Day 16 – Secret Santa
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” II Corinthians 9:15
Secret Santa is a way of giving gifts anonymously.
I’m not a “believer” in Santa. For this post I am using these words to explain this form of gift giving. A group of people put their names into a Santa hat (or another container). Everyone then pulls out a name at random. You then buy a present for that person. Simple, right? But how did this tradition come to be?
When the presents are given out (often at a Christmas party), they are put together, sometimes under a Christmas tree. Each person is given their present – but they have no idea which person bought it for them. It makes for lots of fun if you try to guess who was your Secret Santa.
There can also be a variation where people have to purchase a present and then, at the gift exchange, names are chosen at random and then the person chooses a present.
Sometimes people will reveal who the ‘present giver’ was, but it’s also common for it to remain a secret.
If you’re my 9-year-old, you’d name it the Snowman Shuffle.
There’s often a limit put on the amount you can spend (like $5) so all the presents are about the same value.. Sticking to any price limits is normally a good idea. Going a bit over is often ok. But don’t go over by lots. Sometimes there’s also a theme like food, something homemade, a color, a Christmas decoration, etc.
No one is sure where the tradition of Secret Santa comes from. It might have begun in Sweden with a custom called ‘Julklapp’ (which means ‘Christmas knock’). Several hundred years ago there was a tradition where you would knock on the door of a friend or neighbor. You would then leave a small gift (often made from straw or wood) on the door step. The gift would have a little motto/riddle with it, to help people work out who had left the gift.
Giving gifts is a beautiful way to show care and love to the people around you. God gave us our best gift that we celebrate this time of year especially, in the form of a babe Who was born in a manger. Jesus grew up to walk among us as man but to die in our place so we can have eternal life.
“A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.” Proverbs 17:8