Secret Santa gifts under £10 that still feel thoughtful

Secret Santa has a way of producing the same three presents every year: a novelty mug, a box of chocolates and something that goes straight in a drawer. With a £10 limit it is easy to assume that is all the budget allows. It is not. Independent makers sell plenty of small, well-made things at that price, and a handmade present nearly always gets a better reaction than the chocolates.

Everything below is under £10, made by a maker in the UK, and covered by our Buyer Protection. The rows update as stock changes, so what you see is available today.

For a colleague you barely know

The safest Secret Santa presents are useful, cheerful and not too personal: something for the desk, the keys or the kitchen.

For a friend who likes pretty things

Small jewellery, hair accessories and a little bit of pampering. Polymer clay earrings and handmade bracelets are some of the best value on the whole marketplace.

For the tree

A decoration is the classic Secret Santa present that does not get thrown away. It comes out every December, and the person remembers who gave it to them.

More places to look under £10

• Wax melts and small candles. Many makers sell wax melt bars for £3 to £5 and small candles for under £10. Browse candles and home fragrance or go straight to wax melts.
• Earrings. Polymer clay, resin and beaded earrings are often £5 to £10, and every pair is different. See handmade earrings.
• Crochet. Little crocheted animals, flowers and keyrings make cheerful desk companions. See crochet.
• Cards and stationery. A pack of handmade cards or a small notebook is a present that gets used. See stationery.
• Hanging decorations. Felt, wood, glass and ceramic decorations for the tree or the window. See hanging decorations.

How to choose when you know nothing about them

1. Go for something they can use up or hang up. A candle, a decoration, a bookmark or a keyring is welcome on almost anyone.
2. Avoid anything that needs a size, a skin type or a taste in art.
3. Skip personalisation unless you are certain of the spelling. A name is lovely when it is right and awkward when it is not.
4. Pick something with a story. Knowing who made it, and where, turns a small present into something worth mentioning when it is opened.
5. Add a handwritten tag. It costs nothing and makes a £6 present feel considered.

Order in good time

Handmade presents are made and posted by one person, so give them a few days more than you would a big retailer. Each listing shows the maker’s dispatch time. Royal Mail’s last recommended posting date for 2nd Class this Christmas is Friday 18 December and for 1st Class Monday 21 December, so for an office party in mid-December, order by the end of November.

More gift ideas

For bigger presents, our handmade Christmas gift guide has edits for her, for him, for children and for the home.