Make it a tradition
Secret Skeleton
Late October
Instead of Secret Santa, everyone draws a name and buys something spooky on a £5-£10 budget.
What you need
- Names written on folded slips
- A bowl
- A budget of £5 to £10, written where people can see it
- Gentle ideas: stickers, a mini pumpkin, socks, a book
- An adult to check gifts for the youngest
How to do it
- In late October, everyone draws a name. If someone draws themselves, they draw again.
- Keep the spend between £5 and £10.
- Choose something spooky and kind. Nothing gory. No small parts for under-3s.
- An adult looks at gifts for the youngest before they are wrapped.
- Swap them on Halloween with the giver's name attached. The secret is only the shopping.
One household's version
A child draws a parent and spends £6 on orange socks and a chocolate bar from the allergy-safe tin. A parent draws a three-year-old and chooses a board book, not a toy with buttons. They swap the parcels after the film.
Safety note: Choose age-appropriate gifts, nothing gory, and no small parts for under-3s.