“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris, 19-Century English designer. Struggling to fit this quote to the reindeer bobblehead you still have from last year’s office party? Though you may be tempted to regift it this year, instead prioritize useful Secret Santa gift giving ideas this year. Extra points if they’re beautiful, too.
Make sure your gift won’t take up unavailable space in your coworker’s or friend’s home. Aim for it to enhance rather than clutter up their life. Look for three categories when buying gifts for your Secret Santa exchange this year:
- Consumables: Things they’ll eat or use up, especially ones they might not buy for themselves, like an indulgent version or a fun variety of an everyday basic.
- Practical items: Gifts they need and will use but either probably don’t have, or likely need a new one.
- Experiences: Prepay and package up an idea for something new, exciting, or just plain fun.
Caveat to every suggestion here – ask around about your recipient’s allergies and other limits.
Secret Santa Gift Giving Ideas for a Renter
While no two renters match, look for gifts that don’t take up a ton of space. According to Redfin’s analysis of US Census data, 67% of renters stay in a single home for four years or less, with 25% moving out after a year or less. Consider items that help fill in basics, provide experiences to get out and about, or bring back simpler childhood times.
Consumable
- Candy Choices: Put together an assortment of ten or so candy bars. According to Chief Marketer, 75% of adults regularly buy or eat candy. Think about variety in what you choose, like chocolate, mint, peanut, gummy, and berry flavors. Include a few traditional favorites, like a Hershey bar. Balance these with newly released items like Skittles Pop’d – freeze dried candy – or Kit Kat Vanilla.
- Spice Theme Pack: Spices for cooking and baking can be expensive. Help out someone building their pantry with a group of spices and a recipe to use them. For example, buy cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and print out a recipe for pumpkin bread with chocolate chips.
- Flavored Syrups: Look for Torani syrup in flavors like vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut to add to coffee, hot chocolate, or cocktails. Print out a few recipes of drinks to make from their website.
- Protein Bar Assortment: Great if they’re in need of a breakfast on the go, a snack to tide them over until the next meal, or a post-workout boost. Choose a variety of flavors and brands.
- Hearty Hand Lotions: Everyone needs moisturized hands in the winter. Pick up 2-3 hand creams with names like Aquaphor, Gold Bond, CereVe Therapeutic, Eucerin Advanced Repair, or Neutrogena Hydro Boost.
- Hand Sanitizers With Scent: They may no longer have gallons of hand sanitizers stashed throughout their life, but these cleaners still come in handy. Find great smelling ones like Cucumber Lemon and Black Cherry Merlot at Bath & Body Works or similar stores.
- Fun Lip Balms: Go wild at the drugstore or mall store, and put together an assortment of balms to keep away chapped lips throughout the winter.
Practical
8. Stickers from Local Artist: This one may nudge closer to beautiful, so points for that, but many artists create stickers from their art. Etsy, local fairs, or an illustrator’s website may be a source. Great to decorate a journal or phone case.
9. Hair Accessories: For the right recipient, an assortment of no-pull elastics, bobby pins, barrettes, headbands, or clips could make their day.
10. Electronic Accessories: Research their phone model, then buy them the right lightning or USB-C cord, wall plugs, charging station, flash drive, or pop socket. Even if they have one now, these things seem to disappear into thin air.
11. Quality Ice Scraper for Car: Live in a wintery climate? Ice scrapers and snow brushes sometimes go missing over the warmer months. Find them a particularly effective one in case they need to ditch their current one.
Experience
12. Local Adult Skate Night: Get a voucher for a Saturday night for two at a local roller skating rink.
13. Apps: Buy a Google or Apple gift card and add in suggestions of the best three paid phone games you, or others you know, like.
14. Diner Gift Card: Choose one that’s been there forever but still has great fries and omelets.
15. Live Music: Affordable tickets to a live music night at a local bar or pub.
16. Tea Gift Card: Treat them to two or three Milk Teas with Boba or Matcha Smoothies at a nearby tea shop.
Secret Santa Gift Ideas for Eco-Friendly Coworkers
Consumable
17. Bakery Cookies: Find a local bakery and buy some handmade cookies to package up.
18. Fair Trade Coffee: Look up the back story of a brand of fair trade coffee that comes from an environmentally sustainable company and include it with the beans.
19. Nuts and Seeds: Compile small packages of a variety, from high protein pepitas, to decadent pecans, to easy-to-add hemp seed. Help them add health, protein, and flavor to baked goods, salads, or their morning oatmeal.
20. An Empty Jug: Give a gift card to a zero waste store and the jug to fill with laundry soap or cleaning solution.
Practical
21. Groceries: Give a gift card to your favorite grocery or speciality store and a nice, new reusable bag.
22. Socks: Investigate their shoe size, then pick out a couple of pairs of cozy wool socks that will fit.
23. Snow Grips: Whether they’re snow hiking or just trying to safely get to their car, look for pull-on ice grips to fit their boots or shoes.
24. Mechanical Pencil: Buy them a well made, appealing mechanical pencil and the right lead refills.
Experience
25. Ice Skating: Gift a voucher for their local ice skating arena entrance and skate rental. You may jump start a new hobby for them or their kids.
26. Spring Flowers: Tickets to your local garden gives them the promise of a Spring treat when the bulbs and trees start to flower.
Minimalist Ideas for Secret Santa Gifts
Consumable
27. Lux Chocolate: Look for a tiny box from a local chocolate maker of truffles, dipped fruit, or toffee.
28. Imported Teas: Select a variety of boxed teas imported from Britain, China, Japan or India.
29. Dr. Bronners: The ultimate minimalist castile soap, Dr. Bronners promises to clean your body, your house, and your life. Comes in liquid and bar in various scents.
Practical
30. Affordable Luxury Pen: Instead of them using up 20 pens over the next year, select a comfortable, refillable pen to last.
31. Blank Book: Include a printed link to Ryder Carol’s Ted Talk on his Bullet Journal method. They’ll become even more organized.
32. Organizing Book: Give a new copy of Marie Kando’s 2010 small book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” along with a sticky note reminding them to pass it along to someone else once they finish.
Experience
33. Contemporary Art: Research tickets for a local art museum and upcoming minimalist exhibitions.
34. Solo Breakfast Out: Give the gift of a mindfully eaten, calmly enjoyed meal before the chaos of the day ensues.
More Ideas Under $25 for Secret Santa Gift Giving
Consumable
35. Single Beverage Assortment: Go wild with exotic flavors of new and traditional drinks, like Black Sage Kombucha, Coca-Cola Oreo, or Peach Pear Tama Sparkling Tea.
36. Jars of Olives and Maraschino Cherries: For the cocktail drinker you know.
Practical
37. Gloves: Look for ones that stretch to size they can keep on hand as a backup pair.
38. Keyring and Phone Wallet: Look for high quality, appealing options to keep their days organized and sharp looking.
Experience
39. Movies: Everyone loves a night out at the movies. Buy vouchers for two tickets to your local theater chain and include a printout of upcoming movies.
40. A Chance at Much More: Feeling lucky? Gift ten, two-dollar lottery tickets and let them see what else might be in store for their future.
Whatever you select for your Secret Santa gifts this year, give it in the spirit of fun, useful, tasty, pleasant, and helpful.
