I can't be the only person struggling to buy secret Santa gifts. So lets form a drop in help desk

[Arisbottle]

My secret Santa gift receiver is a man which immediately makes it hard for me.

We are supposed to spend about £10 and buy four small gifts any ideas

He is in his 50s and spends all his time doing sport

[falalalalagirl]

Chimchar, the fruits of your Paperchase raid would've been awesome but I don't think we were a match because mine was today and I got a very suitable book!

[Goldenjubilee10]

Thank you gregssausageroll I'm looking after dsd's ds at the moment but will practice later.

[gregssausageroll]

Goldenjubilee - it is easy to link. Paste your link into your message and then put at the start and at the end. That it it. If you want to name the link with a word such as lovely top then all you do is leave a space between the last letter of your link and the ]] at the end.

[chimchar]

falala...thanks!

ooh. if I ^am^ your ss. what would you like?!!!!

might raid paperchase!

[ilovesooty]

I had a £10 limit and bought some luggage cubes from Amazon for my younger colleague who loves going on holiday and as soon as she's been is planning the next one. She uses Ryanair a lot so organising packing efficiently is important to her. I think it will be well received - at least I hope so.

[iwantanafternoonnap]

I organised my secret santa for the A and E department I work in for all those working on Christmas Day and I have bloody lost the letter that I wrote myself that tells me who I am buying for...now that is crap!! Bottle of vino it will be then x

[falalalalagirl]

Chimchar, I work in an English dept (am also a 30-something BFing teacher, two small kids, lost some weight; shit, you're not my secret santa are you?!) and I know from my cheating colleagues that there will be a lot of stationery gifts being given (we like nice pens ). Also I found some really pretty glass bird tree decs on Not On the High Street for about a fiver but they wouldn't have been delivered on time for my SS.

[DillyTante]

60 second hand fix is fab and these story cubes are great for kids & adults too.

[falalalalagirl]

I really struggled to do a nice £5 present for my 40-something slightly hippy-ish SS recipient so I made her a bottle of homemade baileys and a bottle of mulled wine syrup, both of which are a piece of piss to make and look good in pretty bottles that I have saved up. I've bought a couple of nice little porcelain christmas tree ornaments for pence (made by my mum) and hung them around the bottles. I reckon that's pretty good for a fiver.

[eviekingston]

I like doing a 'chillax pack' - can be adapted according to budget ( haven't tried it for a man though....) Gift bag containing magazine (quite easy to find one to suit), big bar choc, miniature bottle wine (asda do 99p ones), face/hair treatment sachet. Even though Secret Santa is an almighty pain, I'm quite sad that we aren't doing one this year as it feels quite indicative of the sense of pervading misery and gloom that infests my workplace these days...

[LittenTree]

Great thing about ours: the gift has to be unusual or funny- so no Body Shop smellys, thanks.

This year I'm giving my secret santa person Butt Head.

I admit it's been sitting unopened for a couple of years at home... but last year, I got an inspired pressie. They're distributed at our Xmas party (there are about 60 of us). I'm the departmental Elf'n'Safety warden, and our uniform in burgundy- so someone got me a burgundy hi-viz vest... all the pictures of us dancing drunkenly at the 'do' have this bright flash through them which is the reflective tape on my hi-viz vest. As I dance like a loon.

[CointreauVersial]

DH and I both pulled men's names out of the hat (different workplaces, though). £10 limit.

I bought a scarf for my SS (I know him well, and he will definitely be happy with that).

DH bought this from Debenhams, which is quite good for £10 (and is now in the sale!).

I find women much easier to buy for generally, but alas they are rare as hen's teeth where I work.

[alarkaspree]

Just in case this is a helpful idea, I went into the library at the children's school today and the technology teacher was telling everybody about how her non-denominational-secret-santa-equivalent had hung snowflake ornaments from the ceiling in her office. She was really, really thrilled.

[racingheart]

OP - I got my DC a washbag stuffed with Adidas shower gel and deo etc for about £7 on Amazon. That might go down well with your sporty man, along with £3 sports socks, so he doesn't think you are hinting he has BO!

