I love giving people presents. When you pick the right present, it isn’t about buying. It isn’t about the person getting a “thing.” It’s about them being seen. Picking the right gift is a signal that you truly care about a person.
But when you’re in a Secret Santa, knowing what to buy for a gift exchange can be tricky. You may be extremely close to them, or you may not really know them at all. They could be coworkers, family, or friends. Whether you’re hosting or participating in a gift exchange, you’ll want an easy way to get the right gift. That means using a system that facilitates stress-free gifting.
How Gift Exchange Hosts Can Make Gift-Buying Easier
If you’re the organizer of a gift exchange, there are a lot of responsibilities. You have to make sure that everyone has a Secret Santa. You have to make sure everyone knows the rules. You have to set a price limit and possibly even a theme. Basically, you have to get everyone on the same page.
The best way to do this is by using an online system that does most of the work for you. An online system makes drawing names easier. Using an “electronic hat” to draw names keeps things random but honors all exclusion lists. Also, it lets people regularly check the details in case they forget who they got paired up with.
It also helps narrow down the gift-giving options. One easy way to focus your gift buying is to choose a theme. A gift exchange theme can revolve around a common interest, hobby, or activity. This makes it easier to buy gifts since it lessens the scope of choices down from “literally everything in the entire world.” An online system can help by letting you send out a poll to every participant so they can vote on what theme they want.
But the most important part is letting people make a wish list online. This allows them to make a list of what they want, choosing from stores across the internet. That way, their Secret Santa can buy directly off the list—no guessing required.
That’s what you can do as a host: find a system that makes everything simpler. But what can you do as a participant?
How to Figure Out What to Buy for a Gift Exchange
You’re in a gift exchange at home. The organizer has found a great system to use. Your giftee has created a wish list that draws from multiple websites, using the top online and brick-and-mortar retailers. You just have to go to their list and pick what you think is best.
Of course, you don’t always know what is best, which is why it’s great to use a system that allows you to send your giftee anonymous messages. You can ask them questions to narrow it down. These can be anything from, “What sweater size do you want?” to, “What was your favorite Star Wars movie?” The latter might not always be relevant, but it says a lot about a person.
And don’t forget to fill out your own wish list, too. You can use an online gift guide to find what you want from thousands of stores. You can search by category, by genre, and even by price if your theme is affordable Secret Santa gifts.
Gift Exchanges Made Easy
There’s something uniquely satisfying about finding just the right gift for someone. You’re at a store. Snow is falling—you can see it through the gently frosted windows at the old-timey shop—and there it is! The perfect gift.
But… that doesn’t always happen. We rarely have time these days to wander the streets in search of the ideal present. That’s why you can make a gift exchange even easier by using the right Secret Santa generator. It’s how you can have that thrill of letting someone feel known, feel truly seen, without any troubles. It’s a gift that makes everyone happy.
You want a Secret Santa generator that makes everything go smoothly. Elfster makes it easy to pair people up, shop for gifts, and start a Wish List. And you can even do it all from an iPhone app or Android app.
