Secret Santa Gifts for Coworkers Under $20

The office gift exchange

Good Secret Santa gifts for coworkers under $20 should be easy to use, easy to carry home and unlikely to require an explanation to HR. Start with one small thing that fits their routine: coffee, tea, notes, commuting or a desk that has become a cable habitat.

You don’t need to know someone’s entire personality. One reliable clue is enough. The colleague who brings tea every morning has already done more useful gift research for you than a quiz titled “Which festive woodland creature are you?”

Six office-friendly gifts under $20

1. A travel mug without a workplace slogan

The 14-ounce IKEA UNDERSÖKA flask costs $9.99. Its plain appearance is a strength here: no joke they have to pretend to like, and no giant “World’s Okayest Employee” announcement at a client meeting.

Choose it for someone who carries a drink, but glance at their current setup first. A colleague with three favorite mugs probably needs something else. Cup-holder fit and cleaning preferences matter more than adding another festive color.

2. A notebook with room for their own ideas

MUJI’s B5 recycled-paper blank notebook is $2.50. Add a pen you can inspect locally, keeping the pen allowance around $5–$8. Blank pages suit sketches and free-form notes; someone who loves ruled lists may prefer a lined version.

Check the listing’s final-sale terms before buying. Also, leave the first page blank. A short separate card is nicer than permanently dedicating their new notebook to the annual finance-team gift exchange.

3. Tea for a known tea drinker

Harney & Sons’ wrapped Hot Cinnamon Spice box is $13 for 20 sachets. It is caffeinated black tea with a pronounced cinnamon-and-citrus direction, so buy it because they like that flavor, not because all tea drinkers are interchangeable.

Individually wrapped sachets are convenient at work. Keep the original ingredient packaging, and choose another option if you don’t know their dietary or caffeine preferences.

4. Something for the charger tangle

Kikkerland’s reusable cable ties are $7 for the set of eight. They make sense for someone with a laptop bag full of cables. Colors are assorted, so don’t build the entire gift around receiving a particular shade.

This is a small practical gift, not a desk makeover. Pair it with a note such as “For the cable situation we have both chosen to ignore.” Only use that joke if you actually know them.

5. Flowers they can build

LEGO Cherry Blossoms costs $14.99 and includes two buildable stems. It suits a colleague who enjoys making things and has somewhere to display the result. A vase is a separate consideration, so don’t imply the box is a complete flower arrangement.

Skip it for someone who dislikes desk decorations or would see construction as homework. The best gift is not necessarily the one you most want to build yourself.

6. Credit at a café they already visit

A $15 gift card can be thoughtful when it comes from the place they use every week. Confirm that their branch accepts it and that the value covers a purchase without a large top-up. A card for a distant café is technically a present, but also a small transport problem.

Buying for someone you barely know

Ask the organizer whether there is a wish list, a food policy or a rule against gift cards. Keep fragrances, clothing sizes, alcohol and personal-care treatments out of the guesswork. For a remote colleague, delivery costs may make a local digital café card more sensible than mailing a mug across the country.

A complete gift without spending every dollar

Secret Santa questions

Thinking about a tech accessory instead? Our USB-C cable buying guide explains why a connector that fits is only the start.