Typical Secret Santa budget by occasion
| Occasion | Budget | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| At work | under $25 | An amount everyone on the team can afford, interns included. |
| In the family | under $50 | Often more than at work: everyone buys one gift instead of one for each person. |
| With friends | under $25 | If someone is a student or between jobs, pick the lower amount. |
| In a class or kindergarten | under $10 | Parents buy the gifts, so keep it small and the same for the whole class. |
| Remote, gifts by post | under $25 | Say in the budget whether shipping is included, e.g. “including shipping”. Including it is simplest: then everyone spends the same. |
Each amount leads to gift ideas within it.
Gifts by post? The address for the parcel, digital gifts and opening together on a video call: Virtual Secret Santa.
How to agree on the amount
- The organizer suggests an amount. Before the draw, together with the occasion: one suggestion is easier to answer than “how much do you want to spend?”.
- A quick poll in the chat. Two or three amounts to choose from and a day to answer.
- Pick the amount nobody feels awkward about. If even one person wants the lowest, take the lowest. The gifts are just as much fun, and nobody has to explain.
- “Under”, not “about”. For example, “under $25” says how much at most, and less is fine too. “About” means something different to everyone.
- One amount for everyone. Then the gifts are alike, and nobody feels short-changed when they are opened.
What if someone can't spend that much?
- A lower amount for the whole list. Better that everyone spends less than that one person feels bad. Ask before the list is set up, so the right amount is on it from the start.
- A homemade gift. Cookies, a candle, a framed photo, a coupon for a coffee together – it fits any budget.
- A letter to Santa with cheaper ideas. Everyone on the list writes a letter to Santa; put something small in yours too, so your Santa has a choice at any amount. Letter to Santa online.
- Funny gifts. Joke gifts are cheap by nature and often get the biggest laugh. Funny Secret Santa.
The budget on your list
On santa.haus the organizer types the budget when setting up the list, and everyone on the list sees it on their own page, before and after the draw. A free online draw, no account and no e-mail.
Making an advent calendar instead of one gift? Advent calendar: make one online, or fill one at home.
On a small budget? Print a gift voucher for time together.
Planning the whole of Christmas? Print a Christmas planner with a gift list and a checklist.