The best Secret Santa ideas for your flatmates
It’s the most wonderful time of year: the winter break! Which, if you’ve got exams to look forward to at the start of January like many have, may just be more of a study break than anything (although don’t forget to give yourself plenty of time to relax and recharge - it’s important). But still. It’s also a wonderful time of year if you’re among those who celebrate Christmas, or just like to get involved in the festive action with those who do.
One of the best traditions of this time of year in workplaces, universities, colleges, and halls all around the country is Secret Santa, which, if you’ve been hiding under a lump of coal, is where everyone draws a name out of a hat and has to buy a present for that person. Usually, people get together to open the presents and try to suss out who bought them for each person.
Over 90% of the time, the presents are terrible. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you’re doing Secret Santa in your residence this month, we’ve put together the following list of ideas split into different budget brackets. Use it for inspo and make sure you delight rather than disappoint your mates this Christmas!
£5 and under
A fiver doesn’t go super far these days, but there are still loads of things you can get for this price which are better than an IOU for a nice breakfast. Thankfully, Prezzybox.com is full of ideas for this budget, many of which are hil-ar-ious (possibly, depending on what you find funny) and come in at a tidy £4.99.
A book called Games for Bored Adults contains 144 different challenges and activities, including Human Buckaroo, and could be a great idea for all of your flatmates to get involved in.
Or maybe you live with someone so obsessed with gin they need it to feature in their popcorn ✔️ and shower soap bars ✔️? You’re in luck (and there’s prosecco soap bar too).
For the jokers, you can grab a ‘Poo Lolly’, shaped like the famous emoji. It doesn’t actually say what it’s made out of, although apparently it’s cola flavour so we should be good.
Around £10
Stepping up a price bracket broadens the range - and, let’s be honest, quality - of gift you’re able to lay your hands on, so if you’ve got £10 to play with, you’re in luck.
We mentioned earlier how December is a time of study for many people who have got exams in January, so what better gift than a nice notebook? Your mates probably work on laptops, but research has shown that writing down notes during revision aids memory retention when it comes to exam time. Thankfully, Paperchase has a wide range of actually nice notebooks to choose from, with a cover design to suit anyone.
Keeping it classy, Anthropologie are doing a range of tiled monogram mugs with A-Z initials on them, with the added bonus that they’re only £8.
Or for those who prefer cold drinks, Asos have got a bunch of nice water tumblers for a tenner each, featuring the likes of Frida Kahlo in stylised designs.
Around £15
Two words: Dog Bingo. What’s not to love? It’s got dogs, it’s got bingo, it’s only £14. You can grab the game from John Lewis, perfect for your canine-loving flatmates.
Not into dogs? In that case, consider playing it safe with an absolute staple of Secret Santa: socks. John Lewis have got a nice pair of organic (so you know they’re good) cotton socks that retail for a cool £15 and come in either clay red or ochre, which apparently is a colour (it’s a bit like mustard).
You may at some point have played Beer Pong, but over at IWantOneOfThose.com, the Prosecco Pong revolution is just getting underway. For £14.99 you can pocket a set containing 12 plastic prosecco glasses and three pink ping pong balls to play with, although you will have to BYOB.
£20 and over
High rollers operating at loftier budgets can enjoy levels of choice not usually seen within the restrictive environment of Secret Santa. Let’s face it, if you’ve got £20 to spend, you can actually just buy normal presents for people, giving you a much better chance of choosing something for someone based on their actual personality as opposed to just what was available for the budget. So we hit The Present Finder for a look at some ideas.
Living with a cyclist? There’s an Official Tour de France Bike Maintenance Book, which is £19.99 and perfect for anyone who wants to keep their wheels working well.
Perhaps your flatmate is a meat-lover? Two words: Chorizo Roulette. It’s a tub of salami sticks where 1-in-10 of them is a mouth busting fiery chilli version of the popular snack. It’s £17.99 and only for the brave.
Or maybe meat is completely off the menu where you live. In which case, why not pick up the Vegan Street Food Cookbook for just £17.99? It’s a really thoughtful gift for anyone who has recently adopted a vegan diet, or who’s been vegan for a while and wants to expand their recipe repertoire (there’s also a vegan dark chocolate gift set for £15.99).
Finally, maybe you liked the idea of playing a game with all your flatmates this Christmas. Well, you’re in luck. Pass The Pud is £19.99 and is a fast-paced word game that could be the perfect way to round off your Secret Santa fun.
Whatever you end up doing this Christmas we hope you have fun and if there’s anything you need while you’re away please contact the team @Recption or by using the contact us form.