Secret Santa Gifts Under $20, by How Well You Know the Person
By the Giftruly editorsUpdated 15 hand-picked ideas
With Secret Santa, the price limit is the easy part. What changes the gift is how well you know the name you drew. Draw your closest friend and $20 can buy something only they would want. Draw the quiet colleague from accounting, or a cousin's new partner, and the same $20 has to work for someone you can barely picture.
So this guide is arranged along that scale. It starts with the people you know well, moves to people whose daily routine you've noticed, then the near-strangers. In the middle there's a section on finding out more without blowing your cover, and the last section is for gifts that are simply fun to open in front of a group, whoever ends up with them. Everything is around $20 or less.
For a lower limit, see Secret Santa gifts under $10; for an office exchange, Secret Santa gifts for coworkers. If your group plays the stealing game instead, that's a white elephant exchange, and the rules for a good gift there are different.
Know exactly who it's for?
Tell Truly about them in a sentence. You'll get ideas picked for them, each with a reason why.
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Three quick answers
You know them well: be specific
When you know the person, the worst thing you can do is play it safe. A generic gift from a close friend feels like they didn't try. Pick the thing that only makes sense for them: their hobby, their running joke, their daily ritual. At $20 you can't buy the big version of their passion, but you can buy a small piece of it that shows you pay attention.
- 1
Page-a-Day Puzzle Calendar
~$16
Every weekday morning of the new year, there's a fresh crossword, logic puzzle or brain teaser waiting on the desk, which suits the friend who does the newspaper puzzle before anything else. Because it's for next year, it also feels newly bought rather than picked off a sale shelf. The best ones sell out by mid-December.
- 2
Magnetic Travel Chess Set
~$15
Lunch breaks, train rides and waiting rooms all become a possible game when the pieces are magnetic and stay put on a folding board. Give it to the friend who brings up their online chess rating at parties; it's small, cheap and shows you know how they spend their spare minutes.
- 3
Coffee Tasting Notebook and Flavor Wheel
~$18
Skip it for someone who drinks instant and likes it that way. For the friend with opinions about grind size, though, a journal for recording beans, brew recipes and tasting notes, with a flavor wheel to describe what's in the cup, is a fun way to take the hobby a little more seriously.
- 4
Chili Lime Seasoning Shaker Trio
~$14
Shaken over popcorn, fried eggs, fruit or the rim of a margarita glass, chili-lime seasoning adds heat and sourness in one go. With three shakers, the friend who orders everything extra hot can keep one at home, one at work and one in the car. It's cheap enough to pair with a bag of good tortilla chips.
You know their routine
Maybe you don't know their hobbies, but you know their days: the cold walk across the parking lot, the phone propped against a coffee cup during calls, the suitcase every other week. A gift that fits a routine is useful from the first day.
5.Reusable Click Gel Hand Warmers ~$14
Click the metal disc and it heats up within seconds; boil it later and it's ready again. Made for the cold wait at the bus stop.
6.Adjustable Aluminum Phone Stand ~$15
Video calls, recipes and the weekly team meeting all go better with the phone upright at eye level instead of flat on the desk.
7.Rechargeable Keychain Flashlight ~$18
Dog walks after dark and the search for the keyhole on winter evenings: a small, bright light on the key ring sorts both.
8.Portable Digital Luggage Scale ~$18
Weighing the suitcase at home beats repacking at the check-in desk. Useful for anyone who flies home for every holiday.
Detective work that doesn't give you away
Ten minutes of research turns a guess into a gift. Start with the easy sources: if your group drew names with an online tool, see whether your person added a wish list or a few likes. Ask the organizer, who has often heard more than you think. A mutual friend is the next best source, as long as you trust them to keep quiet.
To ask the person directly without revealing yourself, ask lots of people the same thing. A question about everyone's favorite winter drink, or what everyone is reading at the moment, in a group chat or at lunch, hides the one answer you need. Look at what's on their desk, their phone case, their bag, the mug they always use. Even a single clue (they run, they knit, they have a new dog) narrows twenty-dollar options down to a handful. And if you discover a strong dislike, like no sweets or no scents, that's just as useful.
You know almost nothing
Some names stay a mystery however much you dig. For them, choose something warm, useful or fun that needs no particular taste and no size. Avoid clothing that needs a fit, strong fragrances and anything with a joke that depends on knowing them.
- Our favorite9
Fuzzy Cozy Socks Gift Set
~$18
One size fits most adults, which is exactly what you need when you know almost nothing. Four pairs of thick, soft socks with grips on the soles get worn every evening from December to March, on cold kitchen floors and on the sofa. Choose quiet patterns over loud ones.
- 10
Bluetooth Shower Speaker
~$20
Played in the shower, it turns a morning routine into a small concert or a podcast episode. A waterproof speaker that suction-cups to the tile suits almost any adult, needs no knowledge of their taste, and charges by USB.
- 11
Caffeine-Free Herbal Tea Sampler
~$20
Last thing at night, a cup of chamomile or peppermint is a habit many people already have or would like to. Individually wrapped herbal teas such as rooibos and mint suit someone who avoids caffeine, and a box is easy to share with a household.
Fun to open in front of everyone
Many groups open their gifts in a circle, one at a time, with everybody watching. Whoever you drew, a gift with a small surprise in it makes that moment easier for both of you.
- 12~$16
Heat-Changing Galaxy Mug
Pour hot tea into it at the party and let the room watch a swirling galaxy appear on the black glaze.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy FansStargazersfun - 13~$13
Speed Cube Puzzle
Someone always tries to solve it on the spot. The smooth, fast-turning 3x3 keeps the new owner busy long after the party.
Puzzle Loversfun - 14~$20
Dinner Party Conversation Cards
Read one question aloud at the exchange and the deck has been used before the wrapping paper is in the trash.
Board Game Fansfun - 15~$20
Exploding Kittens Card Game
Two minutes to explain, ten minutes a round, and plenty of shouting. Silly cats and bombs for two to five players.
Board Game Fansfun
Shop this guide by price
Under $25
Good Secret Santa manners at $20
Stay within a dollar or two of the limit in either direction. Going far over makes the rest of the group look stingy.
Match the gift to what you know: specific for close friends, routine-based for colleagues, warm and edible for near-strangers.
Sign the tag "your Secret Santa" if the reveal comes later, and write one line that shows why you picked it.
When the research turns up only one clue, type it into the gift finder and let it suggest a few gifts that fit.
Secret Santa under $20: quick answers
What's a good Secret Santa gift under $20?
For someone you know, a small piece of their hobby: a puzzle calendar, a travel chess set or a coffee journal. For someone you don't, fuzzy socks, a shower speaker or herbal teas are safe and still feel chosen.
How do I find out what my Secret Santa wants without them knowing?
Check for a wish list in the draw tool, ask the organizer or a trusted mutual friend, and ask the whole group the same casual question so your interest doesn't stand out. Their desk, bag and mug are also good clues.
What should I avoid for a Secret Santa I don't know?
Clothes that need a size, strong perfumes and candles, alcohol and jokes that rely on knowing them. Choose something cozy, edible or useful at home instead.