Gift-giving is an art form that few are genuinely skilled in. To do it well, you need real knowledge and empathy for the person you are giving a present to, as well as being on top of the savage game that is the retail industry during the festive season. 

To put it bluntly, it is not the kind of thing most should attempt as a ‘team building exercise’ in the workplace. There may be a novelty factor behind doing Secret Santa in the office, but it wears off fast when Julie from accounts clearly regifted you something that she won in the church tombola. Nine times out of ten, it’s just an uncomfortable pantomime you partake in to pretend you’re a valuable part of the company culture.

The flip side of this phenomenon is that it can expose the unexpected underbelly of a colleague’s personality, as with a recent viral video. When one woman exposed the abysmal gift she had been given by a coworker, Twitter users were astounded by its carelessness. I feel like the least you can do is make sure all packages remain unopened.