Secret Santa gift ideas for $10, $20 and $30

A good gift doesn’t have to be expensive

What makes a Secret Santa gift special is the feeling that someone really thought about you. A small, well-chosen thing means more than a big box with no heart in it. Prices vary from store to store: the amounts below are a rough guide, not a price list. In the UK, read $10 as about £8, $20 as about £15 and $30 as about £25.

Ideas around $10

At this price, go for one well-chosen thing rather than a handful of trinkets. Many of these also make great stocking stuffers.

• A jar of honey or jam from a small local producer.
• A small scented candle.
• A deck of cards or a pocket-size party game.
• A pair of thick, patterned socks.
• A nice notebook with a good pen.
• An assortment of loose-leaf teas or herbal teas.
• A packet of seeds to plant, with a small clay pot.

Ideas around $20

A comfortable budget for a gift that lasts.

• A super-soft throw blanket.
• A book picked for their tastes: a novel, a graphic novel, a cookbook.
• An insulated water bottle or travel mug.
• A set of spices from around the world.
• A two-player board game.
• An easy-care houseplant in a pretty pot.
• A kit to make your own candles or soap.

Ideas around $30

You can aim for something a bit longer-lasting, or an outing.

• A ticket to an exhibition, a museum or a show in their town.
• A basket of local treats: cheese, crackers, cookies.
• A string of fairy lights or a small mood lamp.
• A board game to play with family or friends.
• A wool scarf or beanie.
• A good-quality kitchen tool that will last for years.

For $50 in the family

Some families raise the budget, since each person buys one gift instead of one for everybody. At around $50 (or £40 in the UK):

• A half-day class: cooking, pottery, climbing, a tasting.
• A printed photo book of the year’s memories.
• A big board game to bring out at every family get-together.
• A few months' subscription to a magazine that suits them.
• A good kitchen knife or a sturdy pan for the person who cooks every day.

Ideas by type of person

• The foodie: chocolates from a local chocolatier, homemade spread, a box of cookies, or the dry ingredients for a recipe layered in a jar.
• The homebody: a hot water bottle, cozy slippers, a bedtime tea, a sleep mask. Anything you enjoy in pajamas on a rainy Sunday.
• The handy one: a headlamp, a solid tape measure, a set of screwdriver bits, a little project notebook with a carpenter’s pencil.
• The coworker you barely know: go for useful or shareable. Good coffee or tea with a mug, a succulent for their desk, a box of treats to pass around at the next meeting.
• The teen: a portable phone charger, a party game, a gift card for a bookstore or a shop they love, or something from their world (manga, music, sports). Their parents can point you in the right direction.
• The cook: a flavored salt, unusual spices, a cookbook from a country they don’t know, a wooden cutting board, an apron.
• The sporty one: a water bottle, a headband, technical socks, a microfiber towel, a massage ball.
• The reader: a novel you loved, with a note tucked inside the cover, a clip-on reading light, a leather bookmark.
• The gardener: heirloom seeds, tough gloves, plant markers, a small pair of pruners.

Handmade ideas

A handmade gift is often worth far more than what it costs. It takes time: start early, and do a test run before the real thing.

• A cookie jar: flour, sugar and chocolate chips in layers, with the recipe on the label.
• Homemade shortbread or truffles, in a pretty tin.
• Vanilla sugar or herb salt, made a few days ahead.
• A candle poured into a thrift-store teacup.
• A book of coupons: “breakfast in bed”, “movie night, your pick”, “I’ll do your dishes for a week”. Perfect within a family.
• A playlist handwritten on a card, with a short note for each song.
• A beanie or a neck warmer, if you already know how to knit.

Wrapping counts too: a square of fabric tied in a knot, brown kraft paper with a sprig of pine, a handwritten tag.

Making the most of the wish list

On Buzzloo, each participant can write a wish list that only the person who drew them can read. It’s the best way to avoid the gift that ends up at the back of a closet.

When you write yours

• Give three to five ideas, varied enough to leave some choice.
• Stay within the group’s budget.
• Add useful details: your size, your colors, what you already have.
• Note what you really don’t want: an allergy, “no alcohol”, “I have way too many mugs”.
• Write it soon after the draw: the person who drew you may be waiting for your list before they start shopping.

When you read your person’s list

• Treat their ideas as a starting point, not necessarily word for word. They like tea? Find them one they’ve never tried.
• Empty list? Look at what they share, quietly ask someone close to them, or choose something edible: it’s rarely a bad call.
• Torn between three ideas? Put them on the random wheel and let it decide.

If the draw isn’t done yet

The Secret Santa by link takes care of it in a few minutes, with couples kept apart and wish lists included. For the date, the budget and how the exchange itself goes, follow our guide on how to organize a Secret Santa. If you need to settle anything else by chance, like who hosts the party or who brings dessert, our guide to running a fair random draw has the right reflexes. And if your group likes games, finish the evening with our tips to host a quiz night.