40 Secret Santa Gift Ideas by Budget

You’ve drawn a name. Now what? A Secret Santa gift has its own rules: a budget set in advance, someone you sometimes barely know, and the hope that it won’t end up at the back of a drawer. Here are 40 ideas sorted by budget, then by profile, for Christmas 2026 with family, friends or at the office.

Haven’t run the draw yet? Our guide to organizing a Secret Santa covers the rules and the budget, and the online name draw emails each person the name of who they’re buying for.

What Makes a Good Secret Santa Gift?

A good Secret Santa gift fits the agreed budget, pleases without knowing the person inside out, and is easy to enjoy or share: a quality treat, a small object they’ll use every day, a game to play together or something linked to a passion. Aim for the agreed amount: not well below it, and never above.

Three habits that help:

• Start from what you know. Their morning drink, their sport, what they read, the plants on their desk: one clue is often enough.
• Go for useful or consumable. Something used or enjoyed never gets in the way; a random ornament often does.
• Take care with the wrapping. A nice parcel and a handwritten note make a gift feel more generous than its price.

How Do You Choose for Someone You Barely Know?

When you barely know the person you drew, go for something consumable or shareable rather than personal: a local treat, a quick game, an easy plant, a nice desk object. Look at their habits and what sits on their desk, or quietly ask someone close to them: a single clue changes everything.

The clues that help most:

• What they drink: coffee, tea, herbal tea, hot chocolate.
• What they do at weekends: sport, hiking, cooking, games, reading, DIY.
• What’s on their desk or in their bag: a plant, books, headphones, a water bottle.
• What they avoid: a special diet, allergies, no alcohol. When in doubt, skip food that might be a problem.

With Givenly, if the organiser filled them in, the budget and the exchange date are in the draw email, so there’s no need to ask again.

Under £10 / €10: 10 Small Touches

The usual budget for big groups and many offices. The challenge: a gift that looks chosen, not grabbed at the last minute.

1. An illustrated mug — Picked to match their sense of humour or their morning drink.
2. A pocket card game — Quizzes, challenges or party games: it comes out as soon as the exchange is over.
3. A regional treat — Fudge, salted caramels, biscuits from a local maker.
4. A bar of artisan chocolate — Good chocolate gets noticed, even in a small size.
5. Illustrated bookmarks — For anyone who reads on their commute.
6. A herb growing kit — Basil or chives for a windowsill.
7. A useful keyring — Bottle opener, mini torch or trolley token: the kind of thing people keep for years.
8. A quality lip balm — The small treat you take everywhere in winter.
9. A mini jigsaw of 100 to 200 pieces — Something to fill a lunch break or a train journey.
10. An illustrated tote bag — For shopping or the library, chosen from an illustrator.

£10–15 / €10–15: The Sweet Spot

The most common range between colleagues: enough for a quality item, without making anyone uncomfortable. To set the amount at work, see our office Secret Santa guide.

11. A water bottle or insulated mug — Something used every single day.
12. A quick party game — Ten-minute rounds to bring out at Christmas dinner.
13. A selection of teas or herbal teas — Loose or in bags, from an independent shop.
14. A well-chosen paperback — A novel, a graphic novel or a short essay on a subject they love.
15. An easy houseplant — Pothos or snake plant: they survive central heating and forgotten watering.
16. A set of syrups for alcohol-free drinks — Ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon: festive drinks everyone can have.
17. A clip-on reading light — For reading in bed without waking anyone.
18. A pocket watercolour kit — A few pans and a water brush, for sketching on the go.
19. A deck of recipe cards — To cook something other than Sunday pasta.
20. A pair of touchscreen gloves — To use a phone outside without freezing fingers.

£15–20 / €15–20: A Gift That Gets Noticed

A frequent budget among friends or in small teams. You can aim for a more refined item or a small experience.

21. A soft throw — The ultimate winter gift, for the sofa or the office.
22. A wooden puzzle box — Pretty on a shelf, fiendish to solve.
23. A mushroom growing kit — Oyster mushrooms on the kitchen table within a few weeks.
24. A world spice set — For people who love to cook.
25. A two-player board game — Perfect for a couple or flatmates.
26. A poster or art print — Chosen for their city, favourite show or passion.
27. A wooden or cork desk organiser — To tame pens and cables.
28. A wool beanie or scarf — A simple colour, a pleasant material.
29. A pocket Bluetooth speaker — For the shower, a picnic or the office.
30. A recipe kit — The spices and tools for one specific dish, with the recipe.

