Secret Santa gift ideas for every budget

Good Secret Santa gifts are the ones that get used, and cheap Secret Santa gifts can manage that too when the card fits the person.

Secret Santa gifts under $20

A T2 Tea gift card starts at $5, so you can match the limit to the dollar and let them choose a tea they would not buy for themselves. For the colleague who never arrives without a coffee in hand, a Hey You gift card comes in $10 and $20 and goes towards their order at a café through the Hey You app.

Secret Santa gifts under $30

Lush is an easy pick for someone who likes a long bath after a long week, with amounts from $10, so $25 or $30 fits neatly. For the film lover, The Cinema gift card comes in $25, which turns a hot Saturday afternoon into a trip to the movies and a seat in the air conditioning.

Secret Santa gifts under $50

With a bit more room, a Koko Black Chocolate gift card starts at $20 and suits anyone with a sweet tooth. It is the kind of treat people rarely buy for themselves. For the person who always has a book in their bag on the train, a Dymocks gift card also starts at $20 and lets them choose the next one.

Office Secret Santa has its own rules. You see this person every day, you know how they take their coffee, but you have no idea what they do on weekends. That is exactly why the safest Secret Santa gifts for colleagues are the ones that do not get personal. Skip anything to do with clothing sizes, diets or in-jokes you only half understand. A gift card for tea, coffee, chocolate or a film lets them decide, and it cannot be misread.

The same goes for Secret Santa gifts for coworkers you have only met on video calls. A card sent by email reaches them wherever they work, whether that is head office or a spare room at home. If the draw has landed you with your manager, or someone from another team, keep the amount right on the limit. For more ideas for one particular colleague, our guide to Christmas presents for co-workers goes into more detail. Secret Santa gifts for work should be easy to give and easy to receive, and a well-chosen card is both.

Funny Secret Santa gifts get one big laugh at the break-up and then a quiet trip to the back of a drawer. Most of us have received at least one novelty mug that has never held a drop of coffee. If you want fun Secret Santa gifts that last longer than the joke, give them something to do.

The Gift of Fun gift card starts at $20 and can be spent at Timezone, Kingpin and Zone Bowling, so they can choose between the arcade and the bowling lanes. A Zone Bowling gift card on its own comes in $10, $25 and $30 amounts, so it fits almost any limit and works well for a group of colleagues who want a rematch.

There is also a third way. Put the joke in the message and the real gift in the card. Write something only your office would understand, add it on the product page, and let the card do the rest. That makes for unique Secret Santa gifts without anything ending up in landfill.

Christmas here means long days, the break-up BBQ and a car packed for the coast. Secret Santa presents can lean into that. An Anaconda gift card starts at $10 and goes towards a new camping chair, a cooler bag or a headlamp for the trip everyone is planning for January. For a bigger budget, a Red Balloon gift card starts at $20 and lets them choose a summer day out, from something adventurous to something more relaxed.

Good Secret Santa gifts in Australia suit a season spent outside, with gear and outings rather than things to keep indoors. If you are short on Secret Santa ideas in Australia, picture where the person will be on 27 December and choose from there.

Remembering the evening before is not a problem. Pick a card and an amount, write a message on the product page, and at checkout choose whether it goes to your own inbox or straight to theirs. It arrives within minutes. For the exchange itself, print the email at home or simply show it on your phone.

When you really do not know their taste, the Merry Christmas Gift Card starts at $20 and lets them choose from 300+ brands. For more Secret Santa ideas, browse our Christmas gift cards and see what fits the name you drew.

Whoever you drew, there is a card for the limit you agreed on.