Team Nord draws names before Christmas. Fifteen people, a twenty-five euro cap, and the same question every time: what do you give somebody you only know from the office? The honest answer is usually a voucher nobody redeems.
Secret Santa differs from every other occasion in that the list is not meant for one recipient. One person enters everybody's wishes, fifteen people take things off. One list per person would be more cumbersome than the problem.
Secret Santa rarely fails on goodwill and almost always on coordination.
One shared list with the budget in the description resolves all four at once, and it does so without anybody having to hold a conversation.
One colleague keeps the list for the team and enters everybody's wishes, each with the name in the note. The cap is in the list description, which appears above the wishes.
| Wish | Quantity | Price | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insulated mug | 2 | 24.00 € each | 1 of 2 available |
| Small desk lamp | 1 | 22.00 € | Currently reserved |
| Coffee beans, 1 kg | 3 | 19.00 € each | Available |
| Leather notebook | 2 | 21.00 € each | Gifted |
| Rechargeable hand warmer | 1 | 18.00 € | Available |
| Plant for the office | 4 | 15.00 € each | 2 of 4 available |
| Tea selection | 1 | 24.00 € | Currently reserved |
| Headphone stand | 1 | 23.00 € | Available |
Not one wish above 25 €. That is not a feature of the plugin but an agreement; but it stands visibly above the list, and that is why it is kept.
At a wedding a reservation is a convenience. With Secret Santa it is what carries the occasion at all.
Hold first, buy later
You draw a name, sleep on it and buy the next day. Without reserving the wish is gone by then
A short deadline
Two or three days are enough. A forgotten wish becomes free again by itself instead of staying blocked until the party
Only with an account
Reserving requires a customer account. Whoever in the team has none buys directly; that works without signing in
Your own band
Right at the top of the list it says "You have reserved:" with quantity and date. Whoever changes their mind releases it with one click
With Secret Santa what counts above all is that nobody is pinned down too early.
Allow reserving
Without it this occasion does not work
Reservation deadline
Keep it short, so that a forgotten wish becomes free again quickly
Word filter
With lists that come about among colleagues the filter is no luxury (see The administration)
Giving anonymously
Whoever wants to does not appear by name in the thank-you notes either. With Secret Santa that is often wanted
Several lists under one roof, and grandma sees at once what is still free.
Read → One wish, twelve sharesWhen many chip in on one big present instead of each bringing something small.
Read → Retirement, 15 colleaguesThe occasion where somebody other than the recipient keeps the list.
Read →Yes. One shared list for the team is enough: one person creates it and enters everybody's wishes, the link goes to all of them, and what has been taken is visible to everyone at once.
Not for buying, the link is enough. For reserving, yes, because a reservation has to belong to an account.
As long as the shop sets. After that the wish becomes free again on its own and visible to everybody.
In the description of the list, which appears above the wishes. The plugin enforces no cap; it only makes it visible to everybody.
Yes, if the giver chooses it at checkout. They then do not appear by name in the thank-you notes either; their e-mail address is never shown in any case.
No. Only the display name is on the list. If delivery goes to the owner, the address is masked.
After the date the list accepts no more gifts. The cart points this out to guests who arrive too late.