Skye C. Cleary

If the point of the holiday season is to spread happiness and good cheer, Secret Santa traditions are a terrible idea. Just think about the top 40 Secret Santa gifts from Good Housekeeping Magazine this year: shimmering slippers, personalized pouches, 750ml wine glasses, and—the number one recommendation—an iridescent planter “so her greenery will still look beautiful even if she hasn’t quite kept up with watering.” Whoever receives such gifts is also probably smart enough to throw them out. Yet each year, office workers face the pressure to act happy about gifts they probably don’t want or need, and to find a gift for someone whose deepest desires they can’t even begin to imagine—all for $15 or less.