Commentary by Kristie Weiss

Secret Santa gives us that element of surprise we all had as kids opening a present on Christmas morning.
Shops in and around Whitewater offer a lot of opportunities to find that perfect secret Santa gift that won’t empty your pockets.
The Janesville Mall, about 20 minutes from Whitewater, provides many stores with a variety of different gift ideas.  The mall includes places that fit everyone’s interest such as Sears, JCPenny, Kohl’s and Bath and Body Works.
You can even get something quick and easy at the Whitewater Walmart.  Filling up a stocking with a person’s favorite candy can show you’re thinking about them over the holidays. Another favorite, Christmas socks. Nobody can go a holiday without this famous gift.
Some people may think just getting a gift card isn’t showing someone that you put the thought and interest into their present.  Spice it up by purchasing one for a person’s favorite restaurant or the one store where they love to shop.
There are many restaurants around Whitewater such as Cozumel that offer gift certificates, but you don’t have to stop there.  They can use this gift wherever they go and with multiple restaurants to choose from it makes it easy for you.
As simple as it is, gift cards go a long way.  You’ll never have to worry if they like it or not because they ultimately get to choose what to spend it on.
There are gifts in everyone’s budget and for anyone’s interests. When buying for someone particularly difficult to shop for, think of ideas that fit in a person’s everyday life.  A candle, book, gift set, fleece blanket or a picture frame for you and your friend. Another option is to give them something that goes along with the holiday, such as an ornament that reminds you of them.
Sometimes a secret Santa gift can go bad.  Each year we used to do secret Santa between each of my cousins.  One year, my younger cousin had my brother for secret Santa.  My cousin told me that he had a perfect gift for my brother, but what I didn’t know is that it was all just going to be a joke.  When he received the present on Christmas Eve, wrapped in a round, unusual way, he opened it to find bubble wrap.  Thinking that this was just a prank before the real gift, we all sat there waiting. With my cousin starting to laugh, we realized that it wasn’t a joke at all.  Thankfully, he didn’t have me that year.
Christmas is just around the corner and what a better way to surprise someone with your own secret Santa idea.