Running a Cuchumbo is simple, and these four rules prevent the most common problems.
Set the date early
Pick gift day and announce it early. What improves gifts most is giving people time to look for them: two or three weeks is a good margin.
Agree on one budget
A single number works better than a range. Everyone spends about the same and nobody feels bad about spending too much or too little.
Ask for good hints
Ask everyone for specific hints: sizes, favorite authors, allergies, hobbies. The more specific, the easier it is to get it right.
Keep the secret
If someone finds out early who's buying for them, the surprise is gone. No snooping and no leading questions until gift day.
Rules for specific situations
Office edition
A workplace exchange has different risks than a family one: people need to be able to opt out without explaining, the budget has to suit everyone, and nobody should feel singled out. Four rules for getting there.
Virtual edition
Rules ready to paste into the chat of a group that can't meet: friends in different cities, a scattered family or a remote team. They cover the budget, shipping, gift day and digital gifts.
For kids
Simple rules a child can understand and follow: how much to spend, how to keep the secret, what to do on gift day. You can read them out as they are.
White Elephant
White Elephant isn't Secret Santa: nobody is assigned to anybody. There's a table of wrapped gifts, a drawn turn order and the right to steal. The full rules and the most common variations.
Coworker exchange protocol
This page is for participants, not organizers: what to give a coworker, how much to spend, how to use the team chat and what to do on gift day.
The good participant
Nobody hands them out and everybody notices when they're broken: the budget, the date, the secret and a gift that is about the other person.
Receiving a gift well
Thanking someone for a gift you didn't choose is a skill. The thought deserves the thanks; the object can be dealt with later.
