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The Entire Country Of New Zealand Is Playing Secret Santa And Can We Please Move There ASAP?

byJinal Bhatt
20th December 2017
3 minute read

T’is the season, you guys! T’IS THE SEASON! My excitement during this time of the year is reached peak euphoria, mostly because December is all about Shaadis, Secret Santa and Saying hello to the New Year. But today, Twitter just sent my emotions into a complicated frenzy of envy, jealously, longing, and mushy feelings with just one news: New Zealand’s Secret Santa.

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The Land of the Long White Cloud (Maori name for NZ), home of the Kiwi bird, and Tolkein’s Middle Earth from The Lord of The Rings, New Zealand is all set to give major competition to Canada for having the nicest folks who embody the real spirit of Christmas—giving!

Apparently every year, New Zealand hosts a nation-wide Secret Santa, which anyone and everyone can register for, and exchange gifts with absolute strangers from all over the country! They even have an official Twitter account!

The participation, which starts somewhere around November, is free of cost. At the time of registration, one has to simply share their Twitter handle, so that their Secret Santa can ‘stalk’ them and figure out their likes and dislikes. The official Twitter handle of this game also conducts a Q&A that participants can answer to help their SS know them better!

Of course, this is an exchange, which means, while thou shalt receive, thou shalt also give presents!

The best part is, even the NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Arden is an enthusiastic participant in this fun game!

I know of some folks who can’t even pull off a decent Secret Santa in their workplaces! But a country-wide Secret Santa just sounds like a wonderfully impossible task. I mean the sheer logistics alone! But you’ll be surprised!

One of the rules of the game is that you must tweet pictures of your gift, which will be delivered to you by #NZSecretSanta elves!

Be prepared to be extremely envious of the Kiwis because they’ve exceeded expectations in one of the loveliest, most endearing Secret Santa gift unwrapping I’ve seen!

From chocolates, to books, to knitwear for the season, and loads of heartwarming notes, these Kiwi Secret Santas sure know how to make merry!

1. Isn’t that such beautiful packaging? And there’s a hidden clue to who the Secret Santa was!

https://twitter.com/BecksT84/status/943205177292603392

2. You had me at Harry Potter!

3. Even the NZ Police got some! Such a beautiful note 🙂

4. There’s also this trend of using #nailedit in your tweet if you love your gift. I mean, look at that! How can you not love chocolates?

5. This one deserves applause! *slow claps*

6. OMG THIS IS THE BEST GIFT EVER!

https://twitter.com/louisftellie/status/942897652890451968

7. Listen, there is nothing, NOTHING, that can trump a pet photo collage. NOTHING.

8. WHAT? 12 BOOKS? OMFG, Who is this angel?

https://twitter.com/gbralph/status/943001781931347969

9. Mugs are supposed to be boring gifts, TBH. But this one though has a picture of the much loved but now deceased First Cat (PM’s cat) Paddles on it! Awwwww!

This gift just won Secret Santa for a lot of people; even the PM herself loved it!

10. Yes way, Rosé! And what is with the Kiwis making mugs so interesting? How are you doing this?

11. Take a bow, NZ. Your Secret Santa game is truly out of this world!

12. What a wonderful thought, this!

13. Yeah, no kidding!

14. Want. To. Move. To. NZ. STAT!

And then I saw this video of NZ PM unwrapping her Secret Santa gift, and I knew that I was done. Any more visuals of Secret Santa gifts killing it and spreading so much joy around, and I will officially run out of my house like Bilbo Baggins did in The Hobbit.

New Zealand consulate in Mumbai, please consider this my official request to come and live in your beautiful country. Your peeps make incredible Secret Santas and now that I’ve discovered this secret, I want in!

PS: Merry Christmas, y’all!

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