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Elfster Brings Secret Santa Online
It's more rewarding to give than receive (or so they say), and the holidays are no exception.
But if your family and friends are geographically spread out, or too busy with work, present-buying can be a difficult task — especially if you don't know what the person you're shopping for really wants.
See also: 15 Holiday Gifts That Give Back
Elfster is an online platform for gift-giving. Launched in 2004, the website serves as a social media network for "Secret Santa" schemes and holiday wish lists. It's free to use, so long as you have an email account, and it has more than 1.8 million users.
We talked to founder Peter Imburg, about the platform's earnest roots, its just-released iPhone app and the future of online holiday shopping.
Image: Peter Imburg
So how did this whole thing start?
It all began in a basement — seriously. I was living in Oakland, Calif., in 2004, and it was around Thanksgiving. I was trying to think of a way to help my family organize our Secret Santa gift exchange. We had all gotten kind of spread out, with different people living in Portland, Florida, Utah, Washington. The whole "pull-names-out-of-a-hat" idea wasn't really an option . I had a background working in finance and tech, and some coding experience, so I threw together a site just for us to use. It was a huge hit.
See also: How to Shop Discreetly at Work
When did you make it available to the public?
That same year. 2004 was kind of the era of Friendster, so we thought the name "Elfster" would be funny. I didn't have high expectations at first; I was just putting it up for free because it had gone over so well with my family. But that first year it had about 24,000 people sign up — and I thought, "OK, I might be onto something here."
People who sign up for the Secret Santa feature can choose from a list of selected gifts. How do you decide which gifts to feature?
The gift ideas are largely organic; they mainly come from reviewing and curating what people are putting on their wish lists. We're just looking at what's popular and what's new, then categorizing the next big things.
What are some of the newer features you've added since you first launched in 2004?
There's the iPhone app, which we're really excited about. We're launching an app for Android devices soon as well. But we've added a lot more to it since 2004. It's still a Secret Santa service, but you can also make online wish lists and see which gifts are most trending.
There's also the "secret" Question and Answer section, where you can anonymously ask someone a question without them knowing it. So, say you've started a Secret Santa and you're not sure what to get the person you've been assigned. You can send them a question through Elfster, with your identity hidden, and find out more about what they'd like. I've found it's important to let people know what you want — and especially what you don't want.
Do you think this takes away from the intimacy of traditional gift-giving and -receiving?
I don't think so. It's a variation of a classic for our times; it enhances it, if anything , and makes it possible in situations where it might not have worked for people in the past. It helps foster connections for spread-out families, too. This fun, traditional game of Secret Santa, you know — this just delivers the same idea of generosity to places where it was previously impossible.
You can sign up for a free account of your own online.
BONUS: 20 Secret Santa Gifts Under $20
Totally Perfect for: That Facebook fanatic at work who is always first to "Like" everyone's posts.
Cost: $11.99
Image: Fred and Friends
Totally Perfect for: That insatiable selfie snapper who's been guilty of a few duckfaces in their time.
Cost: $4
Image: GAMAGO
Totally Perfect for: That person whose answer to everything is "have you tried turning it off and on?"
Cost: $2.99
Image: Perpetual Kid
Totally Perfect for: That person who is constantly sharing corgi pics, vids and Vines.
Cost: $11.99
Image: ModCloth
Totally Perfect for: That person who always takes decorating their cubicle one festive bauble too far.
Cost: $15.99
Image: ThinkGeek
Totally Perfect for: That person who thinks googly eyes are a perfect solution to any problem.
Cost: $2.99
Image: Perpetual Kid
Totally Perfect for: That guy from the IT department who doesn't seem to have any personality... sorry, "hobbies."
Cost: $10.90
Image: Meninos
Totally Perfect for: Mac fan boys.
Cost: Varies; available for under $20
Image: w3shstore
Totally Perfect for: That person from the accounts department that needs to chill out a bit.
Cost: $11
Image: Art Lebedev
Totally Perfect for: That person whose presentations could use a little extra pizazz.
Cost: $12.99
Image: ThinkGeek
Totally Perfect for: That Android advocate that will talk your ear off about how superior Google's mobile OS is.
Cost: $17.10
Image: Google
Totally Perfect for: That grown-up executive person who you know would rather be building something awesome with bricks.
Cost: $14.99
Image: LEGO
Totally Perfect for: That person whose iPhone never leaves their hands. Even in the restroom.
Cost: $4.99
Image: Perpetual Kid
Totally Perfect for: That person who is always up in your Instagram feed.
Cost: $4.99
Image: IDHatShop/Etsy
Totally Perfect for: Creative types who still use pen and paper. Hipsters.
Cost: $14.95
Image: Pantone
Totally Perfect for: That person who actually uses the word "hashtag" in conversation.
Cost: $15
Image: sliverpicker/Etsy
Totally Perfect for: That person who still hasn't got over their comic book phase.
Cost: $19.99
Image: Spinning Hat/Amazon
Totally Perfect for: That fussy, sorry, particular person who is rather prescriptive about how their coffee should be made.
Cost: $14.48
Image: Suck UK/Amazon
Totally Perfect for: The office fidget.
Cost: $2.59
Image: Office Playground
Totally Perfect for: Are you kidding? Anyone.
Cost: $13.99
Image: ModCloth
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Images: Flickr, Jennifer C.; Peter Imburg
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