Affordable Secret Santa Ideas
Tis the season for not knowing what to buy for your Secret Santa! If you’ve ever participated in a Secret Santa at work, or in your family or friends group before, you know finding a gift can sometimes be cause for pulling your hair out. But, fear not! The queen of gifting is back again. I gave you a Gift Guide for Her, a Gift Guide for Him, and now I am back to give you a guide to some affordable Secret Santa presents for him & for her (and of course, those gifts can apply to whoever you think will love them, regardless of how they identify!)
If you’re participating in a Secret Santa gift exchange at work, it can be really difficult to find something that you think your recipient will like & use, and also fits within the designated budget. I’ve been apart of some gift exchanges in previous jobs where the spending limit was anywhere between $10 and $25, and some of those gift exchanges have not necessarily included pulling a name out of a hat and having a specific person to buy for (more on those kind of Secret Santa exchanges below!) For now, let’s chat about a traditional Secret Santa, where you buy for one specific person - and to start, a Secret Santa Gift Guide for Her.
Secret Santa Gifts: for Her
Gifts for Under $25
1. Shea Body Set | 2. Cardholder & Keychain | 3. Body Lotion | 4. Tempered Glass Screen Protector for iPhone X/Xs | 5. Socks (Similar) | 6. Earrings | 7. Silicone Airpods Case | 8. Hand Cream | 9. Scrunchie | 10. Ice Cream Cone Ornament | 11. Neon Pineapple Light | 12. Santa Corgi Popsocket | 13. Sunglasses | 14. Holiday Mug
What To Get For…
When You’re Friends: Basically, if you know your recipient well, there are some gifts you can definitely purchase with knowing a bit more about their personality & what they like, such as a Popsocket, Silicone Airpods Case, anything that is scented (Shea Body Set, Hand Cream, Body Lotion) or a Tempered Glass Screen Protector (we all know someone who drops their phone all. the. time.)
When You’re Colleagues: And for when you don’t really know your recipient too well. Maybe you just sit beside each other, occasionally chat, or don’t really chat at all, some go to simple gifts are an Ornament, a Mug, some cozy Socks, or a simple pair of Earrings. If you happen to know their personal tastes a bit more, a Cardholder or some fun Sunglasses are also a great little gift.
Budget, Budget, Budget.
Cheapest Gifts on the List: Earrings ($7.99 CAD), Hand Cream ($8 CAD), Ornament ($9.09 CAD) & Shea Body Set ($10 CAD).
Most Expensive Gifts on the List: Silicone Airpods Case ($15 USD, approx. $19 CAD), Neon Pineapple Light ($19.99 CAD) & Scrunchie ($19.99 CAD).
Secret Santa Gifts: for Him
Gifts for Under $25
1. Silicone Airpods Case | 2. Touch Screen Gloves | 3. Tea Tree Skin Care Set | 4. Black Bear Ornament | 5. Sunglasses | 6. Beanie (Similar) | 7. Herschel Cardholder (Photo from Nordstrom US website) | 8. Socks | 9. Sunglasses Case | 10. Beard Oil | 11. Aftershave Balm | 12. Fountain Pen | 13. Seasonal Mug
What To Get For…
When You’re Friends: Buddies. Friends. Pals. Doesn’t matter how you put it, but you know your Secret Santa more than just as a coworker. Some great gifts on this list for when you know a bit more about your recipient and their personal tastes, and things that they own are the Silicone Airpods Case, a Herschel Cardholder, Sunglasses, a Fountain Pen (for your friends who like to write everything!) or anything related to personal hygiene, that may or may not involve scent (Beard Oil, Aftershave Balm, Tea Tree Skin Care Set).
When You’re Colleagues: For those Secret Santa’s who you don’t really know on a personal level, some simple & safe gifts to pick from are an Ornament, a Beanie, some warm Socks, a Mug, or some Touch Screen Gloves. You’ll notice a lot of these gifts are the same as the Secret Santa Gifts: for Her section - well, really, when it comes down to it, these are great gender neutral gifts that are easy to pick without knowing too much about the person. You can easily get any one of these things in a colour, design or style that they like simply by looking at what they wear to work on a daily basis!
Budget, Budget, Budget.
Cheapest Gifts on the List: Ornament ($6.99 CAD), Beanie ($9.95 CAD), Socks ($9.95 CAD) & Sunglasses Case ($9.99 CAD).
Most Expensive Gifts on the List: Beard Oil ($19.20 CAD), Fountain Pen ($22.50 CAD) & Herschel Cardholder ($24.99 CAD).
What If I Need A Gender Neutral Gift?
I don’t know how many people have done this before, but at my previous job, we didn’t pick names out of a hat, and have one single person we were buying for. Instead, we were given a maximum spending limit, and told to get a gender neutral gift. On the day of our exchange, we selected numbers out of a hat, and went in order from there, selecting hidden gifts from the pile that we all brought in. To make it extra fun, people could “steal” others people’s selected gifts for themselves until the last person has picked. The long & short of it is, no one knows what gift they will end up with. So, what do you purchase for these kind of gift exchanges? Well don’t worry, cause I made a helpful list of gift ideas for those kind of Secret Santa’s too!
Gender Neutral Gifts
Seasonal Socks
Touch Screen Compatible Gloves
Toques
Ornaments
Gift Cards - Some recommendations include gift cards for Uber, Amazon, Grocery Store (Don’t kid yourself, this is helpful to everyone during the holiday season), Coffee Shops (Tim Hortons, Starbucks, etc), Google Play, Apple Music/iTunes, Spotify or Netflix (it’s always nice to not have to pay a month or two of your monthly subscriptions!)
Passport Holders or Luggage Tags
Notebooks
External Chargers (yes, there are some external batteries available for less than $25!)
Winter Scented Candles
Desktop Phone Holders
Wireless Mouse (an absolute life changer if your workplace uses wired mice & keyboards)
Seasonal Mugs
Hot Chocolate Kits (hot chocolate mix with marshmallows)
Water Bottles
* Tip: Some good colours to pick from when purchasing a gender neutral gift are black, white, grey, beige or white.
If you’ve got a Secret Santa this year, whether you know them well, hardly know them, gifting for a her, or a him, or looking for a gender neutral gift, there are so many options! Let me know in the comments below if you found some inspiration for your Secret Santa shopping this year. See you next Tuesday! Xo.
* Note: Some links above are commissionable affiliate links.
