It’s a snowy December and excitement fills the air as it gets closer to Christmas. Families and friends begin their yearly traditions as they search for the perfect gifts. The lists are made, secrets are whispered, and excitement builds as the countdown to Christmas begins.
A fun way to give gifts is through a game called Secret Santa, a game where each person is assigned to someone at random and that person has to buy gifts for their person without the other knowing. When Christmas comes around, everyone opens their gifts together and enjoys the thoughtful or humorous gifts their peers have bought for them.
“…it’s a fun experience and even if you can’t buy something because you don’t have money, you can always make something and that to me obviously is more sentimental than buying a gift,” Bailey O’Day (12) said.
The amount of money or how many friends a person has doesn’t matter, it can always be a fun time when playing Secret Santa. When you are with friends and family, there is always some thoughtfulness or humor involved.
“I think it depends who you do it with, like if you do it with a group of friends, definitely humor but like if you do it with family members probably thoughtfulness,” Edy Hobson (10) said.
Secret Santa is a great way to connect with other people. It gives a way to learn more about a person in a fun and memorable way.
“Because people have to connect with who they’re buying the gift with, either it’s just asking them like ‘hey what do you like’ or just like connecting with the people all around them to figure out what they want,” Hobson (10) said.
Not only can Secret Santa connect people in different ways but it can always leave fun memories for people to remember. The different presents and experiences can have an impact on people’s lives that they can always think back on. O’Day (12) recalls a memorable moment with her winter guard team.
“For winter guard one year we did a squishmallow Secret Santa and my friend Avery got an animal she really liked and I just thought it was really nice” O’Day (12) said.
Thinking back on those memories can not only bring back a smile to your face, they can also bring those funny memories that can make anyone laugh. Ethan Lang (10) remembers his brother Sam giving an unexpected gift.
“My brother got a boy, well he didn’t know it was a boy because it was one of those names, so he thought it was a girl but it was a boy and he got him an article of women’s clothing.” Lang (10) said.
Those funny and thoughtful memories come from special and over the top presents people like to give or receive, making it a highlight of the Secret Santa experience.
“I just really like to surprise my friends, like knowing what they like and being able to get something they really enjoy,” O’Day (12) said.
If a student is doing Secret Santa for the first time, there is a lot of advice out there for them.
“Don’t be afraid to buy more than one thing because a lot of the time it’s better to have more than one thing.” Hobson (10) said.
