Funny Secret Santa Gifts That Actually Get Used

Funny Secret Santa gifts have one big flaw: the laugh lasts ten seconds, and then the thing sits in a drawer for months. The novelty whoopee cushion rarely survives the spring clean. If you want a present that gets a laugh and then actually gets used, you need an idea with a second layer. Here are funny Secret Santa gifts that manage both, most of them under €15.

What makes a funny Secret Santa gift work

Three quick questions help:

• Are people laughing with them or at them? Jokes about weight, age or relationship status almost always land badly at work.
• Is there a second use? A gag you keep using in the kitchen or bathroom goes down better than pure clutter.
• Does it fit the budget? Funny doesn't mean expensive. The best laughs are often cheap.

Not buying anything at all and swapping old stuff instead? Then our junk Secret Santa ideas are what you're after.

Funny Secret Santa gifts that get used

The bottle cap soap

Our favourite gag, and admittedly we're biased: a bar of soap with a bottle cap pressed into it, floating on the shower wall. Unwrapping usually goes from a puzzled frown to "Right, and what do I do with this?" The answer is the Soapi, a magnetic soap holder. The cap, from a beer or cola bottle for example, goes halfway into the soap, and the magnet holds it on the wall. The soap dries all the way round instead of turning to mush in a dish, and the sink stays clean.

For maximum effect: before wrapping, press the cap from the recipient's favourite beer into the soap. The Soapi costs €12.95, comes in 10 colours and sticks on without drilling, on tiles, glass or mirrors. The all-in-one option is the Starter Kit for €14.95, with a Soapi, a lavender soap from Marseille (100 g, handmade in Marseille) and a cleaned bottle cap. For beer lovers we have more ideas in gifts for beer drinkers.

More ideas with a wink

• Socks with ridiculous patterns: avocados, pizza, sausage dogs. Guaranteed to be worn.
• Odd cookie cutters: dinosaurs, gherkins or moustaches. In use from the next baking session.
• A scratch card: a bit of suspense for a pound or two, and it might turn out to be the most valuable gift in the room.
• A rubber duck in costume: pirate, astronaut or Father Christmas. Pointless, but it will earn a permanent spot on the edge of the bath.
• Emergency chocolate: with a homemade label reading "Open only during Monday meetings".
• A party card game: usually under €15 and the reason for the next fun evening.

Funny Secret Santa gifts for the office

At work, funny is fine, awkward isn't. Things that live on a desk or in the office kitchen, and that the whole team can laugh about, work best.

• A mug with a slogan that suits the team, not the person.
• A mini cactus with a name tag: "Lower maintenance than any project."
• A magnetic key holder for €11.95 for the colleague who hunts for their keys every morning. The joke is in the card ("For your next meeting without a search party"), the use is in daily life. It sticks on next to the door without drilling and holds even heavy bunches with a car key.

Several swaps, one order

Work, family, friends: if you're doing more than one Secret Santa this December, Mix & Match saves time. Pick 5 products and pay €50, with free delivery in Germany, which works out at €10 per gift. You can choose Soapis in all 10 colours, the key holder, solid soaps such as the soap from Marseille or the shower soap by KLAR, solid shampoo by Skargard and the My Happy Cow, Pig and Tiger children's soaps. They're handmade, shaped like animals and meant for children aged 3 and up. As a gag for grown-ups, though, they're underrated. Who doesn't want a soap cow?

Wrapping with a punchline

With funny gifts, the wrapping is part of the show. A Soapi inside an egg box, a bottle cap as a gift tag, a misleading label ("Fragile, handle with care"). We ship without gift wrap, so the wrapping is entirely up to you, and that's half the fun.

FAQ: funny Secret Santa gifts

What's a funny Secret Santa gift for adults?

Something that surprises and then gets used: soap hanging from a bottle cap on the wall, socks with absurd patterns, a party game. Keep anything cheeky for close friends only.

How does the bottle cap soap work?

Press the cap halfway into a bar of soap, hang the soap on the Soapi, done. The adhesive pad is waterproof and holds securely on smooth surfaces, but not on painted or wallpapered walls. Full details are in the instructions.

What if they don't have a bottle cap?

With a single Soapi we'll add a cleaned bottle cap free of charge on request, and there's always one in the Starter Kit. For other things to do with bottle caps, see our bottle cap ideas.

The bottom line: laugh first, use it after

The best funny Secret Santa gifts come with a gag and a purpose. That way the laughing doesn't stop at the party, there's still a grin in the shower come February. Shopping for several swaps? Go for Mix & Match: 5 items for €50. And if you're working to a fixed budget, you'll find ideas sorted by price in Secret Santa gifts under €15.