The workplace secret Santa can be the best or worst thing of your holiday season. Whether you get stuck with the new guy whom everyone suspects won't last past New Year's or the supervisor who loves you the most picks your name, we all have different experiences, and each year will probably not be the same. However, each year looks a little something like this:

1. The first round of picking names

You reach into the hat/bowl/envelope and pray to the Workplace Gods that you don't pick someone other than your work wife.

2. When you pick your work wife

Secret Santa gon' be fire y'all!!!

3. When someone puts a name back and chooses another one

Even though the rules say you can't re-pick, some entitled coworkers think they're better than that.

4. When the last person to choose picks their own name

And you have to give up your work wife because you want everyone to experience the magic of Christmas.

5. Everyone starts telling you who they have

You're not supposed to GUESS who picked you. You're not supposed to form an alliance with another coworker and talk about what to buy. You're ruining the magic of Christmas.

6. Searching for a gift for someone you hardly know while adhering to the budget rule

Everyone likes mugs, right?

7. Waiting until the last minute to buy your gift because you don't know what to buy them

Mugs are boring! What about chocolate? A calendar with cats? Socks?

8. Trying to pick a day for a secret Santa gift exchange dinner that works for everyone

Because with 12 people and lives outside of work, this was going to be easy from the start.

No matter how you experience these stages of a workplace secret Santa, we all get through them and we all end up together at dinner like some big, happy, dysfunctional family. Happy Holidays!