Tis the season to be jolly, and with December now upon us the build up to Christmas 2011 is officially on!

Many of you may be wondering how you are going to afford all the expenses that come with Christmas, particularly when it comes to presents.

One wonderful tradition, which can really help to save the pennies, is Secret Santa. For those not familiar with the ritual, it is when members of a group are randomly assigned a person to whom they anonymously purchase a Christmas gift for.

Secret Santa is very common in offices, and also amongst groups of friends and often a spending budget of around £5-£10 is set. This can often spark an Apprentice-style challenge amongst groups, who are aiming to get the best presents within the budget for eachother. Or it can go the other way, as it so often does in offices, and you could end up with the most embarrassing, naughty or cringeful gifts for a fiver.

There are some very simple online Secret Santa generators you can use to work out who is buying for who. Elfster and Secret Santa Elf have both been tried and tested by the CitySocialising team and we’ll be doing our own Secret Santa in the office this year. Or you could draw straws the old school way! The next stage, and the most fun, is sourcing a gift.

There are some great ideas on websites such as Not On The High Street, Play.com and I Want One Of Those. TreatHim.com have also put together some great gift lists. Our tip would be if you are buying for a male, DVDs are always well-received. If you are buying for a female, then anything that smells nice generally brings a smile!

The best part is keeping it all a secret. Do not tell anyone who you are buying for, otherwise you will soon be able to work out who is buying for you. This way, when it comes to receiving your gift you can let have a go at guessing who bought the festive item for you – which is always fun to do at a Christmas party.

Are you taking part in a Secret Santa this year?

Let us know over on our Facebook page if you have come across any good gift ideas, or if you are stuck on what to buy!

Photo courtesy of metaphoricalplatypus/Flickr