Looking for Secret Santa gift ideas this holiday season?
A Secret Santa exchange means that not only is the gift a surprise to the recipient, but the giver as well. Whether it’s for your office, your friend group or your family, shopping for Secret Santa is a fun way to treat your assigned recipient to something special. Make this year’s shopping fun, stress-free and affordable with this guide to the best Secret Santa gifts under $20.
The 50 best Christmas gift ideas of 2023
Best Secret Santa gifts for coworkers
This black mesh desk caddy can help them start the new year feeling more organized at work or at home. It has six compartments, plus a drawer that’s the perfect size for sticky notes. Nonslip feet keep it from migrating around the desk.
PaperWildernessShop 2024 Animal Swimsuit Calendar
This monthly calendar riffs on swimsuit calendars by depicting squirrels, turtles and other critters rocking swimwear. It’s handmade in California with watercolor illustrations.
Post-It Cat Pop-Up Cat Note Dispenser
Pair this cute dispenser with another pack of accordion-style Post-It Notes for a cheerful upgrade to their reminders. It’s heavy enough to stay put and easily releases notes.
Big Boyz Merch Excel Super Shortcuts Mug
Help your coworker avoid spreadsheet stress with this coffee mug, which is printed with more than 60 Excel shortcuts. It’s a thoughtful gift that’ll make their work life easier, available in 11-ounce and 15-ounce capacities.
Help a coworker with their work-life balance and resiliency with this deck of prompts. It features 60 suggestions for physical health, mental health, and work relationships to combat burnout.
U Brands Mod Orb 1-Compartment Paper Clip Planter with USB Charging
If they love plants but have a black thumb, they’ll appreciate this cute and space-saving gadget, which features a faux succulent, a small hidden storage compartment and USB charging for their devices.
These popular YETI Ramblers keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for hours. The sliding lid seals magnetically to help protect the temperature.
Other top gifts for coworkers
- Upcycled floppy disk notebooks bring new life to old tech.
- An upscale monogram mug is indisputably theirs.
- A mini foam roller helps work out wrist and arm tension.
- For the office tea connoisseur, a tea ball that doubles as a scoop will be welcome.
- A classic fountain pen will let them write in style.
- A whimsical ceramic whale planter is a fun display with air plants or succulents.
- An UNO card game inspired by “The Office” can be played during breaks.
Best Secret Santa gifts for self-care
InnoGear Essential Oil Diffuser
This petite diffuser can mist essential oils into their room for up to eight hours. It also serves as a night light. Choose from four wood-finish color choices or a white model that lights up in eight different adjustable colors.
Made with soft, velvety microfleece, this throw blanket is perfect to wrap up in on the couch. It comes in more than 25 color choices, so you’re sure to find their favorite.
Lovery Coconut-Scented Whipped Body Butter
This rich body butter is made with shea butter, jojoba oil and coconut essential oils. It’s lightly scented and absorbs easily to soothe dry winter skin.
Silky smooth satin helps protect skin from drying and stretching during sleep. A satin pillowcase can also prevent frizzy hair. Plus, these just feel luxurious. This pillowcase comes in three solid colors and two prints.
The Republic of Tea Get Wellness Stackable Tea Tins
This set of three wellness teas is a great Secret Santa gift for boosting immunity and delivering other health benefits. They’re made with organic rooibos, matcha, echinacea, elderberry, and other beneficial herbs.
Dr. Scholl’s Women’s Fuzzy Spa Socks
These fuzzy socks come in pairs of three, infused with moisturizing lavender and vitamin E. They’re warm and cozy, with silicone grippers to prevent slipping.
Essential Burt’s Bees Gift Set
This travel-friendly holiday gift set comes with five skin-soothing products: a classic lip balm, hand salve, lotions for hands and feet, and a body lotion.
This set comes with everything they need for 12 sessions of sheet-masking self-care. The masks are formulated to address everything from dullness and tiredness to clearing and cleansing skin. The set includes a headband and a silicone buffer to massage in mask essence.
Other top self-care deals
- Yoga dice will help develop their flow in the comfort of home.
- A self-care diary will encourage them to practice self-love, gratitude and mindfulness.
- A classic fleece throw will make movie nights or reading cozy.
- A fun set of bath bombs moisturizing shea and cocoa butters will soothe their skin.
- A quality softcover notebook allows them to jot down their thoughts.
- This bestselling guide to happiness provides positive inspiration.
- A calming lavender and thyme scented candle adds serenity.
- A soothing cream to repair hands and nails by a popular French brand is a winter essential.
- A water bottle with time markers will keep them hydrated around the clock.
Best Secret Santa gifts for the home
They can transform their daily coffee into a coffee shop-style treat with this easy-to-use milk frother. It also helps mix up hot chocolate, protein shakes and other beverages. It’s available in dozens of colors.
Commemorate a favorite vacation or sports team or highlight their hometown pride with these etched glass double old-fashioned tumblers. Simply enter city and state to order.
The pebbled texture on this generously sized porcelain mug sets it apart from their usual coffee mug. It comes in five different colors, all of which have a white glazed interior. Plus, it’s dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
Guajolote Prints Sarcastic Cats 4-Pack Notepads
These notepads are funny Secret Santa gifts for cat lovers. Make their to-do lists and reminders a little more amusing, with cartoon cats offering the kind of encouragement we expect from our feline friends.
Their drinks will be anything but ordinary with this prismatic ice mold, which produces a faceted 2-inch cube. The silicone mold is free of bisphenol A and has a funneled opening for easy filling.
Schott Zwiesel Whiskey Nosing Glasses
These delicate tasting glasses are good Secret Santa gifts for the whiskey fan in your life. They’re made from an exclusive type of crystal that resists chipping and scratching, and they’re shaped to highlight the aroma of their favorite whiskey.
Pair these sturdy, old-school popcorn boxes with popcorn kernels to treat them to a movie night in. They’re sold in a pack of six.
Even if their home bar is fully stocked, they’ll find something new for their cocktails in this herb-growing kit. It includes everything they need to start growing tasty herbs such as Thai basil, lavender and mint.
Other top gifts for the home
- A shower can holder is fun for enjoying a cold drink in the shower or bath.
- A trio of glass bulb vases in a wooden frame is the perfect pairing with air plants, cut flowers and more.
- Wine-tasting cards let them enjoy an at-home wine tasting.
- For a birdwatcher, a heat-changing mug printed with hidden colorful birds is a pleasant surprise.
- A stainless steel double jigger will help them prepare next-level cocktails.
- A mini waffle maker is fun for easy breakfasts.
- A lidded silicone ice cube tray pops out 12 perfect cubes.
- Felt cactus coasters stack into a clever sculpture.
- Three mini acrylic frames are great for a Polaroid photographer.
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Laura Reed writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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