The envelope opens and the name is someone from the new floor, someone you've said hello to twice. Your stomach drops: what do you give a person whose favourite colour you don't know?
The usual reaction is to buy something neutral and hope. A better one is to treat it as a small investigation. You have more clues than you think, and the app was built to hand them to you without breaking the secret.
Four ways to get to know your person
Read everything they wrote first
Before you search anything, read their hints and wishlist twice. People who don't know the group tend to write carefully, because they expect to be misread. Note the words that repeat: a flavour, a brand, a hobby. That's your shopping list.
Ask them through the page
Once your envelope is open you can write to the person you drew without them knowing who you are. Ask about a size, a colour, whether they already own something.
Keep out anything that would give you away: a department, a joke only you would make. They answer on the same page.
Ask someone who knows them, without saying who you drew
A colleague at the next desk, a cousin who sees them often: ask what the person is into, not who you drew. “What does she do on weekends?” gets you an answer; “I drew her” gets you a secret that travels.
When in doubt, choose useful and easy to like
Something to eat, drink or use up, in a small, good version: a coffee, a tea, a notebook, a plant that survives neglect.
Skip clothes, perfume, jewellery and anything about the body or beliefs. A safe gift with a handwritten line about why you chose it beats a risky one.
Know where to stop
Don't dig through someone's profiles for sensitive details such as diet, health or beliefs; if it isn't in their hints, it's not yours to guess. And if the budget allows only a small gift, a considered small gift is a good gift.
Start with what they wrote
Your page keeps the person's hints and wishlist in one place, and lets you ask them a question without revealing who you are. Open your envelope and start there.