£20–30 / €20–30: For a More Generous Exchange

Better suited to a family Secret Santa or close friends. At this price, an experience becomes possible.

31. A cinema ticket or a local show — A moment to enjoy rather than an object.
32. A treat box you put together yourself — Artisan spread, biscuits and tea, tied with a nice ribbon.
33. A family board game — For long evenings at the end of the year.
34. A cheese-making or home-brewing kit — For curious people who like making things themselves.
35. A compact power bank — The item they’ll thank you for on every trip.
36. A disposable camera — To capture the festivities and rediscover the photos later.
37. An apron and a good kitchen tool — For whoever cooks for everyone.
38. An illustrated 1,000-piece jigsaw — The shared project of the Christmas holidays.
39. A one-month subscription — A magazine, a book or tea box: the surprise keeps going.
40. A gift card for an independent bookshop — If you’re really stuck, with a note suggesting two or three titles.

Want more ideas, including above £30 / €30? Our selection of 50 Christmas gift ideas by budget also covers gifts to give together.

For a Colleague: Safe Bets

At work, the right gift stays neutral and useful: it should be fine to open in front of the whole team. A few simple matches:

• Always holding a coffee → a water bottle or insulated mug (no. 11), or quality coffee beans.
• Always in meetings → a good notebook, a desk organiser (no. 27).
• Always commuting → a paperback (no. 14), a power bank (no. 35).
• Always in a good mood → a quick party game (no. 12), to share with the team.
• You know nothing about them → a regional treat (no. 3) or an easy plant (no. 15).

At the office, avoid alcohol, perfume, clothes in a guessed size and overly personal humour. Our office Secret Santa guide covers what works between colleagues, including remote teams.

For Him or For Her? Think Interests Instead

People often search for “Secret Santa gift ideas for him” or “for her”. In practice, an interest is a far better guide than gender:

• Foodie → regional treat (no. 3), artisan chocolate (no. 4), homemade treat box (no. 32).
• Reader → paperback (no. 14), clip-on light (no. 17), bookshop gift card (no. 40).
• Cook → spice set (no. 24), recipe kit (no. 30), apron (no. 37).
• Gamer → card game (no. 2), puzzle box (no. 22), two-player game (no. 25).
• Gardener, even in a flat → herb kit (no. 6), easy plant (no. 15), mushroom kit (no. 23).
• Creative → watercolour kit (no. 18), art print (no. 26), disposable camera (no. 36).

Funny Secret Santa Gifts: How Do You Make People Laugh Without Offending?

A good funny gift makes everyone laugh, starting with the person who receives it: it plays on a passion or a habit everyone knows about, never on looks, age or a sensitive topic. At work, keep the irony for teams who know each other well, and make sure the gift is useful too.

A few ideas that raise a smile safely:

• A mug with a message about a shared habit: the meeting that could have been an email, coffee before anything else.
• The “unkillable” plant for the person who forgets them all, with a short instruction card.
• A game of absurd challenges to start during Christmas dinner.
• Unlikely socks with a pattern matching their passion.

If you’re unsure about their sense of humour, choose a serious idea and put the funny touch in the note that goes with it.

Gifts to Avoid

• Going over budget. A gift pricier than the rest makes everyone uncomfortable.
• Anything too personal. Perfume, make-up, fitted clothes: hard to get right.
• Alcohol at the office, unless you’re sure the person drinks.
• The joke that humiliates. The laugh should be shared, not endured.
• The obvious regift. Something pulled from a cupboard is easy to spot.

When Should You Buy Your Gift for Christmas 2026?

Buy as soon as the draw is done, and at the latest a week before the exchange. Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday: if your exchange is in the week of 14 December, order online at the end of November or in the first days of December, so you don’t depend on end-of-year delivery delays.

If the gift has to travel, allow even more time: our guide to a long-distance gift exchange covers posting deadlines.

Run the Draw with Givenly

Just the draw left to do? Create your Secret Santa for free on Givenly: only the organiser creates an account, everyone gets the name of who they’re buying for by email (with the budget and date, if you set them), and nobody sees anyone else’s result.