Secret Santa for dogs? What’s that all about?
This year, my dogs participated in a Secret Santa with several other dogs through Facebook. A fellow Australian Shepherd owner set up the event and it was a blast! I would highly recommend it, and if you’re curious to learn more about hosting one, look no further. Here’s how you can host a Secret Santa for dogs:
Choose a platform/location for hosting the event
For a remote event, based on my experience with Secret Santa for dogs, I would say any social media platform like Facebook is perfect. You want a platform commonly used amongst your invitees, where you can share information about the event, and where others can share feedback/questions/comments as well.
If the event is in person, you want to choose somewhere accessible for dogs and owners attending. I would still recommend using social media to communicate, so that everyone is kept up to date on the event.
Start early
Something we’re all guilty of when it comes to the holidays is waiting until the last minute to get gifts. Most often, you’ve covered almost all of your shopping by the last week, but there’s always a few gifts left that you leave late to purchase.
Don’t let this be any of your Secret Santa participants! Invite your participants early, so that they have plenty of time to plan their gifts.
Set an event date/deadline to send gifts
If you’re hosting an event in-person, confirm your event date as soon as possible. When it comes to the holidays, most participants’ schedules will be jam packed. If you leave the event date ambiguous, you will likely have few participants in attendance, if any at all.
If you’re hosting a remote event like the one we participated in, set a suggested send date for gifts. All participants in our group were within the province, so the suggested date to send packages was set within the first week of December. This was set to ensure packages sent by regular post would arrive before Christmas.
Have participants describe their dogs’ likes and dislikes
The host of our Secret Santa this year gathered and shared information about each dog. Even when you may know the dog you’re buying for, it’s nice to get more information about them to help find the best gift for that dog. I know that even my friends and family probably don’t know the exact types of toys my dogs like, so having that information for another dog is very helpful.
If you’re hosting a Secret Santa with participants you don’t know personally, gathering this information is especially important. The information shared can include any allergies the dog may have, so that their gift is not something they can’t have.
Set a gift value limit
As with every Secret Santa I’ve participated (dog-related or not), you need to set a cost limit for gifts. This is important to ensure that all gifts received are fair, but it also helps narrow choices to find a suitable gift.
On average, I would suggest setting a price limit of anywhere between $15-$30. When it’s a group you don’t know personally, aim for ~$15-$20 to be respectful of different budgets that participants may be working with.
When the event is a remote one, you also want to be mindful of shipping costs, which can often tag another $5-$25 onto the cost.
Suggest gift ideas
To help your participants, share some gift suggestions to the group! If you have a relatively low gift cost limit, you could share some common dog treat recipes or homemade bandana patterns that make for a custom gift at a reasonable cost.
Often I find myself overspending on gifts for others because I’m trying to find a happy medium between gift cost and substance. Custom gift ideas are a great way to find that middle ground.
I would always suggest that gifts be sent with cards because I am a big fan of cards. Adding a card is a perfect way to add your personal touch to a gift.
Encourage sharing the results!
There’s nothing more enjoyable than seeing an ecstatic dog tear open their gift! Encourage your participants to share pictures and videos of dogs enjoying their gifts.
For the Secret Santa that we took part in, the event was filled with pictures of happy dogs and sweet messages from the gift recipient owners. I have to say, seeing all of those happy dogs makes you enjoy the event that much more!
And that concludes my list of how to host a Secret Santa for dogs! While you won’t have time to host an event this year, be sure to keep it in mind for next year.
With one week left until Christmas, are you struggling to find the perfect gift? Check out my suggestions of what to get a dog owner for Christmas and more of what to get a dog owner for Christmas!