15 Secret Santa Gift Fails That’ll Make You Skip The Office Party

Gifts stress me out, particularly the hollow, going-through-the-motions kind. Secret Santa takes that anxiety and cranks it to eleven. You’re stuck buying for a coworker you don’t know while pretending to be excited about whatever they throw together at the last minute.

Some of these Reddit stories are innocent mishaps. Others feel downright passive-aggressive. Judge for yourself.

1. “Tried to buy a secret santa exactly what they wanted, but alas my dreams are shattered”

2. “I (30M) participated in Secret Santa at work, asked for sport equipment, got this instead.”

3. “My gift from secret santa”

4. “White elephant gift.. what does it mean O_o”

5. “This gift my little sister received in a £10 school Secret Santa”

6. “Pollyanna positivity is definitely mildly infuriating”

7. “Secret Santa at school, $10 minimum + I specifically asked for no candy”

8. “Everyone at work got amazing heart felt gifts for secret Santa and I got a bottle of car detailer as a joke.”

9. “Coworker bought me a box of chocolates for Christmas – one missing and the rest were mouldy”

10. “This is game I was gifted roughly 8 years that I just decided to open back up.”

11. “Ordered something from Amazon to give my coworker for Secret Santa tomorrow. It was delivered, but that’s not my house…”

12. “Had Secret Santa at school, I got this! And guess what, it contains traces of peanuts, something I’m deathly allergic to! Yayyyy”

13. “Secret Santa gift I got for coworker unintentionally the day he got fired.”

“Showed up to work to give coworker of 2 months his secret Santa gifts. Left this in his cubicle and when I walked out into the hall the boss told me he had been fired and wouldn’t be coming back to collect any gifts. Explained why the cubicle looked so sparse.”

14. “Amazon spoiled my Secret Santa”

15. “I brought 2 xbox games to a white elephant gift exchange and the gift I got was bubble wrap”