Secret Santa can make Christmas more affordable

November 20, 2009

Once Thanksgiving is over, we all turn our mind to the up-coming holidays. Figuring out a present for everyone on your list can be stressful, time consumingand expensive. Because many families are planning on a modest holiday season in light of the recession, consider planning out a secret Santa gift exchange while you have everyone together for Thanksgiving.

Secret Santa is a great way to make sure that everyone gets a great gift without spending a lot – in fact, because there's only one person everyone’s gift list, you can spend a little more time picking out the perfect present for your assigned gift recipient.

During dessert, pass around a hat that has each family member's name inside of it. Have everyone close their eyes and pick a name out of the hat. Voila! Secret Santa is all set.

Another way to divvy up the gift giving circle is to have names taped to the bottom of each person' chair. At the end of the meal, everyone can reach down and discover who they’re buying for. Just make sure that no one picks themselves!