Secret Santa Gifts Under €15: Ideas for €5, €10, €15 and €20

The names are drawn, the budget is set, and now comes the real challenge: finding a Secret Santa gift under €15 (or €10, or €5) that doesn't scream "bought at the petrol station". No dusty scented candles, no joke gadget that ends up in the bin by the second of January. Below are ideas sorted by budget, all things people actually use. A few of them are ours, most of them aren't.

Secret Santa gifts up to €5

Five euros is tight, which is exactly where the thought counts more than the price.

• Something homemade: a bag of biscuits or a jar of granola. Costs next to nothing and almost always goes down well.
• Proper chocolate: one bar from a small chocolatier rather than a big supermarket box.
• Flavoured salt: chilli, lemon or herbs mixed yourself, in a small jar with a handwritten label.
• Lip balm or hand warmers: small, useful and in action the moment December gets cold.
• A puzzle book: for lunch breaks or the commute home.

Secret Santa gifts up to €10

Ten is the most common limit, especially for office Secret Santa. Plenty of options here:

• A nice mug for coffee at the desk.
• A small pot of herbs for the windowsill.
• Silly socks. A cliché, but a cliché for a reason.
• A bar of solid soap from a small maker.

Our tip for €10: if you're in several Secret Santa circles anyway (work, family, friends, the five-a-side team), have a look at Mix & Match. You choose 5 products and pay €50, which works out at €10 per gift, with free shipping within Germany. You can mix Soapis in all 10 colours, the magnetic key holder, solid soaps (for example soap from Marseille, soaps by Blaull and Grete Manufaktur, shower soap by KLAR), solid shampoo by Skargard and children's soaps. One order, five gifts sorted.

Secret Santa gifts up to €15

With €15 you have real room to play. This is where you can give something that outlasts the tinsel.

The Soapi for €12.95

The Soapi is a magnetic soap holder. You press a bottle cap halfway into a bar of soap, and the soap hangs from the magnet on the wall. It dries all the way round instead of going soggy in a dish, and the sink stays clean. It sticks on with a waterproof adhesive pad, no drilling, on tiles, glass or a mirror. That makes it a good Secret Santa gift for colleagues: it suits any bathroom, rented flats included, and it gets used every single day. It comes in 10 colours, from black to petrol to peach. More than 1,600 reviews with an average of 4.88 out of 5 stars suggest we're not the only ones who find it handy.

The magnetic key holder for €11.95

For anyone who spends their mornings hunting for keys. The key holder sticks on next to the door without drilling, on tiles, glass, metal or a smooth door. Its strong magnet holds the steel key ring, even heavy bunches with a car key.

The Starter Kit for €14.95

The Starter Kit is the all-in-one option: 1 Soapi in a colour of your choice, a lavender soap from Marseille (100 g, handmade in Marseille) and a cleaned bottle cap. Unwrap, stick, hang the soap straight away. Just under €15, so it fits the budget neatly.

More ideas up to €15: a paperback, a good notebook, a small card game or a cinema voucher.

Secret Santa gifts up to €20

• A party game for groups or a small jigsaw.
• A travel mug for the commute.
• A little bathroom set: with Mix & Match you can pair a Soapi with a bar of solid soap, say from Blaull or Grete Manufaktur. That's 2 of your 5 items, and the other 3 go to your next Secret Santa.
• The Starter Kit plus a bag of homemade biscuits.

Wrapping it nicely

We ship without gift wrap, but that's easy to do yourself: brown paper, string and a sprig of fir. With a Soapi, you can prepare the soap with its bottle cap and pop it in the parcel. That way the gift is ready to use and nobody has to puzzle over how it works.

Secret Santa FAQ

What's a good Secret Santa gift for colleagues?

Something neutral that gets used day to day and isn't too personal. A soap holder, a mug, good chocolate or a key holder work for almost everyone.

Does the Soapi work in the shower?

Yes. The adhesive pad is waterproof and holds securely on smooth surfaces such as tiles, glass and stainless steel. Just don't stick it on painted or wallpapered walls. More in the instructions and FAQ.

What if the person doesn't use bar soap?

The Soapi holds solid shampoo too. And the key holder needs no soap at all.

The bottom line: useful beats funny

Whether it's €5 or €20, a good Secret Santa gift gets used rather than re-gifted. Shopping for several circles? Go for Mix & Match: 5 items for €50. How to run the draw itself is covered in our guide to Secret Santa rules, variations and ideas. And if you still need small treats for St Nicholas' Day, see our St Nicholas gift ideas.