Doing Secret Santa in your group of friends is heaps of fun! Seeing the look on a person’s face when they open a perfectly chosen gift from a secret friend brings so much Christmas joy. But finding that perfect gift can be a real challenge, particularly on a budget.
But never fear – here are ten ideas for awesome Secret Santa gifts for your school friends that won’t break the bank. You can get pretty much all of these for under $20!
- Movie gift card or voucher
Depending on when you leave this may be cheaper than in other places, but a movie voucher is a great present particularly for any film buffs in your friendship group! Slip it in an envelope, tie a ribbon around it and make someone’s day.
- Stationery
Stationery is a great gift for guys or girls. For guys, try a faux-leather notebook and some nice felt tip pens. For girls, colourful sticky notes, bright notebooks and cute stickers will almost always go down well. Typo and Kikki K are great sources!
- Food
Food-related gifts are perfect when you’re just not sure what to buy, or don’t know your Secret Santa person very well! Buy a small basket or large jar, and fill it with sweet Christmassy treats. You might even like to bake some gingerbread.
- CD or DVD
Know your friend’s taste in music, movies or TV? Head to the bargain bins at a store like JB Hi-Fi and score some CDs and DVDs for cheap. Hot tip: buying someone a season of a TV show is often cheaper than buying a new release movie and they’ll be able to enjoy it for a lot longer!
- Subscription to streaming service
Whether Netflix or Spotify, streaming services bring so much happiness to the lives of many people. And you can get a subscription for someone else for as little as $11.99! Google ‘<your choice of streaming service> gift cards’ to find the best options. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
- Books
Don’t forget about old-school entertainment! Books can be surprisingly cheap if you know where to look. Try Book Depository or Booktopia for all your online book shopping needs, though if you’ve left it too late to order online, Big W and Target have great deals on new releases and classics.
- Beauty products
This is perhaps more relevant for the girls but you may think of a perfect man-friendly product! When buying beauty products, steer clear of cleansers, makeup or hair products – these may be taken the wrong way. Go for lip balm, body butter, manicure kits, hand cream and nail polish. The Body Shop is a great source for good quality, well-priced gift sets or you could go DIY and make up a gift from cheap products at Priceline.
- Jewellery
Stores like Diva, Lovisa, Colette and Equip make it so easy to buy on-trend jewellery for yourself and your friends. Sure it won’t last forever but your Secret Santa person will probably love receiving a choker – so hot right now. For slightly higher quality, go to a jewellery shop and take a look at their earrings. They’re often surprisingly affordable!
- Games
Whether console, handheld, computer, card or board, games are great gifts. Try eBay for affordable console and computer games, and check out gift shops for well-priced board and card games that are a bit more interesting than Monopoly and Scrabble.
- Cash
Look, cash might seem a bit impersonal but it’s practical and the person can choose whatever they like! Try packaging it in an entertaining way, like making up $20 in 20 cent coins or tying ribbons round notes like they’re tiny scrolls.
What are you buying for Secret Santa this year?
