Millennials have called for ‘Secret Santa’ to be banned…
Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year…
The holiday season has officially begun, and we couldn’t be merrier.
From stores adorned with Christmas lights, to Starbucks bringing out their Gingerbread Lattes…
Life couldn’t get much better.
The tree…
You simply can’t have Christmas without the tree… I mean where is good old Saint Nick going to put the presents otherwise?
There’s something nostalgic about the warm glow of the lights and the twinkle of the ornaments that brings people together.
And this has been the case for generations!
Then there’s the possibility of snow…
I think we’ve all dreamt of a white Christmas once in our lives, and when we get that fresh blanket of snow on the big day, it’s even more idyllic.
With snow comes Snowmen…
And no matter what age you are, there’s something pretty exciting about going out and building your first Snowman of Christmas.
Holiday vacation…
Whether you’ve got time off from work, or you’re headed home from school for the holidays, there’s nothing better than getting that much-needed time away.
Family…
Christmas is a time to recharge and spend quality time with loved ones, whether that’s friends or family, or even just your neighbors, it’s the best time to come together.
Hot drinks…
Hot chocolate, mulled wine, gingerbread lattes, no matter what your drink of choice is, as long as it’s hot, it encapsulates that cozy Christmas feeling.
Parties…
Love them or hate them, Christmas parties are a huge tradition and the best way to get to know your co-workers and spread the holiday cheer.
Sales…
Everyone loves a bargain, and with Christmas being one of the most expensive times of the year, the Christmas sales are one of the best times to bag one.
Giving presents…
Although receiving presents is definitely top of the list during Christmas, it’s also important to give during this time of year, and remember what the whole holiday is all about.
Ice Skating…
Whether it’s an indoor or outdoor rink, there’s something incredibly Christmassy about skating during the holidays.
Staying in and getting cozy by the fire…
The holiday season is the best excuse to relax and de-stress, and what better way to do that than putting your feet up and watching your favorite show with logs burning in the background?
This brings us to the movies…
It wouldn’t be Christmas without the classic Christmas movies.
We’ve had a whole range of movies that have become household staples this time of year…
Some of the classics include Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Grinch, and Miracle on 34th Street.
But Christmas can also be a time of contention.
Spending time with extended family can bring about a whole host of issues and feuds.
And one fierce debate has recently been sparked about Christmas.
So where do you stand on the issue?
We’ve all done it.
The concept of ‘Secret Santa’ usually involves a group of people – work colleagues or friends – putting their names into a hat, and picking one out at random.
But just to refresh your memory…
Once you’ve picked a name from the hat, you then have to buy that certain person a gift, all while never disclosing who got who which present.
You sometimes get a list of hints.
In order to make it easier to shop for someone who you would never usually shop for, obviously.
There are other rules, too.
So people don’t go too mad with the spending, a price budget of between $15-$20 per present is usually given.
But, there’s a flip side.
Some people have claimed to find the whole thing rather stressful.
And some millennials have even been suffering from anxiety as a result of their workplace ‘Secret Santa’.
The study, which was commissioned by the British job-hunting website, Jobsite, found that younger workers are often spending more than they can afford on presents for their colleagues.
Some millennials have reported that they feel judged on how much they spend on their gifts.
And resort to spending what they can’t afford to not come across as “stingy”.
The report found that twenty-six percent of young workers find themselves dipping into their savings or their overdrafts to contribute to the gift exchange.
And just under a quarter of employees aged between twenty-three to thirty-eight said that they felt angry at the person who organized the ‘Secret Santa’ for not considering their financial situation.
A further thirty-five percent of millennials reported that they would like to see the tradition of ‘Secret Santa’ completely banned in the workplace.
Dr. Ashley Weinberg of the University of Salford has suggested that businesses could ease their employee’s anxiety by bringing in spending limits.
“I think there’s the potential for the whole range of human emotions, right from humiliation when you give someone a gift,” he explained. “It’s important to us how others feel about our behavior and how it comes across.”
“The spirit of giving – especially at a seasonal time of exchanging gifts via ‘Secret Santa’ – is something we’d hope can be expressed in many ways and it’s worth remembering that where this involves financial contributions, not all colleagues have the same disposable income.”
“I think organizations can play a role in just saying look, here are some healthy parameters, don’t feel you have to be giving X amount – maybe you don’t have to give at all,” he explained.
“I think that signal from high up in the organization could be really quite powerful to just take the pressure off.”
What do you think?