‘Tis the season! To really get in the spirit, try spreading holiday cheer with no strings attached. You don’t have to attend a Secret Santa party to do this either! We think everyone deserves to be on Santa’s “Nice” List! But if you have been naughty and want to make it up to the karmic universe, giving without getting found out is a wonderful way to right your wrongs. We can’t guarantee it will put you in Santa’s good graces, but it will surely help brighten someone’s holiday. Use your imagination to expand on these Secret Santa gift ideas.

What Is a Secret Santa?
So, you have been invited to a Secret Santa party and don’t know the first thing about what to expect. Don’t let being a Secret Santa scare you! Before jumping down the chimney, take a moment to recognize that being invited means you are part of a family, company, community, or group – something to be grateful for.

“What is a Secret Santa gift exchange?” Typically, a group of people will get together to celebrate the holidays and share in a festive gift exchange with a mysterious twist. You won’t know who your Secret Santa is until the “reveal” during the exchange of gifts. Before the party, you will draw the name of your giftee and may or may not be provided with their interests or wish list. However, the Secret Santa rules of the game can vary depending on who is organizing the party. Many Secret Santa parties establish a price limit in advance, keeping the Secret Santa gifts affordable for all. This ensures that Daddy Warbucks-types don’t go overboard with extravagant presents and Scrooges don’t scrimp on their gifts for a more even playing field. Getting to embrace the holiday spirit without incurring debt or feeling like your gift isn’t “good enough” is yet another reason to celebrate.

But what is a good Secret Santa gift? It is best to avoid impersonal and generic gifts by being intentional and taking the recipient’s personality and interests into consideration. Having fun finding a Secret Santa present and making it personal will help your giftee feel appreciated. Enlist a friend or coworker to extract a wish list of holiday gift ideas or think outside the standard holiday box to come up with something good should your identity be guessed or revealed. The challenge? Not giving away who you are buying for – the anticipation and wonder are part of the fun!

Beyond the Secret Santa Sleigh
Beyond parties with set rules, unofficial giving without expecting anything in return comes in many shapes and sizes. Don’t get us wrong – all acts of kindness are good. But, giving for fun and for free without invisible invoices, ulterior motives, or score-keeping is the most generous, joyous thing you can do. If you tend to seek validation or recognition for various actions you take, check your motives before you start to do something for someone else. Expecting a return for your efforts is an investment, but when you give without expecting anything back, that is the purest generosity, kindness, and love. Plus, you know that feeling of wanting to find the right gift for somebody? With anonymous giving, you can give without worry or fear about how it is received.

If you find it hard to get started, here are some ways you can be like Santa - no cookies or milk required:

• Increase excitement for your Secret Santa gift with a Secret Santa poem or playful riddle. Or write an inspiring rhyme to someone you think could use an uplifting note.
• Write someone a Secret Santa letter, acknowledging them for something “nice” you observed them do. Perhaps you witnessed their exceptional kindness towards their children, parents, or strangers. Take care to slip them the note anonymously as, according to Timber Hawkeye, “…everything else is ego.”  
• Deliver poinsettias and or holiday cards anonymously to your neighbors and try not to get found out.
• Shovel snow from your neighbor’s front walk when they aren’t up yet. Just imagine their surprise when they come outside bundled up to start shoveling to discover it is already done.
• When you are in a drive-through, pay it forward by buying a drink or meal for the person behind you.
• Allow someone to vent or tell a story and listen without trying to fix things or one-up them. Sometimes, a listening ear is all someone needs.
• Forgive someone.
• Park your car a little further away from an establishment, leaving the closest spot for someone with mobility issues or burdened with heavy packages.
• Pick up trash you see on the street to beautify the road for the next person walking or driving by.
• Anonymously donate toys to a children’s home or shelter.
• Make anonymous donations to your preferred charity.
• Spread joy at the office by bringing in treats and not taking credit for them.
• Write an anonymous letter of appreciation to a teacher or mentor who impacted your life.
• Drop off canned goods at a homeless shelter or food bank.
• Return your shopping cart and at least one other at the same time.
• Pick up a neighbor's leaves.
• Buy a Christmas tree for someone and leave it by their front door with a Secret Santa message.
• Light a candle at a local church to honor a loved one's friend or family member who has passed. While you are there, ask the pastor about a family in need and buy them a turkey dinner.

Don’t mention your act of kindness to others – and notice how content you feel when you keep it to yourself. Although it may not be easy to give without expectations or putting conditions on your efforts, it is worth striving for. We trust that when you give anonymously, even a few of these, your name will appear on the “Nice” list! And after a time, you will find love coming back to you when you least expect it! What kind of Secret Santa will you be?

Not-So-Secret Santas
If you and keeping secrets don’t get along, go ahead and make some cookies, offer to babysit, or do chores for a friend or relative. You can help someone who isn’t tech-savvy set up their phone, computer, or TV. Or tap into your creative juices by drawing, knitting, or sewing a hand-made gift for a friend or loved one. Leaving a small gift card out for your postal worker in thanks for their ongoing service is another rewarding way to give back. If you love traditional gift-giving, skip holiday gift baskets and gift these holiday skincare gift sets that the recipients are sure to receive with open arms:

• Gifts for aging gracefully: The Gleaming Glow Collagen Holiday Gift Set is ideal for those wanting to prevent fine lines, while the Festively Firming Elastin Holiday Gift Set and Illuminating Repair Lumafirm® Holiday Gift Set can keep skin taut and firmer looking.
• Gifts for ex-sun lovers: The Flawlessly Refined Micro-Retinol® Holiday Gift Set provides a complete skin-revitalizing regimen to renew skin ravaged by UV damage without erasing the memories of beach days. Starting with the best natural face cleanser for aging skin and finishing with a skin-friendly Retinol cream, their complexion will take on a smoother, refined, and radiant look.
• Gifts for skincare sophisticates: The Cheerfully Rejuvenated Plant Based Stem Cells Holiday Gift Set and Youth-Boosting Revival Myoxy-Caviar® Holiday Gift Set feature science backed skincare for those with youthful-looking skin at the top of their holiday wish list who won’t settle for anything less than the best.
• Gifts for parched poinsettias: The Joyously Revitalized Holiday Gift Set includes moisture-quenching formulas to help dry, withered winter “flowers” regain a sense of comfort to better enjoy the magic of the season.
• Gifts for scalp health and hair loss: The Enlivened Hair & Scalp Gift Set couldn’t come at a better time, with hair thinning from stress during the holidays threatening to thin out your ponytail.
• Gifts for the chocolate-lover: The Chocolate Indulgence Holiday Gift Set will enable them to enjoy the benefits and aroma of chocolate guilt-free.
• Gifts for the person who has it all: A spa experience is always a welcomed treat. Visit Find A Spa to locate a Pevonia spa near them and purchase a gift certificate for an array of pampering Pevonia treatments, such as a luxurious facial, relaxing massage, or detoxifying, smoothing body treatment.