£20 Secret Santa for a colleague I don't know very well... wwyb?

[DollyMixtureLulus]

Is there such a thing as a thoughtful neutral gift?

@Stinkyjellycat

What this thread shows is that one (wo)man’s meat is another (wo)man’s poison. Either have a quiet word with someone who knows them well or just play it safe and get a voucher. I think M&S is the best bet as it can be used for clothes, home stuff, food etc., and everyone can find something for £20 in Marks.

Sorry but I never shop in Marks - the clothes & homewares are dull, and I get food delivered from Waitrose, or buy from independent shops. A £20 M&S voucher would get chucked in a drawer and forgotten about.

It's been mentioned a couiple of.times but given the wide range of responses i think it.is worth reiterating...

Just a website where each name go as into the draw and people can list hobbies /what food or drink they like etc so you might as actually get something .You want

I'm so sorry for the typos, I hate this fucking keyboard

£20? Secret Santa is supposed to be a bit of fun, not spending £20! I would probably get a voucher for someone I didn’t know well, and hope that whoever got me did likewise & didn’t waste that much money on stupid tat.

Sorry but I never shop in Marks - the clothes & homewares are dull, and I get food delivered from Waitrose, or buy from independent shops.

Proving the point about meat and poison.

The Secret Santa website is the way forward.

Wow that's a lot. Perhaps an amazon voucher? You can get anything on amazon

In all the years I've done secret Santa I've never got anything I liked or felt was the value of the amount we should have spent.
This year I am giving to a favourite charity instead.

A voucher sounds like a good idea, personally I'd go Amazon as it covers all bases. Maybe £10 or £15 voucher and something small to open- scratch cards are always fun (last year someone in our secret Santa won £50 and was over the moon!).

Candles, wax burners (bork), creams, booze, clothing are all a bit too personal for someone you don't know well- I've been given so many gift sets that are just donated or regifted because I have sensitive skin and can't use any creams/body washes but don't really talk about it so not many people would know.
Pets can mean candles/diffusers/melts are unusable, and who's to say the smell you chose is to their taste (and for the life of me I have no idea why folks go mad over shitty wax melts).
Same with books, too personal- as a bookworm I'd be so excited to get a book then gutted if it was something I wouldn't read.

If you can quietly ask around and find out if she has any likes or interests it will make it easier.

This thread shows some people cant resist another snobby aside. We even get Waitrose squezzed in.

Jeez some people are hard to please!

Find someone local who is struggling, but makes something lovely. Like me - I'm a beekeeper and sell my honey as well as making hand made soaps with natural ingredients.

@bringbacksideburns

This thread shows some people cant resist another snobby aside. We even get Waitrose squezzed in.

Jeez some people are hard to please!

My nearest Waitrose is in the next city. We don't have a Waitrose in my nearest two towns.

I do a secret santa on another forum. We have a parallel thread where everyone posts their likes/dislikes/allergies etc. You get your name, go to the thread and read their post, and you're sorted. Works perfectly.

If your work has a messaging facility, could you make a Secret Santa 'wishes and hates' group conversation?

£20 of scratch cards or lottery tickets.

Imagine if she won the lottery though, OP would be gutted.

A house plant and some posh chocolate
(And suggest they lower it to £10 next year)?

@Gifgif

£20 of scratch cards or lottery tickets.

Imagine if she won the lottery though, OP would be gutted.

Or nothing?

Good quality diary, pen and a scented hand cream.

I would love some thing like this www.rituals.com/en-gb/discovery-set-karma-1104857.html?source=cop&showbacklink=false from Rituals.

I would love scratch cards as I only ever buy one at Christmas!

Otherwise a nice fountain pen and nice notepad or some lovely shampoo and bubble bath.

Or a couple of books. The book depository is great!

I am in the process of making a Christmas survival box 2020! for my secret Santa (female late 30's £10.- ) so far I have Christmas socks, Wooden Santa tree decoration and "dinner for 2" = packet of soup mix that serves 2! I just need something sweet and toying with the idea of a mug cake set ... If I get one for £ 5.- ! ...

Who even uses diaries these days?

Hotel Chocolat chocs
White company candle.

Both pretty neutral but nice enough that folk don't generally get one for themselves.

I had similar situation last year and bought fancy chocolates and some fancy coffee. Went down well.

Coffee shop voucher, bottle of nice wine or other booze (Bailey's?), Book token?

I'm a mid forties woman that doesn't drink much. For a £20 present, my first thoughts were:

Portable charger (small, light, nice colour) and wire that fits my mobile phone
Voucher for local gift shop
Nice things from Paperchase (or voucher)
Gorgeous bauble (they are shockingly expensive so couldn't justify buying one that costly myself so a great gift)
Mini umbrella and nice socks (could get both for £20)

I would hate Yankee candles, hand cream, gloves and food is tricky given that many people restart a healthy eating plan in the new year.

The people saying "£20? I'd opt out!" aren't really adding anything useful, the op has said she's happy to pay it.

I've done a secret Santa for years, and generally the best received presents are nice Christmas ornaments or Christmas related paraphernalia. It's a nice thing for the season, but you can put it away till next year with no obligation to wear/eat/smell it for the rest of the year.