40 Thoughtful Christmas Gift Ideas Under $20 For Secret Santa (2022)

Ming Feng

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12 Dec 2022

With Christmas nearing, we can finally put this year behind us.

But with Christmas also comes the challenge of the Secret Santa Gift Exchange.

TL;DR: Best Christmas Gift Ideas Below $20 For Singaporeans

Getting a random Christmas gift is easy.

But getting one that is practical and thoughtful is the real challenge.

Need some ideas?

Here are our suggestions for awesome Secret Santa gifts that are below $20…

Note that the information is accurate as of 12 December 2022. Prices and promotions can be changed without prior notice.

1. Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Gen 3, 10,000mAh — $18.80

Charge on the go to make it through the busiest and longest of days!

$18.30 from Shopee

2. Cath Kidston Keep Kind Travel Size Hand Cream Shea Butter Trio Packset 30ml x 3s [Christmas Gift Set] — $17.90

Who doesn’t like pampering themselves with some luxurious and long-lasting, perfumed hand creams and moisturisers?

$17.90 from Watsons

3. Body & Earth Bath and Body Care Gift — $19.95

Give the gift of self-care with this perfect package of bath and body care products.

$19.95 from Shopee

4. Feed Me Bowl — $10

Because Nissin Tom Yam Seafood is love, Nissin Tom Yam Seafood is life!

The best part? There are about 15 designs for you to choose from.

$10 from Cotton On (Typo)

5. Drink It Up Water Bottle (For Your Thirsty Giftee) — $10

It’s essential to drink lots of water.

Remind your giftee to do so with an aesthetic yet functional water bottle.

$10 from Cotton On (Typo)

6. A Box Of Durian — From $12/kg

Well… it’s DURIAN!

Now that’s a Singaporean Christmas with a good twist.

$12/kg onwards from various durian vendors

7. Rubi Sunglasses — $14.17

A practical gift since Singapore is always so damn sunny!

$14.17 from Zalora

8. Kalimba — $13.88

If your giftee enjoys music, you might inspire them to pick up a new hobby and make some beautiful music with the gift of this Kalimba.

$13.88 from Shopee

9. MUJI Planner — $14.90

Help your recipient take their first step to achieve their 2023 goals with a MUJI planner!

$14.90 Planner from Shopee or MUJI

10. Nordic Elegance Aromatherapy Scented Candle — $18

Aromatherapy to de-stress.

$18 from naiise

11. Cute Luggage Bluetooth Speaker — $13

The best companion for some background music as you picnic at Marina Barrage.

$13 from Shopee

12. Wishing You Set Of 5 Fizzing Stars — $10

Probably the closest thing you can get to snow in your bathtub!

$10 from Sephora

13. Notebook — $17.99

Sometimes writing stuff down helps us to remember things better – like making time for friends and family.

$17.99 from kikki.K

14. Whiskey Ice Ball Molds — $16.90

You’ll never know you needed this till you receive one.

You don’t even have to use it for whiskey.

Use it to keep your ice Milo, iced tea, or iced kopi chilled without diluting it too fast.

$16.90 from The Whiskey Shop

15. Cotton Face Hand Bath Towel — $9.90

There is nothing more practical than this!

$9.90 from Tangs

16. Shopping or Food Vouchers — $20

So that you no longer have to risk getting a gift that ends up in the trash bin.

Available in $20, $50, $100, and $150 denominations from Uniqlo

17. IRVINS Classic Box — $19.90

The perfect snack pack stuffed full of delicious calories you can enjoy this Christmas.

The best part? This gift set is Halal too!

$19.90 from IRVINS

18. Body Shop Nutty and Nourishing Shea Mini Gift Set — $19.20

The perfect gift for your ‘giftee’ to indulge and nourish their skin.

$19.20 from Shopee

19. Books: Example Thinking, Fast and Slow — $17.01

Only recommended if you know the recipient well. If it’s one of those random Secret Santas where everybody picks a gift at random, choose a title that most people will appreciate.

We recommend the book Thinking, Fast and Slow because everyone could use some help to make better decisions.

This book was written by Daniel Kahneman, an Economic Sciences Nobel Prize Laureate. He is renowned for his work on the psychology of judgment, decision-making, and, more importantly, behavioural economics.

The book summarises most of his research and is a New York Times Bestseller, with over 1.5 million copies sold.

$17.02 (Paperback) from Amazon.sg

20. 360° Flexible Phone Holder —$17.99

Give the gift of being able to watch Netflix by the bed without straining their wrists.

