Sometimes “Horror Secret Santa” is used as a synonym for “Trashy Secret Santa.” However this Secret Santa with a twist is actually completely different.
Secret Santa is currently so popular in the US that anonymous gift giving isn’t just restricted to Christmas. Secret gifts can be exchanged at normal parties all year round, or just for special occasions such as Easter. One of these events is a highlight for horror fanatics (or just for kids who love candy): Halloween.
The tradition of gift giving can’t escape the popularity of pumpkins, skeletons and costumes at Halloween. At Halloween, the venues for “Secret Pumpkin”-type events are decorated to suit the Halloween mood and naturally the gifts are also chosen to reflect the time of year, ranging from Halloween-themed candy through to gadgets, costumes or horror makeup – almost any kind of gift can be given or received.
Small pranks and surprises are often prepared, so it’s no longer unusual to find that a rubber spider jumps out at you when opening a gift.
Instead of “Secret Santa,” gifts are received from a “Secret Pumpkin” – although no one takes the term seriously as it’s a reference to the numerous pumpkins that suddenly appear at every American house as a Halloween decoration, and which sometimes stick around for a while afterward. The intense interest in the subject of Halloween might appear excessive to European eyes, but in the US, Halloween is a major holiday for children and adults alike and people compete with one another to have the best decorations in their houses or to wear the best Halloween costumes. The hype has made its way to Europe, where children in particular now stand on doorsteps each year on October 31st and call out “Trick or treat!” Halloween parties are now becoming more frequent in Germany for instance, where they attract more guests than ever before.