Elfanista...The Secret Santa Chronicles...

Secret Santa in the workplace can be a very stressful task...especially in these here perilous times.   Now, I PERSONALLY do not celebrate Christmas, but who the heck doesn't like gifts?? And to top it off...it's a recession people..and $25 can sooo be used to keep something on in my home or a meal on my table, right? However, in this post I am going to share with you a few ways to keep you within that $25 budget and still keep your lights on at home :-) 

1. Most stores have a section/table that's titled "Gifts Under___." Check it out for great gift ideas and I'm sure you can get a bigger bang for your buck.

2. Check out $5 below, Family Dollar and Target...They have really awesome quality products and at a low price!

3. The budget is just that....you don't have to go over it or meet it. If you don't have it like that..then do your best and give from the heart. It's all in fun.

4. Give your "giftee" a smaller gift everyday leading up to the big reveal; that way it keeps your person guessing and allows you buy smaller items and spread that love across a week. 

5. Have FUN-remember you are getting to know more about someone that you probably wouldn't in any other circumstance. 

And to keep you in the spirit of giving..Here are 10 Dirty Secrets of Secret Santa Giving I stumbled on .Will you be the one to contribute to low employee morale?  Or will you be the lazy gift giver?? These are Hilarious...so enjoy...(Courtesy of fellow blogger "Work Place Diva)

1. Someone will go overboard. This employee didn't get the memo about spending $25 maximum. So you get five Hershey's Kisses and a Bic Pen while your co-worker gets a beautiful vase filled with the good candies, a nice note and a $5 coffee gift card. And that's just on Monday. Your co-worker is over the moon, of course, but you feel nothing but cheated even if your gift isn't half bad, which brings me to Dirty Secret #2.

2. Someone will be a cheap bastard. Don't spend more than $25? Hahaha. Get real! This employee isn’t going to spend more than $5. Total. All week. Goodbye World Market and hello dollar store, where the things are cheap and sure to break within a week. The recipient feels the cheapness and suspects this co-worker is simply re-gifting the things he or she got for Christmas last year. A chipped snowman figurine made in China? Wow, thanks.

3. Someone will forget. This overworked employee suddenly remembers that he forgot to leave a gift on your desk and it's almost quitting time. So he walks next door to the 7-Eleven to see what he can find, or he buys something from the vending machine. If he's more on his game, he picks up something at the gas station convenience mart on his way to work or he'll wrap some swag he still has in his desk from last year's conference. And don't get too high and mighty ladies over what a forgetful jerk he is, because we know your Secret Santa gifts were free with purchase.

4. Someone will complain about getting shafted. This employee goes on and on about how this year's Secret Santa is so lame. Last year's Secret Santa was awesome and gave a ton of better bling. And last year's big Friday reveal gift was absolutely to die for! This year's Secret Santa overhears the ingratitude (or hears about it second-hand), promptly gets pissed off, stops trying and that's how we end up with five Hershey’s Kisses and a Bic Pen.

5. Someone will have to buy for someone they hate. An employee draws a name out of the hat and lo and behold, it’s a co-worker this employee hasn’t gotten along with since Day One. Oh man, I have to buy for HER? She’s a total bitch who hung me out to dry on that project and I’m not spending more than I have to on her ass. Secret Santa becomes an opportunity for all-out revenge. Re-gifting never felt so good.

6. Someone will get a little too into it. This employee has an entire collection of appliqued holiday sweatshirts and started celebrating Christmas before Halloween. It goes without saying that she (and it's usually a she) LOVES the Secret Santa tradition and may be the ringleader on this project every year, even if everyone else wishes it would die a quick, merciful death. Other employees might find her eagerness both endearing and cloying at the same time. Everyone assumes this employee has never watched Bad Santa.

7. Someone's Secret Santa won't stay a secret. There’s always a co-worker who can’t keep a secret, isn't there? You didn't know who your Secret Santa was five minutes ago, but -- oopsies! -- now you do. Or maybe you see your Secret Santa leaving a gift on your desk but you pretend you didn't see it happen and play along for the rest of the week. The acting routine is getting old fast, and it's only Monday.

8. Someone will dread buying for the boss. Will you draw the short stick this year? Buying for the boss can be daunting, even if your boss is the coolest person on the planet. In fact, having a cool boss could make selecting gifts even harder because you actually like this person. What if your boss has a fondness for nice (read: expensive) things or has hard-to-target tastes, though? Could your choices result in a pink slip during the next round of layoffs? You know you're being paranoid to think this way, but it's in the back of your mind as you cruise the Target One Spot. Have fun!

9. The boss will dread buying for a subordinate. If you're worried about buying for your manager, your manager might feel like he or she walking through a minefield, too. What should I buy? What message am I sending with these gifts? And what will the other employees think of my choices? Could these chocolate mousse candies lead to lower morale? Of course, if you have an executive assistant, you can just pawn the shopping off on him or her and be done with it.

10. Everyone will be secretly glad when it's over. It's Friday, you've done the final gift exchange, and you finally know who your Secret Santa is. Ah, the sweet sense of relief in no longer having to remember to leave small gifts on someone's desk when you already have enough on your plate! The secret feeling of joy is almost enough to make you pour yourself a second cup of eggnog. At the very least, you'll be ready for a pint of beer after work. From the six pack you bought at the gas station convenience mart along with yesterday's present.

SHOP RESPONSIBLY......