Secret Santas

I am addicted to Secret Santas. I've done white elephants, I've done standard gift exchanges, but above all of those, I love secret santa. And I don't mean "office-based pick a co-worker/friend from the hat" ones. I mean 50 to hundred of strangers worldwide sending each other gifts. If you read a forum, any forum, best bet is that somewhere on there is a secret santa for the Christmas season. Those are my addiction.

Now, these things are very high-risk. You don't know who you're going to get matched to either as a santa or a santee. Some people will join only to run off with whatever someone bought them, never sending anything themselves. These people suck, and in a well-organized SS, they won't be welcomed back the next year. The rest of it, though, I think compares well to (NERD ALERT) the mask salesman quest in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You put a certain amount of money into it, and in return, you may get something a little better, something a little worse, or something equal to what you put in. Occasionally, though, if you're really lucky, you'll get someone who will simply pour a wealth of amazing things onto you (like a wallet full of rupees in exchange for a bunny hat). It's a gamble, but it's fun.

This year, I've had three, yes three secret santas on the table. I think I've spent more on my SSs than my own family. One was from the wonderful FB Nest forums, one from a pet forum, and one from a general chat forum. All of mine have recieved their gifts, and I've received two out of three. The last one's been in touch, so I know he/she's not a deadbeat. Last night, my cat received a giant box full of toys and treats from a woman in Ireland whose uncle breeds working beagles. Last year, my General chat santa sent several homemade gifts, including an alpaca-wool hat and pacman keychains! I've been lucky so far to not get a deadbeat, and I've had so much fun with it. If you've got a little disposable income for the holiday season, give a Secret Santa a try! There's nothing like getting a box of completely random things from a total stranger who may be from the other side of the world or right next door.