Top 10 Secret Santa Gift Ideas for 2025
All Under $25
Ah, Secret Santa. That annual festive ritual where you pull Helen from Accounts out of a hat and realise you know absolutely nothing about her except that she likes herbal tea and passive-aggressive Post-its.
The rules are usually the same:
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Keep it anonymous.
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Keep it under budget.
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Try not to give something so tragic it ends up “accidentally” left on the train home.
If you’re trawling the internet for Secret Santa gift ideas under $25 that are actually fun, you’re in the right place. We’ve rounded up ten brilliant bits – four from our own gloriously daft Bubblegum Stuff line-up plus six other tried-and-tested winners – that work for colleagues, mates, family and every other poor soul trapped in a festive name draw.
Whether you need a Secret Santa gift for work, something cheeky for your best mate, or one of those mysterious Secret Santa gifts for adults who “don’t want anything”, we’ve got your back. And your stocking.
1. Swear or Chair
Let’s kick things off with pure chaos. Swear or Chair is the game where you’re given a Swedish word and have to decide: is it a foul-mouthed insult or the name of a painfully flat-packable chair?
Get it wrong and you’re metaphorically plonked on the chair of shame. Get it right and you earn bragging rights as the unofficial Scandinavian swear-furniture expert. It’s quick, easy to learn and delivers that perfect “how is THIS a real word?!” energy.
Because it comes in a compact card box and sits comfortably under $12.00 (well below $25), it’s a cracking Secret Santa gift for the loud, sweary one in the office… or the quiet one you suspect is far filthier than they let on.
2. P For Pizza
From the legends at Big Potato Games, P For Pizza is a fast-paced word game where you race to shout answers that match a category and a letter, trying to build a cheesy cardboard “slice” before everyone else.
It plays in about 15 minutes, works with kids and grown-ups, and lives in a tiny pizza-box-style package that’s very lunch-break-friendly. At around $15.00, it comfortably falls into the Secret Santa gifts under $25 camp.
Perfect for: the colleague who loves pub quizzes, your board-game-obsessed mate, or as a low-drama Secret Santa gift for her that you can legitimately suggest playing after Christmas dinner.
3. Ripe ’N’ Ready Stress Banana
Work deadlines. Family WhatsApp chats. The person microwaving fish in the office kitchen. When life gets a bit too real, our Ripe ’N’ Ready Stress Banana is there to take the squeeze.
It’s a gloriously squishy banana-shaped fidget toy designed for relentless mashing, bending and general mauling – all without anyone knowing you’re quietly imagining it’s an email thread. It’s priced around $14.00, so still snuggly under that $25 mark.
This is an ideal Secret Santa gift colleague choice: silly enough to raise a laugh at the reveal, but genuinely useful when January rolls round and everyone’s emotionally running on instant coffee and vibes.
👉I'm ready for my Ripe ’N’ Ready Stress Banana
4. “Emotional Damage” Mug
Some people need coffee. Some people need therapy. Some people need both, in the same mug.
The various “Emotional Damage” mugs on Etsy do exactly what it says on the tin – bold text, quality ceramic, and a level of emotional honesty the HR manual absolutely does not cover. Most versions sit around the $14–$18 price point, easily within the Secret Santa gift ideas under $25 zone.
It’s an excellent pick for that co-worker who survives on caffeine and dark humour. Pop in a hot chocolate sachet or a nice tea bag and you’ve upgraded it from meme to moment.
5. Name That Bumhole
From the department of “things no one asked for but everyone secretly wants”, we present Name That Bumhole. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a gloriously cheeky card game where you identify animals by their rear ends, then learn surprisingly legit trivia about them.
Is it silly? Absolutely. Is it weirdly educational? Also yes. Is it an unforgettable Secret Santa gift when you’re playing with a group of friends who don’t take themselves too seriously? 100%.
Because it’s still only $12.00, it ticks the Secret Santa gifts for adults box while staying budget friendly and brilliantly off-piste.
6. Santa Cookie Elf Candy Snowman
If your Secret Santa situation leans more wholesome than feral, Santa Cookie Elf Candy Snowman is a great shout.
It’s a festive spin on the hit reaction card game style popularised by Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza – fast flipping, shouting the words in order, and slamming your hand down when the picture matches.
Rounds are short, the rules are simple, and it works with kids, teens and slightly tipsy adults alike. With prices generally floating around the $10–$15 range, it’s a neat little Secret Santa gift for work when you want something everyone can play after the presents are opened.
👉Show me Santa Cookie Elf Candy Snowman
7. Anker Portable Power Bank
For the techy, the traveller, or the person whose phone battery lives permanently at 3%, a compact Anker power bank is a very safe bet. Models like the 10,000mAh Anker Zolo or similar Nano-range power banks frequently sit around the $13–$20 mark and get rave reviews for charging speed and reliability.
Call it the practical hero of the list: not as loud as a bumhole quiz, but the kind of Secret Santa gift that’ll quietly save the day on trains, nights out and long commutes.
If you’re stuck with a giftee you barely know, this one’s a smart, grown-up choice that still fits the Secret Santa gifts under $25 brief.
8. Plant Life Support
If your recipient has more houseplants than social plans, Plant Life Support is basically their new best mate. It’s an IV-drip-style automatic waterer you pop into a pot, which slowly feeds the plant while you’re off living your life (or just forgetting it exists).
At $20.00, it’s a thoughtful yet still playful Secret Santa gift for her if “her” is a plant mum, a chaotic housemate, or the colleague whose desk looks like a small jungle. It’s also brilliant for serial plant killers who need all the help they can get.
9. Sock It To Me
Yes, socks. But not the tragic kind your nan panic-bought at the supermarket. Sock It To Me specialise in high-quality, gloriously daft socks featuring everything from party animals to pizza, rainbows and retro patterns – generally around the $12–$16 mark.
Pair them with a little choc bar or mini bottle and you’ve got a cosy Secret Santa gift that feels thought-through instead of last-minute. This works especially well as a Secret Santa gift colleague option when you want fun but not full chaos. (Save the bumholes for out-of-office friends.)
10. OK Play
Rounding off the list: OK Play, another nifty number from Big Potato. It’s an abstract tile game where you race to be the first to get five tiles in a row, with chunky coloured pieces that clip to a carabiner so you can hook them on a bag and play anywhere.
It’s simple, strangely addictive, and designed to go wherever your people go – road trips, pub tables, airport floors, the lot. Sitting comfortably under $25, it makes a great Secret Santa gift for work if your office crowd loves a lunchtime showdown, or a crowd-pleaser for families who travel a lot.
So… Which Secret Santa Are You Going to Be?
You’ve got options now. You can be:
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The Chaos Bringer (Swear or Chair, Name That Bumhole)
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The Stress Reliever (Ripe ’N’ Ready banana, Emotional Damage mug)
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The Secret Softie (Plant Life Support, festive card games)
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The Practical Hero (Anker power bank, funky socks, OK Play in their backpack forever)
Whatever vibe you choose, each Secret Santa gift on this list proves that “under $25” doesn’t have to mean “sad mystery candle” or “scented bath stuff they’re allergic to.”
So next time the name draw strikes fear into your heart, remember: a little bit of ridiculousness goes a long way.
Bubblegum Stuff.
Not what you expected. But exactly what their stocking needs. 🎄