This Family's Twist On Traditional Secret Santa Gift Exchanges Will Heal Your Inner Child

While gift giving can bring joy to some, for others, the idea of receiving a bunch of crap just for the sake of receiving a bunch of crap can be overwhelming. How many candles and sets of gloves can one person get in one holiday season? With countless get togethers and holiday work parties, the limit does not exist!

However, would this time of year really feel like the Christmas season if zero gifts were exchanged? Is there a happy medium?

Denise, a Canadian illustrator and the creative force behind The Pretty Pink Studio, posted a viral TikTok explaining how her family still celebrates the holidays with gifts but with a special twist.

“A few years ago, my family and I decided to turn our Chris Kringle white elephant tradition into something more meaningful and exciting during the holidays,” she begins in a voiceover on her now-viral video.

As an adult family member unwraps a Hot Wheels set, she continues, “ Instead of gifting each other a gift that we probably don't need and will likely get rid of in a couple of years, we decided to gift each other a toy that we would have loved as a child.”

“Following the same rules as Chris Kringle, you do draw a name and that is the person that you buy a toy for. My mother-in-law had my dad, who was a huge soccer fan, so she gifted him a mini foosball. As you can tell, he was really excited and likely wanted to keep it.”

The video clip continues with other family members opening children’s toys such as a mini motorbike before Denise reveals that none of these adults actually keep the gift they received.

“All the toys that are gifted are then collected and dropped off at a local toy drive. This new family tradition has changed our get together during the holidays and has made it extra special,” she concluded.

This twist on Secret Santa truly the best of both worlds. You get to still participate in the thrill of wrapping a present and watching someone open it (or partake in the joy of receiving a gift) but you’re not hauling it home, finding a place for said gift to live in your house, and then inevitably donating it a few years later. This idea reduces so much waste and gives back to kids who may not receive much this Christmas.

Now it’s time to brainstorm what you’d love to get as a gift if you were part of this type of present exchange. I’m leaning towards a Power Wheels Barbie Jeep but would definitely settle for a Cabbage Patch Kid.