Secret Santa Gifts Under £10 for the Office

What makes a good Secret Santa gift for work?

Office Secret Santa has its own rules. You might have drawn your manager, the new starter or someone from another floor you've emailed twice. The gift gets opened in front of everyone, so it can't be too personal or too much of a joke.

The gifts that go down well tend to share a few things:

• They work for anyone. No guessing at hobbies, sizes or taste in music.
• They aren't food or drink. Allergies, diets, people who don't drink, and January resolutions all trip up the box of chocolates or the mini bottle.
• They earn a spot on the desk. A gift that gets used at work every day beats one that goes straight into a drawer.
• They stay inside the budget. Going over makes everyone else feel awkward.

Is a fidget toy a good Secret Santa gift?

For an office, we think so. Most people already fiddle with something at their desk, a pen lid or a paperclip or the corner of a notepad. A fidget gives those hands something better to do during a long video call or while a report loads.

It also lands in the right place on the "funny or useful" line. It raises a smile when it's unwrapped, and then it actually gets used, which can't be said for most novelty desk gifts. Plenty of adults like having one and would never buy it for themselves.

If you'd like to know more about why people fidget at work, our piece on fidgets for focus at work covers it.

Will a fidget annoy the rest of the office?

It depends on the kind, and this is the one thing worth getting right. Clickers click. That's the point of them, and they're great fun, but in an open-plan office or on a team that lives on calls, a clicker can make your colleague unpopular by lunchtime.

If you don't know how noisy their office is, pick a silent one. The smooth, worry-stone style fidgets you rub with a thumb make no sound at all. Every product page shows a noise level, our noise levels page explains what each one means, and the quiet fidgets collection keeps the silent and near-silent ones together.

For a longer look at which fidgets suit a shared office and which to leave at home, see quiet fidgets for the office and our page on quiet fidgets for work.

Which fidget to buy for someone you don't know

With no clues about the person, go for the kinds that make sense to everyone and look tidy on a desk.

• A smooth worry-stone style fidget is the safest pick. It's silent and it fits in a pocket.
• A finger spinner is easy to pick up and put down between emails.
• An infinity cube folds over and over, which suits people who like to keep their hands busy while they think.
• A linkloop chain is good for someone who twists a pen or a lanyard all day.

Colour matters more than you'd guess. If you have no idea, a neutral or a calm shade is less of a gamble than something bright.

Every toy we make is 3D-printed by us in Kent, in small batches, from PLA, a plant-based polymer, and carries the UKCA mark. If your colleague has young children at home, it's worth knowing our toys contain small parts and aren't suitable for under-threes.

How to make a cheap Secret Santa gift feel thoughtful

A small gift doesn't have to look small. A bit of effort in the wrapping does more than an extra few pounds.

Wrap it properly rather than dropping it in a gift bag, because a little box that has to be opened gets more of a reaction. Add a short note on the tag saying what it is and why you picked it, something like "for the long Monday calls". That one line turns a toy into a gift chosen for them, even if you only know them by their email signature.

If you're under the limit, don't top it up with chocolate for the sake of it. A fidget on its own is a complete gift. You could add a nice pen or a pack of sticky notes if you'd like it to feel like a little desk kit, but there's no need.

One more tip from the office party itself: people open their gifts and then put them down on a table full of crisps and drinks. Ours are small, so it's worth telling them to pocket it before it gets tidied away with the paper plates.

When should I order for the office Secret Santa?

Order as soon as you've drawn the name. Most orders are dispatched within 1 working day, but the post is busier in December. Our delivery page has the current times.

If the office party is tomorrow and you've only just remembered, a gift card is the fallback. We email the code, so you can write it inside a card and they choose their own fidget.