The holidays are all about wacky traditions: advent calendars, elf on the shelf, cookie decorating — and, perhaps most widespread, Secret Santa. Every year, classes, teams, families and friend groups play Secret Santa, an anonymous gift exchange that fosters connection in the holiday spirit.

The history of Secret Santa

Annual Secret Santa exchanges are a customary part of the holidays, and most of us participate without a second thought. But this year, I decided to dig into the origin story of this particular tradition. When did Secret Santa begin? Who was the first to “invent” the activity? How did it grow so popular?

Contrary to popular belief, Secret Santa has only been around for half a century. Even more surprising is that the activity all began because of a homeless man in Houston, Mississippi.

Larry Dean Stewart spent most of his life living in poverty. Early on, he survived off his grandparents’ welfare benefits, but after he was on his own, his life dropped to an all-time low. 

On the week of Christmas in 1971, Stewart walked into a diner and ordered the biggest meal on the menu. He had no means to pay but was starving and desperate for food. The diner owner saw through Stewarts’ actions but took pity on his predicament, and in the spirit of Christmas gave the struggling man a meal free of charge and $20 of donation.

While $20 may not seem like a life-changing donation to many, this act of kindness was unforgettable to Stewart. In fact, the generosity of the diner owner is what inspired the first-ever Secret Santa.

In twenty years following that first $20 donation, Stewart strove to improve his living situation. But whenever he made progress, he would soon find himself back at ground zero. After getting fired from another job on Christmas week, Stewart tipped a struggling drive-in worker $20. Although Stewart was also struggling, the smile on the worker’s face was priceless.

With Stewart’s good deeds came good karma. In 2002, he started Network Communications, a long-distance telephone service provider. After earning a fortune, he continued to repay his debt every holiday season, giving out thousands of dollars to local businesses. He even returned the favor from the diner owner all those years back with a generous donation of $10,000.

For years, the public dubbed Stewart the mysterious “Secret Santa.” In 2006, when Stewart was on his deathbed, he finally revealed his identity.

And thus the ubiquitous Secret Santa began with a simple act of kindness that was passed from the diner owner to Stewart, Stewart to his friends, and from there to schools, teams and families worldwide.

How Secret Santa works

Today, Stewart’s legacy lives on in the form of “Secret Santa.” It is a worldwide sensation and a holiday staple across age and socioeconomic lines. The guessing aspects add hints of mystery, mischief and space for creativity that attract groups of every age, and groups can choose their gift budget to make the activity cost-friendly.

The holiday gift exchange game is played by family and friends of all ages and statuses. Although the rules vary depending on preference or location, there is a common structure for every version.

Firstly, each person is anonymously matched to buy a gift for another person. Gifters then search for a suitable present for the decided exchange day. Then, during exchange day, the gifts are distributed and the recipients attempt to guess their gifter.

Secret Santa at Burlingame

Burlingame students are no strangers to celebrating the holidays with Secret Santa. Every year, during finals, students bustle around during breaks or after school to participate in gift exchanges. 

Even the journalism class at Burlingame celebrates with Secret Santa. The class dubs the activity “Secret Not-Santa” and follows the general rule structure. Exchange day is held during finals week, where students celebrate the end of the year with Secret Santa, a holiday potluck and distribute the monthly issue to Burlingame Avenue.

An annual Secret Santa is also a permanent fixture of the girls’ varsity soccer team’s winter season. Senior Cora Haggarty has been on the varsity team since her sophomore year and has participated in the yearly gift exchange each season.

“In my sophomore year, I was really excited to hear that the team had [Secret Santa],” Haggarty said. “I’ve done it in the past with some of my friends but it’s a really cool thing that our team [does] it together and can spend time with each other in that way.”

Secret Santa is more than just a holiday celebration. The team especially cherishes the tradition because it offers valuable, off-the-field bonding time.

“[Secret Santa] helps a team get to know each other more and celebrate each other not just on the field, but also off [the field],” Haggarty said. “We all know each other pretty well, [but] if you don’t, it’s really great. It’s a way to build that connection with someone and can make their day.”

As Haggarty finishes her final year with the soccer team, she will savor the special moments — especially Secret Santa.

“Just seeing everyone’s faces when they get their gifts and knowing that [the team can] get to know each other in a better way [makes the event memorable],” Haggarty said. “As a senior this year, [it’s exciting] to see the sophomores and freshmen experience the same joy that I did.”