This year, instead of going crazy running around the city buying gifts for everyone, we decided to organize a Secret Santa.

Late one night in Cafe Breton, we wrote our names on slips of paper and fished them out again to find out who we’d be giving gifts to. We set rules—gifts can cost from P1500 to P3000 and should be ready by December 10, the date of our special Christmas dinner. The Secret Santa’s identity must be kept a secret until the reveal.

A friend decided to make things even more interesting—he offered a prize for the person with the most beautifully wrapped gift.

We all made wish lists, giving our Secret Santa a shopping guide. Friends listed all kinds of things—from shoes, watches and cosmetics to sheets, hampers and goldfish.

We spent the next days shopping for our giftees and trying to guess who our Secret Santa was.

The reveal was the best part. We did it one by one and unwrapped the presents as everyone watched.

We oohed and aahed over everyone’s wrapping styles (one friend filled the package with colorful balloons, another cut intricate snowflakes to decorate her box) and laughed about our shopping misadventures (one friend was duped into buying the wrong gift).

Everyone was chattering happily and when I asked, “So does this mean we’re doing this again?” the answer was a resounding yes.

There are many ways to play Secret Santa (or Kris Kringle) with your friends or family.

1. Create crazy themes.

Create categories like “furry but functional” or “things a superhero would like” or “hard but sweet” or “something that starts with the letter X.”

2. Make a hybrid Secret Santa by adding a spin the bottle component.

Bring a unisex gift, spin the bottle and give it to whoever the bottle lands on.

3. Try the White Elephant (also called Thieving Secret Santa or Nasty Santa)

Participants bring one gift each and take turns either opening a new gift or stealing a previously opened gift from someone else. Just don’t get mad when someone tries to swipe your present.

4. Play for the gift.

Gifts must be revealed and participants get to play for the chance to be the first to choose their present.

5. Give special awards.

Give awards for best wrapping, most creative gift, biggest gift, smallest gift and craziest shopping story.