These secret Santa ideas will help you pull your cracker. Some of the following links are not work safe so you may want to check them out at home when you’ve more time to enjoy them.
Getting the right gift
It’s an obvious place to start but very often partners get presents wrong because they don’t listen to what their partner would like, or haven’t checked out their wish list.
Ask your partner if there’s anything they fancy for Christmas or ask them to point out some favourites online or when you’re out shopping. Or play at Santa and ask them to write you a gift list.
Some people worry that asking a partner ruins the element of surprise. However getting a ‘surprise’ present that your partner secretly (or not so secretly) hates can cause problems all round. If you ask for a few ideas you can always pick one or more for your partner to keep some element of surprise.
Remember a mention of needing something doesn’t mean it’s wanted as a Christmas gift. One hapless friend of mine managed to make this error three years in a row when his partner mentioned they needed a food processor, hoover and lawn mower.
He got them all as Christmas gifts, but even putting a bow on the lawn mower didn’t save him from the doghouse. Unless your partner’s seriously into gadgets keep the household and DIY goods off your shopping list.
This time of year men are often encouraged to get sexy or romantic gifts for their partner, which is great if you’re in a happy relationship where you know what your partner would like. It may not always be so good if you’re in the early stages of a relationship or if you’re going through a rocky patch where an overly romantic or sexy gift might scare a partner off or make them feel under pressure.
We’ve created a guide to spicing up your Christmas gift list and hope some of the following ideas will suit your partner and earn you some extra kisses under the mistletoe. The present suggestions come in a range of prices to suit every pocket and many are simple things you can do for free. There may even be a few gifts that you might like to treat yourself to.
We’ve designed the guide to suit whether you’re a guy or a girl, gay or straight, but if we’ve left anything out or if you’ve any questions about specific presents feel free to ask us or share your tips with others on the boards.
