Day 7: Secret Santa
There are broadly two kinds of people in life. Those who relish the whole concept of the office Secret Santa, spending hours musing on what present to bestow on their colleagues and what level of hilarity factor may be appropriate.
Then there are those who find it hard to think of a more awkward and potentially embarrassing situation, particularly when you did actually spend time thinking about the ideal gift, which later proves to be wholly unsuitable.
Whichever camp you’re in, you may well have left it all to the last possible moment and are terrified everyone is going to know that you gave the can of cola from the office vending machine. Maybe you’re concerned that the lingerie you brought for happily married June in accounts might just reveal your true feelings for her. Or might Dave, in HR, feel a little creeped out by that ‘stress massage’ voucher you got him?
Like using humour in your media interviews, there is a fine line between being funny and causing huge embarrassment and awkwardness and you don’t want your gifts to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Pleading poverty or, arguably more drastic, leaving your job, are certainly options to negating the Secret Santa nightmare. But maybe just play it safe, avoid the attempts to gain a laugh, and get them something they simply cannot find offensive. They might even like it.
We’d love to hear your tales of when your media skills have saved the day or helped you out of a potentially awkward situation in your personal life. Let us know on adam@mediafirst.co.uk.
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