[milk]

Arisbottle: Glenfiddich Assorted Single Malt Whisky Gift Set for £10 :)

[LittleMissSnowShine]

I have to buy for a 25 year old drummer in a punk band! We need to spend roughly a fiver a head. I got him www.menkind.co.uk/gifts-gadgets-c112/gifts-novelty-c3/kitsch-funny-gifts-c28/make-your-own-zombie-movie-kit-p114242?gclid=CJzdwbzalLQCFaTMtAodeg0AWA#114521 this]]!

There's some good gifts for men on that Menkind website btw. Another good one is the £5 giftshop which has loads of cool officey secret santa type gifts for..err..a fiver lol

[reastie]

queri that's hillarious (although not for you!)

Is rose hand cream really old ladyish? I've got MIL a lovely L'occitaine rose set for her bday - shower gel, hand wash and body lotion. I really like rose scented products maybe I'm old before my time so thought it would be a nice gift.

We have to give mini token gifts to our secret santas for the week before christmas and amongst my things for my secret santa is some mistletoe. I only did this as we have loads in the garden. I'm hoping she doesn't think she has a secret admirer for a secret santa

[chimchar]

some great ideas on here.

I'm stuck for a pressie for another new girl! she's about 30. two young kids, breastfeeding (so no alcohol type gifts) looks like she's losing baby weight so don't want to get chocolates. ^think^ she has a wicked sense of humour, quirky dresser (in a good way!) wears make up....and an English teacher if it helps!

£5 limit.

TIA!

[Goldenjubilee10]

I got the vintage velvet bomb cosmetic set from amazon for my secret Santa at work. (New year resolution is to learn to link). The budget was £5 to £10 and I got it for £7.50 in the Black Friday deals. We each had to pull the name of one of Santa's reindeer out of the hat and get something starting with the first letter of their name. I got Vixen!

[AndiMac]

Cinema vouchers are usually a safe bet too. A bit of a cop-out, but at least reasonably likely to get used.

[CarnivorousPanda]

Really awkward, as I said, I don't know her that well, just that she told me she enjoyed reading and hadn't read 50 Shades yet............

The handcream idea was only for the totally safe/non offensive option. I've only worked with her once, don't know her at all.................

[Smudgerbabe]

Hi slightly radical idea for those with £10 - £15 to spend - how about adopting an animal? either from a rescue centre (better as it's personalised to the animal and you get specific photos and updates and can visit etc and get a history - I've seen donkeys, horses, ducks, sheep, owls etc etc!!) or you can adopt wild animals check out Amazon - everything from Meerkats to Penguins!

Good if you know they're an animal lover! Otherwise maybe not!

Or just a cute cuddly animal - one year I gave a girl in her 20's a really cute cuddly dog who barked or something - it was under £10 from the supermarket and it was the 'hit' Secret Santa present of the day - she loved it!!

[flowersfortea]

remuslupin - had to delurk just to say, if only I could ever be described as "woman: clever and glam"

Never going to happen though!

Back to business, thanks for all the ideas everyone. I'm finding that typing the name of someone's hobby into amazon can bring up lots of little gifts - e.g. 'sailing' for my dad brought up some of those small cartoon/anecdote books.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I wouldn't buy 50 Shades for anybody. If she hasn't read it, it's probably because she's got more taste! And unless you know her v v well, it could be read as quite a strange thing to give. But English Rose type handcream might say 'old lady.' Have you bought these two things already, or are you looking for ideas?

[AndiMac]

Parsnipcake my immediate thought for your DD's gift was a lovely layered jar of cookie mix. See here: allrecipes.com/recipe/cowboy-cookie-mix-in-a-jar/ It looks nice in the jar (especially if you use Smarties rather than chocolate chips) and the baby can help gently tip the ingredients in the jar. It looks nice until you use it and they are only seconds away from being ready to put in the oven when you want to bake them, so not much effort at the cooking end, but still a fun activity.

CarnivorousPanda, does the new woman at your work want to read 50 Shades? If so, maybe, but if it was just a comment about her not having read it, she might be slightly creeped out to get that from an unknown person in her office...

Mine is a friend who is very crafty and clever, into doing funky cool things like the Tweed bicycle ride through London, etc. I would make her something, but she's far more clever and talented than I am when it comes to being crafty, so probably already has made it for herself, so am thinking something to purchase. £10 limit.