Ditching Secret Santa is the best thing we’ve done at work | Emma Kay

Instead we have decided to replace it with a Festive Foodie list instead, which is a pretty simple process and from the start is proving to be more popular.

In the days leading up to Christmas we each bring in a festive snack like mince pies, sweets or cakes. Home-baked or shop-bought, it matters not. Everything is welcome for a much-needed nibble.

So what is my personal beef with Secret Santa and why do I think we should ditch this tradition? It is believed to have been started by an American who had the idea of giving anonymous gifts and secretly gave away $100 bills to people in Kansas. Others say it is has Scandinavian origins where presents were given to strangers.

Some may see it as a cheerful chore and office bonding experience, but on a personal note I found the stress of choosing and buying a gift for a work colleague can be tenfold to buying for loved ones. Especially when you really want to buy your chosen recipient something that you really want them to like, but maybe outside of work, what do they really like? Or, are they thinking the same when they have pulled your hat out of the bag.

In so many workplaces, but not mine, Secret Santa gifts can so often be one of only two things, unwanted items or jokes that are as stale as a used cracker.

I’m sure there are offices in and around Portsmouth where the dread of when someone has given a joke present that you have to open in front of everyone and have to display a cringe-worthy smile and pretend to be absolutely delighted with a bounty of bog roll or something suggestive that makes you squirm with scarlet cheeks, enduring jeers from colleagues.

For those that quibble and say they are friends with all their office workers and are happy to partake in extra present procurement, you are missing the point and entirely negating the feelings of so many. If you have never stressed about Secret Santa, could it be that you are just give the same or similar gift every year? It is a statistical inevitability that you will draw the name of someone you may work well with, but know nothing of their social life. Why put ourselves through the stress? Many of these gifts get rewrapped and re-gifted to someone else like a tormented pass the parcel.

The ever growing pile of gimmick presents is something every homeowner surely dreads. Let’s end the cycle.

Why wouldn’t you wear a helmet when cycling?

Every day on my way to work I see cyclists without a helmet. Old or young, they parade their naked head like proud peacock as they pedal to their destination.

Rarely will I see a helmet. We know it is not required by law to wear a helmet and it is a contentious issue.

A helmet is not something to be taken lightly. It can literally save your life. Your brain is a vital organ, why would you not take every measure to protect it? Why would you risk death every day because of laziness or discomfort? It truly boggles my brain. Wearing a helmet has proven time and time again that it reduces cycle-related injuries and death.

Is anyone else as sick of it? Everyone should be behind campaigning for mandatory bicycle helmet laws in the UK.

You manage to wear a mask, why not the same with helmets?

Thanksgiving dinner is like a super-sized Sunday roast

Thanksgiving dinner at my American friend’s house is a much celebrated event and long may it reign.

So much of what was on offer is what we would recognise on our own Sunday roast table.

But there are the oddities with the Thanksgiving menu.

First up are the sweet potatoes with marshmallow, which does sound dubious to the uninitiated, but I promise you that your taste buds will receive a proper winter wonder slam once you sample some. This combination, I have to say, of sweet and savoury is to die for.

Next on the agenda was the jello-moulded cranberry that wobbled on the table like the world’s most enthusiastic dancer, and to finish off, coffee-coloured pecan pie with a dollop of fresh cream was extra sweet.

We all fell into a festive flump after copious amounts of food had been consumed – ready for round two at Christmas.

A message from the editor, Mark Waldron.

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