Whilst recent reports have found that Secret Santa is a cause of anxiety in the workplace, at least for Millennials, the pastime is still a coveted festive pastime for many Brits across the country, with just a third of UK workers admitting they would rather not take part in the antics, according to a new study.
The research, compiled by online printing specialists, instantprint, asked 2,000 UK adults about their feelings when it came to Secret Santa in the workplace, with a resounding 62% admitting they actually enjoy taking part in the festive gift exchange.
That said, budgets and overspending were revealed to be one of the biggest sources of stress for Brits, and the survey revealed that most of us prefer to keep it cheap and cheerful, with the majority agreeing that £10 is the most appropriate monetary limit for Secret Santa spending.
Of course, budgeting to this amount whilst affordable for most, does pave the way for an eclectic mix of naff, thoughtful, colourful and downright confusing gifts being handed out in workplaces across the country.
When asked their opinion on gifts to avoid when partaking in the workplace based festivities, cheap jewellery, rude or cheeky gifts and makeup topped the list of the most hated Secret Santa gift list for Brits, so it’s probably advisable to steer clear of anything naff or crude for your co-workers.
Brits Top 10 Most Hated Secret Santa Gifts
- Cheap Jewellery – 82%
- Something Rude/Cheeky – 79%
- Make Up – 73%
- Soft Toys – 66%
- Jokey Gifts – 59%
- CDs – 49%
- DVDs – 47%
- Mugs – 33%
- Something Homemade – 29%
- Socks –28%
In contrast and despite being considered as fairly generic, chocolate (63%), alcohol (46%) and sweets (38%) were named the nation’s favourite Secret Santa presents, with books (35%), gift vouchers (34%) and candles (33%) also proving to be a safe bet when shopping for colleagues.
The data also showed that one in ten UK residents prefer the homemade approach over shop-bought Secret Santa gifts, and would rather treat the recipient to something they’ve made themselves, in a bid to keep costs to a minimum in the run up to the big day.
In a bid to find the UKs weirdest, funniest and most unusual Secret Santa gifts, instantprint invited Brits to share images and stories via a Twitter competition, with some rather colourful results so far.
A torn £20 note, gnomes and other such garden adornments, raffle tickets carpet cleaner, a pack of pan scourers, caps with unusual quotes and a rather offensive mug are just a few of the entries
With many becoming more eco-conscious in recent years, many of those participating in the workplace event are likely to want to ensure they keep Secret Santa and gift giving in general as sustainable as possible this Christmas.
With this in mind, swapping out those non-green aspects of the gift swap such a glitter coated wrapping paper and Sellotape for more eco-friendly options such as reusable tote-bags or fabric gift wrap options is something nine in ten of those surveyed stated they would be keen to explore.
Jon Constantine-Smith, Head of instantprint, commented on the findings:
“It’s great to see that colleagues up and down the country are still as keen as ever to continue with festive activities such as Secret Santa, even if the gifts being swapped are as simple as a bottle of wine or a box of someone’s favourite chocolates.
“One of the key things that stood out from the research was the volume of people who stated they were keen to be greener when it came to their gift giving options this Christmas.
“As a brand, this is something we’re passionate about, which is why we offer some of the greenest options available when it comes to printing, as well as reusable products such as customisable tote bags which are the perfect alternative to Christmas gift wrap.”
