Chelsea Xie

Beyond concerns about the lack of a surprise element, the pressure from juggling exchanges happening across different groups can lead to stress and overspending.

What began as a simple gift exchange to spread holiday cheer has evolved into a tradition that often feels complicated and stressful. Now defined by online wishlists, overlapping exchanges and last-minute shopping during the busy holiday season, Secret Santa has recently fallen short of its original promise of adding a touch of excitement and mystery to holiday gift-giving.

Senior Brady Tse felt disappointed with his experience with advisory Secret Santa this year after receiving used sunglasses and a purse — gifts he felt showcased little effort, especially compared to the amount of thought he put into his presents.

“This year, I feel like I gave mostly better gifts that I received,” Brady said. “I got hand me down gifts. They just throw it in a bag and give it to you. It’s like, ‘this is obviously used, nobody wants this, and I’m not going to use it.’”

Unwanted gifts are a widespread problem in Secret Santa, with 2.5 million Secret Santa gifts being discarded after the exchange according to a UK survey conducted by Workplace Journal. While these statistics highlight how the tradition can occasionally result in disappointment and waste, they do not capture the full range of experiences students had this holiday season. 

Secret Santa can take many forms, from one-day gift swaps to multi-day versions involving clues and small gifts. Sophomore Grace Yao enjoyed Harker Dance Company’s Secret Santa because the mystery and strategy involved in hint-giving and guessing made the experience more enjoyable than simply exchanging a single gift and guessing the gifter. 

“The goal of Secret Santa is to bring people together and strengthen team bonds,” Grace said. “HDC Secret Santa definitely accomplishes that, because we’re exchanging hints, so you get a lot of fun facts about other people. There’s a lot of communication, and shared excitement and involvement from everyone is really big, especially for this leading up to the big reveal.” 

Online tools like Elfster help organize these exchanges through automatic name-drawing and an online wishlist linked to shopping sites. However, students had mixed reactions to how these platforms affected the gift-giving experience.

While Grace appreciated being able to request specific gifts, Brady felt that although creating wishlists helps make sure everyone receives something they want, it slightly undermines the thoughtfulness and consideration of choosing out a gift personally. 

“You just tell them what you want,” Brady said. “There’s no fun in guessing, and it’s basically like buying the gift yourself. In an ideal world, you know the people well enough that they just get you something that they know you would like. It’s hard to do in advisory because it’s hard to be close to every single person.”

Beyond concerns about the lack of a surprise element, the pressure from juggling exchanges happening across different groups can lead to stress and overspending. This year, junior Samaara Patil participated in Secret Santas for Student Council, advisory and yearbook, and felt overwhelmed by the amount of gifts she had to purchase. 

“When I’m ordering stuff for the Secret Santas, I feel like it’s a lot,” Samaara said. “The prices add up very quickly because you want to get everyone a nice gift and there’s so many to get.”

Nevertheless, Samaara values the community that Secret Santa creates, especially when participants put thought into gifts and messages. 

“I really think that it’s worth searching for gifts and buying them,” Samaara said, “Obviously you get one back, but it’s also really nice to sit down with the different communities you’re a part of and share the holiday spirit.”