christmas picnic, with a festive blanket spread on the floor next to the tree and plenty of special holiday goodies to eat would be a fun new tradition for kids and adults alike, I thought.<\/p>\n

We decided to put a twist on our Secret Santa game, making it a fusion between the traditional gift-swap and a potluck. Instead of a gift, we\u2019d each bring something edible for our Secret Santa recipient, be it their favorite cookies, a homemade holiday bento box, or a selection of gourmet treats. I made cocoa, and we all sat down, hungrily opening our presents and squealing with pleasure when we saw the edible goodies contained within. The kids loved eating on the floor, and for us grownups, giving a gift of food was a lot easier than having to do a full mall shopping trip, making it the perfect last-minute Secret Santa twist.<\/p>\n

The Joy of Putting a Twist on a Secret Santa Game<\/h4>\n
\"Celebrate
Ultimately, Christmas is about being with the ones you love. | Image courtesy Etsy seller SewWhatFun<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, every year my family alternates between a traditional gift swap, which we organize on Elfster<\/a> to make it super simple, and a Secret Santa game with a fun twist. The traditional swap is just as cozy and fun as ever, and the years when we shake things up always lead to excitement.<\/p>\n

But my favorite thing about changing things up every now and then is that it\u2019s helped my family shift our focus from the presents we get during Secret Santa to the experience we share when finding gifts for each other and getting into the spirit of the game. At the end of the day, it\u2019s not about what we actually unwrap\u2014it\u2019s all about spending time with our loved ones and enjoying being together during the holiday season.<\/p>\n

Still not sure what to get for your Secret Santa recipient this year? Check out <\/i><\/b>Elfster\u2019s Christmas Gift Guides<\/i><\/b><\/a> for inspiration, and don\u2019t forget to share your favorite ideas with us on Elfster\u2019s <\/i><\/b>Facebook page<\/i><\/b><\/a>, on Instagram <\/i><\/b>@Elfster<\/i><\/b><\/a>, and on Twitter <\/i><\/b>@Elfster<\/i><\/b><\/a>. <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We gathered around my mom, anxiously shifting from foot to foot as she shook a red and green bag filled with slips of paper. On each slip was written a name\u2014the name of the person [read more]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2748,"featured_media":9023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[533,534],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9014","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-christmas","8":"category-gift-exchanges"},"yoast_head":"\nA Twist on the Secret Santa Game for Last Minute Christmas Fun<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shake up your gift exchange this year with one of these fun twists on the Secret Santa game. 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