Secret Santa comes with a budget, a deadline and a person you have spoken to twice. The brief is simple: spend under £10 and do not hand over a scented candle you grabbed at the till.
Here is how to get it right.
What makes a good Secret Santa gift
- It gets used. Consumables beat ornaments. Nobody has to find a shelf for it.
- It fits anyone. No sizes, no colours, no guessing taste in clothes.
- It does not feel like a budget gift. A good small thing beats a bad big thing.
- It survives the office. It travels home in a bag without leaking or breaking.
The easy answer: a pouch of flavoured sugar
A single pouch is £4.99. That leaves room in the budget for something to go with it, and it is a gift that looks considered rather than panicked. It is real sugar flavoured with real ingredients, so it works in coffee, tea, porridge, baking and drinks.
Pick by what you know about the person:
- They always have a coffee on their desk: Dirty Vanilla (Demerara and real vanilla bean) or Midnight Mocha (muscovado, cocoa and coffee).
- They talk about their weekend cocktails: Juicy Strawberry for rims and fruity drinks.
- You know nothing at all: Dirty Vanilla. It is the safest pick we make.
Three under-£10 combinations
- Coffee person: a pouch of Dirty Vanilla plus a decent bar of chocolate.
- Sweet-tooth person: a pouch of Midnight Mocha plus a small bag of marshmallows for hot chocolate.
- Cocktail person: a pouch of Juicy Strawberry plus a lime, with a note saying what to do with them.
The note matters. Write one line on the card, such as "stir a teaspoon into your coffee" or "rim your glass with this". It turns a pouch into a gift with an idea attached.
If the whole office is doing it
Postage on a single pouch adds up, so if you are buying for a group, order together. Free UK shipping kicks in over £20, and a 5-pack is £21.99, which is cheaper than five singles. Several people can chip in, or you can buy one for each of your draws and have a spare.
Wrapping
The pouch is kraft brown and stands up on its own, so it looks good with a bit of string and a tag. Do not overwrap it.
Need more small gifts? Have a look at the full stocking fillers collection, all under £20.
