December 20, 2024
The Context of Secret Santa
Secret Santa is becoming a tradition at WPRiders. It is harder because we all work remotely, but at the same time it’s more engaging, and the anticipation is thrilling.
This year we invited, as usual, all the team members to join, and from all our team members, 9 brave people decided to join this extraordinary event. If you think I am too enthusiastic about this, you need to know that last year we had Secret Santa in November, just because December seemed too far away.
The Planning Phase of Secret Santa
So, what have we done? Easy. I listed everyone who joined the private Slack channel #secret-santa-2024 (that’s quite an obvious name, I know) on the DrawMyName website. This phase took around two weeks because deep inside myself I hoped other people would join—my wish came true because initially, we were 8. One last samurai joined, and we were 9.
I was so happy! After everyone got their invite, they were able to draw a name and also complete a wishlist—because sometimes Santa needs a hint too. However, the team decided to play dangerously, and almost all of them decided to go bold and say: Surprise Me!
So far, so good. Colleagues drew their names and started to dream about what would happen when Secret Santa came to their door (more like the courier elf, actually). It started quite low, and people took their time to choose gifts because they wanted both to surprise and to find something useful and nice for their colleagues. I mean, Santa wanted to do that 😉.
The Execution Phase of Secret Santa
The panic phase was initiated. Questions like: “What can I buy to X?”, “Do you think Y will like this gift?”, “Do you know if Z already has this home?”, “What should I buy for someone who already has everything?” were thrown to the HR Department (that would be me, actually). And because HR knows everything, everyone got what they wished deep inside, or in some cases, they got what they didn’t even know they needed, but it turned out they did.
Pretty cool, right?
The ‘It’s Happening’ Phase of Secret Santa
Or, as I like to call it, my favorite phase. It’s that one where people started receiving their gifts! Messages started to be sent into our Slack channel, and people shared their gifts. Curious? Let’s see what each one received!
Alexandra
That would be me. I was asked in subtle ways and then directly what’s my wish. Apparently, magically losing weight was impossible, so I got a cool, pink cover for my MacBook. Something every girl deserves. Thank you, Secret Santa! I found the gift left outside—Santa does exist! And I took my time uncovering what was waiting for me. I couldn’t have picked better for myself!
Andrei
Andrei wanted to be surprised by Santa. And his wish came true. It was hard for Secret Santa to find a gift for him, especially because the very well-thrown hints regarding a possible wishlist were skilfully ignored and left Santa on his own here. However, things worked just fine because Andrei received a penguin anti-stress toy, an Adafruit OLED Breakout Board, some electronic components kit, and Haribo jelly. Can’t wait to see how you’ll make the board work! You were really good this year, apparently.
Dragos
Dragos never said to anyone what his Christmas wish was, but thankfully, Secret Santa amazingly discovered some of his passions after a random chat with the HR department. That’s why Dragos received some very fancy Olive Oil and Vinegar. Straight from Greece? as a colleague asked. Nope, they are from Lapland, Dragos answered. CSMs are always so straightforward!
GabiB
GabiB was very quiet while other people were receiving their gifts. He might have been nervous because he never revealed his wish for Secret Santa. No reactions from his side to any hints, nothing! One Monday morning he sends this message on Slack: A big thanks to my Secret Santa! I received an air purifier, which is exactly what I needed (I have a feeling Santa had a little help). Yes, GabiB, Rudolph helped him! Even the cat was happy about the air purifier, based on the look of her face. And thanks, Gabi, for acting as a brand ambassador for Inside WPRiders!
GabiC
GabiC had some thoughts on his mind about what he would like to get, but after careful consideration, he decided to go with the flow and see what Santa had in mind for him. He received a mouse pad, a footstep for the office, and a book called Honey, where is the money? A very good book for someone who just got married! GabiC also expressed some concerns because he said he was actually googling for a footstep. But Santa doesn’t need to check your browser history!
GabiP
GabiP always knows what he wants! He wrote his detailed list and then hoped he would be on the Good List of Santa so he could get what he wished for! And things worked out amazing because he got his all-time favourite mug—for tea, he added (yeah, right), and something else he kept away from us to fill his mug (not tea 😉).
Lidia
Lidia might be the only woman on Earth who knows what she wants and really asks for it 😄. She said she wanted to hear everyone better during meetings, so she got a cool Sony headset! Lidia is very happy with her gift, but now I’m wondering: is it better to hear everything?
Marius
Marius had to help Santa find his gifts. He always has lists for everything, so it was really easy for Santa this year. Initialy, Santa thought Switzerland is too far away and sent a digital gift—a Nintendo game—but after checking his schedule, he decided he could drop by and also leave a cool Phillips hue switch. It appears Santa likes you more, Marius!
Oraldo
Last, but not least. Oraldo was the first one to get his present. And what an adventure that was. It looks like in Albania you can only pay by cash, so Santa wired the money for Oraldo to pay for the gifts that Secret Santa ordered for him. He got two leg heights and one dumbell. Why one? Because two is overrated! Good luck going to the gym now!
The Conclusions of 2024 Secret Santa
What have you learned? I’d say a lot of things. First, we rediscovered the joy of offering and receiving gifts. Also, we realized how well we know some people and what steps we should take to get to know better the others too. And we celebrate that we are different—9 people wanted 9 different things—but we are a team, and we feel proud to be a part of WPRiders.
Do you like this article? Share it and send us your feedback! Check out our articles page, where you might find other interesting posts. Also, if you want to learn more about business, check out the WPRiders Blog!
