Christmas is coming in hot, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate. However, among the festive cheer is the silent dread of the whole office Secret Santa/Kris Kringle tradition. Buying Christmas presents is hard enough, but buying pressies for people you spoke to once in the kitchen while you waited for your toast to toast? Forget about it.
While the cutesy tradition is designed to bring colleagues closer together, but really it just makes our palms sweaty. Usually, there will be a few rules, like nothing over $50 and nothing too crude (because there’s always one person who takes it too far).
Here, we’ve done the hard yards for you and whipped up 18 Secret Santa gift ideas – all of them are under $50 – that’ll dazzle one and all. They’re also available online, so you don’t have to run around your local shops in a frenzy. Just kick back, click “add to cart,” and wait for the gift to rock up at your door. Ya welcome!
The Best Gag Gifts For Secret Santa
The easiest way to distract from the idea that you don’t know someone at all – is by getting them a joke present. Yep, humour is always a sure-fire winner when it comes to Kris Kringle.
This Magic Reveal Mug
Okay, but I’m obsessed with the idea of giving someone one of the Magic Reveal Mugs from Aussie brand Print Bar. Imagine all of the cute designs you can have printed and magically revealed when they pour their hot cuppa into this bad boy. It’s completely customisable, so you can have a personal joke printed on it, a sweet photo, a meme, literally anything you like.
This Funny Shock Pen
We’ve all got that one co-worker who always forgets to bring a pen to meetings. Why not prank them a little with this funny Electric Shock Pen? It has a shock value of 50 volts, so it should only make them jump a little.
This Cheeky Candle
A cheeky little gift for your co-worker’s desk.
This Noods Recipe Book
We all have that one colleague who constantly fills the office with the delicious smell of hot noodle dishes for lunch. So, of course, this yummy book of noodle recipes from a collection of chefs based across Asia and Australia makes for a good gift. Plus, the title is excellent.
This Take A Number Dispenser
This little Take A Number Dispenser is perfect for that one person who always has people lingering around their desk.
This Average Desk Sign
If you manage to pick your boss out of the Kris Kringle hat, you could always get them this hilarious sign for their desk.
The Best Self-Care Gifts For Secret Santa
Everybody loves a bit of self-care, and we should all be doing a bit more of it — especially if you and your co-workers have been working hard all year! These delightful, luxurious gifts are sure to please whoever is on the receiving end.
This Zodiac Essential Oil Blend
If you picked that star sign-obsessed co-worker out of the hat – the one who announces the beginning of Mercury retrograde at your morning meetings and blames their mental breakdown Monday on the fact they’re a Cancer – this zodiac-themed essential oil is a thoughtful way to show them you’ve been listening. Just make sure you get their zodiac right.
This Beauty Sleep Mist
I struggle to go to sleep early on work nights, so if you’ve got a co-worker in the same boat who is forever complaining about their sleep deprivation and need for coffee, this is a cute gift to help them kick their bedtime procrastination.
This Gua Sha
One of my favourite things to do at the end of a long day is to use my gua sha after doing my skincare routine. There’s something so genuinely mindful about it, it’s a great way to relax after a rough day. A perfect little gift, and pretty too!
This Lip Balm
The TikTok girlies who get it, get it. If you work in an air-conditioned office, you’ll know how dry your lips can get. A good lip balm is a must-have for the office, your car, handbag, gym bag… I could go on. Plus, this set comes as a holiday set, who could pass that up?!
Secret Santa Gifts That’ll Spruce Up Any Desk
A dull, boring desk is not a fun place to sit all day and doesn’t offer much in the way of comfort or inspiration. You can spruce up any workspace with just a little bit of a decor update, and these gifts are gorgeous, affordable and helpful additions to your workmates’ setup.
These Desk Top Affirmations
Everyone needs to read an affirmation or two from time to time. These sarcastic ones are a nice little touch.
These ‘Happy Pills’ — Daily Inspiration Messages
Got a co-worker who could use a little daily dose of inspiration? Why not gift them some ‘Happy Pills‘? Each ‘pill’ has a little inspirational message inside.
This Collapsible Laptop Stand
This laptop stand is so handy because it’s portable. Your workmate can use it all day at the desk, then, if they have to do some emails at home, they can pop it in their bag for easy transport. This is a surprisingly useful Kris Kringle gift!
This Desktop Calendar
There’s nothing like a physical diary or calendar to help you keep track of all your work projects, appointments and activities. This stand-up Friends calendar is great because you really can’t miss it — plus it’s got Friends artwork, quotes and photos on each page.
The Ultimate Secret Santa Gifts (aka The Crowd Pleasers)
Last but not least comes the crowd-pleasers. The things that are universally enjoyed by all and thereby impossible to dislike. Even if you know absolutely nothing about your person, these gifts are guaranteed to awe and delight.
This Funky Mirror Desk Lamp
I think my colleagues thought I was pretty vain when I first rocked up to work with a mirror for my desk, but honestly, after a few weeks, all the girlies were asking to borrow it. I think they’re a great gift, especially if your giftee is someone who regularly pops out for client meetings, or loves a cheeky after-work dinner with the gals.
This Cowboy Chip N Dip Hat
Putting this Cowboy Chip N Dip Hat here so that I can send this to my colleagues and pray my Kris Kringle gets me one of these bad bois. Hint, hint!
Arcade Gamer
If your coffee-loving colleague is also a gamer, this mini Arcade Gamer for their desk is a bloody good Kris Kringle pressie. Productivity might go down, but your brownie points will surely go up.
This Cheeky Cocktail Kit
For your co-worker who mans the bar cart of a Friday aro.
Image Credit: The Office