The concept involves a gift exchange among a group where the gift-giver remains anonymous to the recipient. A common implementation sees participants’ names drawn at random, assigning each person to buy a gift for another member of the group. For example, in an office of ten employees, each person draws a name and buys a present for that individual, without revealing their identity to the recipient until the gift is opened.
Participation in this tradition fosters camaraderie and lightheartedness within teams and social circles. The activity encourages thoughtful gift-giving and promotes festive engagement, often within a predetermined budget, mitigating financial burden. Its history likely stems from similar holiday gift-giving practices that evolved over time, adapting to modern social dynamics and workplaces.