Secret Santa gift ideas by budget and by twist

Up to 50 RON or 10 EUR

• A good chocolate bar or a small bag of speciality coffee.
• Warm socks in a colour they'd never buy themselves.
• A pocket notebook and a nice pen.
• A small succulent in a pot you painted.
• A hand-written voucher for something you'll do: a home-made dinner, a cake, help with a chore.

50 to 100 RON or 10 to 20 EUR

• A card game or a board game for two.
• A scented candle or a set of teas from a local shop.
• A paperback by an author they like, with a note on why you picked it.
• A good kitchen tool: a fine grater, a pepper mill, a dough scraper.
• A phone stand, a cable organiser or a small power bank.

100 to 200 RON or 20 to 40 EUR

• A cosy throw or a pair of slippers.
• A jigsaw puzzle with a picture that means something to them.
• Tickets to a film, a concert or a museum.
• Quality supplies for their hobby: brushes, yarn, seeds, a climbing chalk bag.
• A box of local food: cheese, honey, jam, something from the region.

More than 200 RON or 40 EUR

• Wireless earbuds or a small speaker.
• A class or a workshop: pottery, cooking, climbing.
• A good backpack or a weekend bag.
• A few months of a subscription they would use every day.

Ideas for Santa by Colour

In Santa by Colour you draw a colour along with your person, and the whole gift sticks to it, wrapping included. If the thing itself can't be in the colour, make a set: three small things in the colour beat one big thing that isn't.

• Red: an enamel mug, wool gloves, a jar of strawberry jam, red ribbon.
• Yellow: an umbrella, lemon curd, a mustard scarf, sunflower seeds to plant.
• Blue: a navy notebook, a blue-glazed bowl, blueberry tea, a denim tote bag.
• Green: a houseplant, matcha, a water bottle, pistachios.
• Black and white: a monochrome puzzle, a black-and-white photo print, liquorice, dominoes.
• Gold: a gold-rimmed glass, honey, a brass bookmark, chocolate coins.

Ideas for Your Challenge

In Your Challenge everyone writes a few adjectives and a function for their own Santa, and the gift has to tick all of them. Some challenges, and gifts that meet them:

• "Soft" and "green", good for the evening: a green fleece blanket, or soft green slippers.
• "Small" and "shiny", useful at work: a polished metal pen, or a brass paper clip set.
• "Sweet" and "local", for sharing: a box of pastries from a bakery in your town.
• "Warm" and "funny", for the commute: a bobble hat with a pompom that is a little too big.

Reading a wishlist

A wishlist is a set of hints, not an order form. Pick one idea and make it yours: the better version, the nicer colour, a note on why you chose it. If the wishlist is empty, think of something they'd never buy themselves but would use every week.

Gifts that rarely work

• Anything that needs explaining or assembling at the party.
• Joke gifts only the giver finds funny.
• Perfume or clothes in a guessed size, unless they asked for them.
• A gift card with nothing personal, unless that is what they wanted.