Tuesday 3 December 2013

German Tuesday: Secret Santa with a twist

We've all got them: gifts we once received and really didn't like. They are buried in boxes in our attics or garages and long forgotten. Now here's a way to finally get rid of them in a fun way…

It's this time of year again when we all participate in various Secret Santas - at work, with friends or other groups of people we spend our spare time with. So why not add a twist this year?

It's called "Schrottwichteln - Scrappy Secret Santa" and although there are many different rules I want to share my favourite variation.

It is, under all circumstances, FORBIDDEN TO BUY a gift for this occasion. It has to be something you already had at home, something you may have bought or got as a gift and never used or won't use anymore. Try to find the most trashy/crappy gift possible but remember to be original and use your sense of humour. You won't know who gets your present so it has to be suitable for a wider range of people. Wrap it nicely and try to disguise any specific shapes! You can set a "value limit" within the group if you want to.

At the event of the "Scrappy Secret Santa" all the presents are put in a sack first (to keep it more of a secret who brings what) and are later on displayed in a nice array.

And now comes the fun part, you will need a dice for this.

All participants roll the dice to determine who gets to start (highest number wins), then just continue clockwise. If you throw a 1 or a 6 you can choose a present from the heap. You will need another 6 to unwrap it. But what if you've got something you really don't like but fancy another one's present? When it's your turn again, roll the dice and if you throw a 6 you can swap your present with another player - you can only swap unwrapped presents! After everyone has unwrapped a gift the swapping can continue for 3 more rounds if you want.

Believe me, it is very funny.
And one thing I noticed as well: everybody wants that really biiig present or the beautifully wrapped one. So give choosing your gift a bit of time and effort.
Have fun!