Family's unique take on Secret Santa gift exchange tradition just might heal your inner child

Christmas is the time to exchange gifts with your loved ones. While some are exceptional at giving the perfect gifts; let's face it, some are not. There are times when we can be left a tad with what we've received for Christmas. Sometimes, it can even leave you wondering if some people are interested in exchanging meaningful gifts during the holiday season. As countless get-togethers and Christmas parties can overwhelm anyone with a bunch of pointless gifts, one family has decided to do their Secret Santa tradition a bit differently this time and it's resonating with many people. 

A Canadian illustrator named Denise who goes by @theprettypinkstudio on TikTok shared how her family celebrates the holiday season by exchanging gifts but with a special twist. “A few years ago, my family and I decided to turn our Kris Kringle white elephant tradition into something more meaningful and exciting during the holidays,” she begins in a voiceover on her now-viral video. We see an adult family member unwrapping a Hot Wheels set they got as a gift and it might have puzzled a lot of people had Denise not explained it.

“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 Kris 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 excited and likely wanted to keep it,” Denise revealed.

The video shows other family members opening their respective gifts as well which are some delightful presents to them such as mini motorbikes. “All the gifted toys 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,” Denise added. This innovative take on the Secret Santa gift exchange tradition won over the folks on TikTok and it just might have pushed a lot of people to brainstorm before gifting their family and friends something unique this time.

@shaughnessyxoxo wrote: "My work does this and it is so much better than receiving another generic candle or mug Secret Santa gift and a great way to give back to the community, highly recommend it." @theethantyler questioned: "Wait so you give things to each other not to keep? Or are there gift cards with it? Just wondering how it fully works." Denise replied to this comment and wrote: "I guess you can make your own rules. The element of surprise and memories is the part we keep. We donate the toys."

@mcleanthe8th joked: "My family does Christmas lists. Even for adults. I'm 48 and mine consisted of only Lego sets." @georges_wild_world quipped: "I love this. Even if the adult was given the option to keep it for a while to fulfill that childhood wish, it likely could be donated in good." Denise replied by writing that "the real point of this kind of gift Secret Santa is to donate the toys to children who don't receive toys on Christmas Day." "We are making a child smile on December 25th. To each their own," she concluded.