Secret Santa challenge ideas: adjectives and functions to borrow

How the challenge works

In Your Challenge everyone writes a challenge for their own Santa before the draw: two adjectives and a function, which is what the gift should be for. After the draw each Santa sees the person they drew and that person's challenge. The gift has to tick all three.

You still get a surprise, because many different things can meet the same three words.

Adjectives to borrow

• How it feels: soft, warm, smooth, heavy, light, cosy.
• How it looks: round, tiny, striped, shiny, see-through, bright.
• Where it comes from: local, handmade, old, second-hand, foreign.
• What it is like: quiet, sweet, spicy, funny, serious, useful.

Functions to borrow

• For a place: for the desk, for the kitchen, for the balcony, for the bathroom shelf.
• For a moment: for Sunday morning, for the commute, for a rainy day, for the evening.
• For doing something: for writing, for cooking for friends, for a walk in the hills, for sleeping better.
• For other people: for sharing, for playing with someone, for the next party.

Combinations, and gifts that meet them

• "Soft" and "green", for the evening: a green fleece blanket, or soft green slippers.
• "Tiny" and "shiny", for the desk: a brass pencil sharpener, or a small metal clip for cables.
• "Sweet" and "local", for sharing: a box of pastries from a bakery in your town.
• "Warm" and "funny", for the commute: a hat with a pompom that is a little too big.
• "Old" and "useful", for the kitchen: a second-hand enamel pot, or a wooden spoon from a flea market.
• "Quiet" and "heavy", for Sunday morning: a thick novel, or a large mug for slow coffee.
• "Round" and "spicy", for cooking for friends: a tin of smoked paprika, or a jar of chilli honey.
• "Light" and "striped", for a walk in the hills: striped hiking socks, or a small folding cup.

How to write a fair challenge

• Choose words that many things can meet. "Blue" is fair; "signed by the author" is not.
• Check it against the budget. If you cannot think of two gifts in the range that would fit, change a word.
• Use adjectives a person can see or feel. "Nice" tells your Santa nothing.
• Do not hide a wishlist in it. "Wireless" and "noise-cancelling", for listening to music, is an order.

If you are the Santa

Read the words generously. An adjective can describe the colour, the material, the use or even the packaging. As long as you can explain at the party how the gift ticks all three, it counts, and the explanation is usually the best part.

Write the three words on the card. People forget what they asked for, and reading it out before the gift is opened makes the room guess.

Challenges for groups

• At the office: keep the functions about work or the commute, so nothing gets personal.
• In a family: let children write theirs with a parent. Theirs are often the best.
• Among old friends: allow one private joke per challenge, no more.