Just about everyone who has run a Secret Santa has had a variation of this conversation:
“Want to do a Secret Santa?”
“Heck yes! I love those. Just… is there a, um… ”
“Price limit?”
“Yes!”
A lot of Secret Santa exchanges have a price limit of some sort. We’ve had ones that are as low as $10 and others that go significantly higher. It makes sense. You don’t want to overspend, and you don’t want to seem cheap. Maybe there are parties where everyone is expected to give, I don’t know, a private helicopter. At all others, there’s a price cap.
I’ve found that a $20 cap is perfect for college kids, work parties, and a lot of families. Secret Santa gifts under $20 can be weird or meaningful. They can be touching or they can be silly. They’re going to be cool and well-made, but no one is going to feel put out by giving or getting.
Secret Santa gifts under $20 work for all sorts of themes and all sorts of people. Here are seven of the best Secret Santa gifts that fit nearly every budget.
7 Secret Santa Gifts Under $20
What kind of party are you having? Are you doing a White Elephant? Having a themed party? A ladies night? A Secret Santa can be for a holiday party or for any other reason. No matter what, you’ll have great gifts for $20 or less.
Obviously, you don’t need a theme. “Under $20” can be all the theme you need. Still, these ideas can help you get started with the brainstorming.
A Self-Care Party
All parties should make you feel good. But how about a party where the theme is feeling goooood? There are all sorts of self-care items under $20, including amazing foot care sets. Everyone will walk away happy—and getting ready to be even happier.
A Health and Fitness Party
Health and fitness equipment doesn’t have to be expensive, and a party doesn’t have to encourage bad habits. You can find inexpensive and helpful health and wellness gifts for under $20, like super-sharp yoga shorts. Some even have pockets. Yoga shorts with pockets! Amazing. We live in a golden age.
Something for Game Night
We think Secret Santa is probably the best game there is, but we admit that there might be others that are fun too. One nice thing about having a game-themed gift party is that 1) you can play some of those games that night and 2) you’re setting yourself up for future parties to play more games. For instance, I’ve really been enjoying escape room games. It sets up a lot of challenges for groups to work on together.
Summer Fun Party
Here’s the thing with this theme: if you’re having a party in the summer, you get gifts for right now. If you’re having it during the holidays, you get a goofy theme that reminds you of the warmth to come. A summer fun party in the winter is memorable. It’s especially memorable if someone gets the floral kimono. It’s especially memorable if they try it on.
Pet Party
If your friends are like ours, everyone has a dog, a cat, or both—or a lot of both. If you’re having a group of pet owners over, why not get a gift that’s also a gift for their best friend? There are a lot of great gifts for pet lovers for under $20. And it doesn’t even have to be for the pet. A cute cat mug is perfect for home or the office. (Yes, perfect, not “purrfect.” You can’t make me write purrfect! Oh, wait…)
Guys’ Night
Some parties are just for the fellas. And you know what fellas like? Well, lots of things. There’s no one thing that all guys like. Gifts for guys don’t have to revolve around tools or anything like that. However, if I’m there, I would actually like a drill holster.
Ladies’ Night
Jane Austen said that she never wrote about what men talked about when they were alone since she was never with men when they were alone. So I asked my wife about this one. She said that her favorite gifts for ladies these days focused on girl power. This book on some of the most accomplished women in American history was right up her alley. It was right up mine, as well.
How to Make Your $20 Secret Santa Work
You have the theme. You have the group. But how do you make your Secret Santa work? Well, there are a few steps.
- Find a Secret Santa generator that makes everything easy.
OK, that’s just one step. But the right generator can make everything go more smoothly. If you have that, people can shop for gifts online and filter by price. This makes it really easy to limit yourself to gifts under $20 while still finding the perfect present to match the theme of the party or your giftee’s interests.
What’s more, with a quality Secret Santa wish list, everyone can build their wish list online, picking from hundreds of the web’s leading vendors. Or, you can add text only wishes and be surprised by what exactly your Secret Santa picks out. They can build out their list and their Secret Santa can buy directly from it. It’s just a couple clicks to happiness.
Remember, it isn’t the price that makes the party. It’s the people. By setting parameters and by using a great Secret Santa generator to simplify everything, you can make everyone feel comfortable, relaxed, and ready to play. It’s how a $20 game makes everyone feel like a million bucks.
The Elfster wish list generator is as fun as childhood and as smart as adulthood. Our online Secret Santa generator makes it easy to start a Wish List. And don’t forget that you can now play using an iPhone app or Android app too.