$17.99 from Shopee

21. Tea Infuser Ball — $18

Get your tea-loving giftee a fancy tea infuser that will help them make a lovely cuppa tea.

We like the adorable designs that they have too.

$18 from T2 (Tea Too)

22. USB Cup Warmer — $9.49

If your giftee’s air-con is permanently set to -18 degrees celsius or they take forever to finish their drinks, get them this cup warmer that is powered by USB!

$9.49 on Shopee

23. Foreword Coffee Brew it Yourself Gift Pack — $15

Is your giftee lowkey addicted to caffeine?

Get them this lovely coffee and snack gift bundle this holiday season!

$15 from Foreword Coffee

24. Kopibag Mug — $9.90

“Uncle, kopi dabao (Hokkien: takeaway)!”

$9.90 from area65

25. Bakes From Social Enterprises — $12.50

Give while supporting a good cause?

Sign me up!

Get these delicious Oat & Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Oh My Goodness!, a bakery that employs ex-offenders.

$12.50 from Oh My Goodness!

26. Personalised Pouches — From $2.21

Nothing says thoughtful like the cute personalised yet affordable pouches you can get from Shopee!

$2.21 from Shopee

27. Face Mask — $10

You should have seen this coming, all thanks to Mr COVID-19.

The fact that he keeps mutating would mean that we would have to wear face masks for a very long time.

We like this cute Char Siew Bao Mask made by the students at Pathlight.

Check out their website for other designs too!

$10 from the Art Faculty by Pathlight

28. That Dinosaur Pouch V2 — $20

Fit everything into this adorably sized pouch.

Fun fact: this is the upgraded version of the Dino Pouch carried by Ho Ching when she visited the White House while Obama was president.

$20.00 from the Art Faculty by Pathlight

29. Bamboo Fibre Cup — $18

If you wanna do your part for the environment.

$18 from the Art Faculty by Pathlight

30. Wax Seal Set With The Giftee’s Initials — $13.97

If your giftee is into calligraphy, lettering, and the like, you can get this custom wax seal kit from Etsy.

$13.97 from Etsy

31. IKEA KORKEN Jar Filled With Yummy Homemade Food — $20

The 0.5 l KORKEN jar from IKEA will cost you just $1.90.

Use the rest of the budget on the ingredients to make a no-bake tiramisu or even a one-pot pasta.

$1.90 from Ikea

32. Desk Organiser — $7.60

Here’s something stylish that will help your giftee arrange and declutter their table.

$7.60 from Shopee

33. Maiborna Essential Oils Gift Set — $19.99

Here are 10 different blends of essential oils that will freshen up any room and help with ailments.

$19.99 from Amazon.sg

34. Personalised Spotify Keychain — $1.90

When music is life!

$1.90 from Shopee

35. Manual Coffee Grinder — $17.40

This one’s for the coffee lovers

$17.40 from Amazon.sg

36. Handmade Soaps

Handmade and at a really affordable price, all without compromising on quality.

Handmade Soaps at $11 from Rough Beauty

37. McDonald’s Gift Certificates — $20

Who wouldn’t like to receive McDonald’s gift certificates amiright?

Not that the purchase of gift certificates is only available via pre-order by emailing [email protected]. The collection date/time will be advised only after confirmation or clearance of payment. All collections of gift certificates are to be done at McDonald’s Head Office, 10 Kallang Avenue, #04-10 Aperia Tower 2, Singapore 339510.

The gift certificates also come in $10 booklets consisting of ten $1 coupons that work just like cash at any McDonald’s restaurant. Please note that gift certificates only come in one denomination.

Also, due to safety measures, the purchase of gift certificates are suspended until further notice. We will update the article once things change.

Gift Certificates from McDonald’s

38. Ferrero Rocher T32 — $14.50

One of the best and affordable chocolate gifts for Christmas!

$14.50 from Fairprice

39. Dettol Hand Sanitizer 6 x 50ml Pack — $13.99

Keep your hands clean.

Keep the COVID-19 virus away.

$13.99 from NTUC FairPrice

40. Reusable French Net Bag — $12

Get this eco-friendly bag from The Sustainability Project to help your giftee save money and save the earth too.

$12 from The Sustainability Project

Receiving gifts is great and all BUT ultimately, it’s the thought that counts.

Make time for your friends and family this Christmas…

Everything else can wait.

About Ming Feng

A stint in Bloomberg gifted me with a beer belly, which only grew larger when I moved on to become a Professional Trader. Now I turn caffeine into digestible finance-related content.

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