I like the idea of cutting back on presents to buy. It’s such a wasteful time of year, lots ends in landfill, people disappointed and often better off choosing their own thing. So if this does it then go for it!

Maybe you could compromise by setting a (lowish) price limit on what you can spend on gifts?

It depends on your family!! We did Secret Santa one year with a spend limit of $20 and people were crap. One of them was so lazy they only bought a tin of Pringles, while others spent easily $50 plus on amazing gifts. I would have preferred everyone just buy presents.

As long as everyone is agreeable

When the family all lived closer and my grandparents were still alive and the cousins were still loving at home we use to put names in a hat and draw one out. U spend $100 on that person maximum. Worked well and everyone got a decent present.

Depends on the size of your family and how many you have to buy for. I like the idea of a secret Santa because i feel overwhelmed with both giving and receiving lots of gifts.

My niece organises an adult secret Santa for our family( her brothers and their spouses, her mother and uncle etc). They usually set a limit of around $30, but I think they still buy for the kids in the family. I’ve heard some people liven it up by adding a theme to the gifts, which could be something silly like “ something beginning with the letter s” or something weird like a fruit theme.

I think it can be fun as well as a heck of a lot cheaper. Plus it can also relieve a lot of stress re present choosing.

Maybe buy the one big gift, and make something small for everyone else.

I’d prefer to make one decent gift and join the secret Santa. The fact that you want to give gifts is sweet. Why don’t you plan to do something nice for the other after New Years (eg: babysit, mow lawns, take out for lunch etc)

We do secret santa with one side of our family. We have a $50 limit and everyone choses one person. The only problem we had was some people were spending $10-20 and others the $50.

My advice would be to make the “rules” very clear and may be look at using an app to organise it where people can add their likes/dislikes etc and you can set out that everyone should spend the $50 (or whatever your family thinks is a fair amount)

I also am involved in a SS with my friends where we chose a theme each year and have to spend $10 or UNDER – the person with the funniest gift wins a prize. We love it.

Good luck

I would suggest you have a talk to your family about it first and if all are in-agreement than go for it.
All the very best to you and yours.

In the Netherlands we always did secret Santa, we call it Sinterklaas and it’s celebrated on the 5th of December

Setting an agreed budget for Secret Santa is essential.

We do a sibling secret Santa with my family. But my sister and I still buy for each other (so I’d actually buy her 2 gifts if I got her) but it makes it easier with everyone else as it’s just one good rather than many

secret santa – if its family say around $50

A lot of people do Secret Santa nowadays. It happens every Christmas at my husband’s office and it sounds like fun. They have a budget (generally $20). Some people stick to it, others not really.

I love Christmas and I love to buy a thoughtful gift for everyone at Christmas time. I budget during the year so I can. It doesn’t have to be expensive.

Secret Santa is a great idea for the adults. It reduces the cost and enables you to buy one great gift, and also takes much of the time and stress out of buying multiple presents.

Secret Santa sounds like a good idea and with less shopping there is more time for relaxing!

It’s great, more thoughtful and less stressful