What to put on a Secret Santa wishlist

Three to five ideas is enough

One idea leaves no surprise, and twenty leave your Santa with homework. Three to five gives a real choice. In the Classic format of Secret Santa Twist each person can add a few ideas, and the wishlist is optional: the draw does not wait for it.

Mix exact things with directions

Put one or two exact things on the list, and a couple of directions. "The new novel by an author I like" is exact. "Anything for my balcony plants" is a direction, and it lets your Santa find something you did not know you wanted.

For exact things, add what matters: the size, the colour, the edition. A link helps, and links in a wishlist can be opened straight from the app.

Stay inside the budget

• Every idea should fit the range the group agreed. An idea above the maximum puts your Santa in an awkward place.
• Spread the prices: one near the bottom of the range, one near the top.
• If something costs a little more, say that part of it would do: one book from a series, not the box set.

Examples you can borrow

• Up to 50 RON or 10 EUR: a bar of very good chocolate, a pair of warm socks, a paperback, seeds for the windowsill.
• 50 to 100 RON or 10 to 20 EUR: a card game for two, loose-leaf tea with a strainer, a notebook with good paper, a small plant in a nice pot.
• 100 to 200 RON or 20 to 40 EUR: a cookbook from a cuisine you want to try, a wool hat, a bottle for the gym that does not leak, a board game.
• Directions rather than things: "something for long train journeys", "anything that smells of oranges", "a tool for the kitchen I do not have yet".

What to leave off

• Money and vouchers, unless the group agreed to them.
• Things only one shop far away sells.
• Things you are about to buy yourself this week.
• Anything you would be embarrassed to open in front of the group.

Useful extras

A last line with what to avoid is worth more than another idea: allergies, things you do not eat or drink, scents you cannot stand, things you already have too many of. Sizes help too, if clothes are on the list.

If you are the Santa

• Treat the list as a guide. Picking one thing from it is always safe.
• Going off the list is fine when you know the person well, and risky when you do not.
• If the list is empty, think about what they talk about, or ask a mutual friend. Do not ask the person.
• Add one small thing of your own, such as a card or a sweet, so the gift is not only a delivery.