What to get a female in her 30s ? (Secret Santa)

[Hdkatznahtw125sgh]

Hello

In the work secret santa I’ve got someone I don’t know very well.

She’s in her 30s and has young children. I’m not sure whether she drinks.

The limit is £20.

Can anyone give me any ideas on what she might actually like / use ?

Thanks

I'm a vagina haver in my 30's so I may or may not have something in common with your colleague

My favourite secret Santa gifts have been:-
A box of odd socks
A cotton shopping bag with a quirky quote from my favourite singer on
An Amazon voucher
Funky notebook and pen
A spider catcher
Chocolate coins

I wouldn't appreciate skincare (eczema), jewellery (don't wear it), nail stuff (I'm a biter), make up (don't wear it), smelly candles (migraine trigger), anything Hotel Chocolat (boak), coffee (don't drink it), alcohol (can't drink 😔) or any blingy accessory things (I'm a scruff).

Lovetoshop gift voucher.

Chanel nail varnish

Marvellousmadness yup, Aldi scented candles are lush and I usually tell him as we are going round Aldi 'I would like that one and that one Christmas' in case he forgets.

For Easter he did a treasure hunt, so I feel like I am the lucky one :-)

As an aside, yeuk, hate secret santa, luckily our work secret santa is entirely by choice and no one minds if you don't take part. If it were obligatory I would volunteer to organise it then do it for everyone else but not put my name in and buy myself something.....

I love candles / diffusers but don't often buy them for myself so I would love that but of course many would say boring. But each to their own - but I do not like chocolate ( weird - me? )
Personally I would steer away from anything skin related - but maybe just because I can come out in a rash with lots of things.

How about a really nice orchid in a pot - they last for ages

I enjoyed receiving a Milton Brown bauble for secret Santa

Got to say I received some candles and soap & glory for my birthday this year and they went straight onto local regifting group…
I just don’t light candles, they sit gathering dust, and I get way too many body lotions. At least shower gel I will use.
I think other nice stuff is whatever your beverage of choice is- tbh I’d love it if someone got me a 1000 pack of Yorkshire Tea!

Yes really nice tea or coffee @Joban I would really like or indeed some Chrstmassy spices ( if she cooks & is going to be doing Christmas lunch ) e.g. cloves , cinnamon - i.e. the sort of thing you hoik out of the back of the cupboard and find it is out of date.

Omg not a ‘women in her 30’s?!’ What a rare and shocking pick! Literally so many things would be fine! Chocolates, perfume, slippers, pjs, just eat voucher, bubble bath or bath bombs…I don’t think that is a difficult one

A subscription to hinge.

Not candles, alcohol or hand / body creams or bath stuff.
Every year I get these despite everyone knowing that I can only use Aveeno. They usually go to waste as no one else wants them either.

What about a lunch gift card? I had a Greggs gift card one year and it bought me lunches and coffees through January. I’m not saying Gregg’s in particular but anywhere locally that does lunchtime stuff. It was the gift the kept giving 😄

Do you know her well, or is she just a random colleague? How about a Sephora (or equivalent depending on where you live) voucher?

Could you ask a colleague who knows her better for an idea? If not, I would go with a few smaller items rather than one large gift. That way, there is a chance she’ll like one.

Perhaps next year suggest people who participate in Secret Santa jot down a little bit about themselves next to their name e.g. hobbies, food preference, allergies etc. Troys - gardening, card making, cooking, likes cheese, teetotal.

I’m a female in my 30s who would bloody hate a candle…

I think yabu for saying find me a gift for a female in her 30s without any additional information about her…

M&S do these Alphabet Velvet Make-Up Bags for £5 you could fill it with a few things like some lovely hand cream

https://www.marksandspencer.com/alphabet-velvet-make-up-bag/p/hbp60505330?extid=psps-bplaagglbeech--UK---encore&dssrl=1295953&dsrl=1295953&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxanuvozH9AIVBLTtCh0Q7A0mEAQYASABEgJjJJDBwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If she wears nail polish and does her own nails I love the idea of a designer polish eg Chanel/Dior etc. I’d be over the moon with that as would love the bit of VIP luxury but wouldn’t be able to justify spending £20 on that myself. It would last for months and I’d love it!! I’d want a nice classic shade though that would go with anything.

Great idea! 👏

What about a photo fame. TK Maxx often have nice ones.

My preferences would be...

Nice notebook from paper chase
A lovely mug (assume you know if she drinks tea/coffee)
Woolly socks
Good quality Chocolate

Assuming you mean a female human, then anything so long as you get a gift receipt so she can exchange it for something she actually wants – as you can see by this thread, not everyone wants: candles, jewellery, slippers, chocolate, treatments, etc.

Personally I’d be pissed off with an Amazon voucher because Amazon are evil and I don’t shop with them.

Anything but a candle. Or hand cream. £20 is a lot for secret Santa, which makes it difficult. (Shouldn’t it be secret Father Christmas anyway? I thought MN believes nobody says Santa (lights blue touch paper and runs away)). I would go for a cheaper fun present - a chocolate reindeer, for example, and a book token or voucher for M&S, or John Lewis.

I think people take secret santa a bit too seriously. Just have fun. The world won't end if you give her something she doesnt want, she can just re-gift it. So long as its not something she would obviously hate. Her work secret santa gift isnt likely to be the one she's expecting the most from. Usually any place ive worked its been fun gifts rather than super thoughtful x

Just here to add that I absolutely LOVE a candle!

One of many reasons I'm delighted to be retired is no more Secret Santa! If it has to happen, it seems like a good idea to have some way for recipients to say what they definitely don't want and maybe a few ideas for what they do want/need. What the millions of similar threads about SS and gift giving in general show is that (brace yourselves) we're not all alike!

I’d avoid earrings/jewlery - very personal
I also avoid bath stuff - some people myself included have to be very careful about their skin.

A nice notebook , a nice mug, some cosy socks etc not to personal but not just a box of chocolates and a bottle of barefoot either?

Personally I’d go for something that can be eaten/drunk rather than an item. Even if it isn’t what she likes there is more chance she might give them to someone else or share with family. It feels less wasteful to me than an item which might just end up in a charity shop or the bin. I don’t really like the buying of gifts for the sake of it and I’m glad my team decided not to do secret Santa this year. We are donating to charity instead.

Trying to buy people useful presents only which isn’t that easy!