Secret Santa Gifts Under EUR 20 That Don't Look Cheap

Halfway through November the message lands in the group chat: "Are we doing Secret Santa again this year? Budget twenty euros." And then the puzzling starts. Because twenty euros is exactly that awkward amount: too much for a joke, too little for the obvious thing, and far too visible to buy something that looks cheap. This guide covers what you give for EUR 20 to someone you know well and to the colleague whose first name is all you have — plus how it is done in Germany, because they have their own word for it: Wichteln.

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Every gift below comes from our own collection, costs no more than EUR 20 and is in stock. They are pieces of jewelry in premium stainless steel: skin-friendly, waterproof and made to last. They also arrive in a luxury Lundholm gift box as standard, so you do not even have to wrap them.

Secret Santa, Wichteln and Schrottwichteln: what is what?

Everyone knows Secret Santa: you draw a name, you keep it secret and you agree on an amount beforehand. In Germany exactly the same game is called Wichteln, after the Wichtel — the little gnome who quietly does good deeds. It is played at the Weihnachtsfeier, the company Christmas party that fills November and December at almost every office, and in groups of friends and families somewhere in the weeks before Heiligabend, Christmas Eve on 24 December, the evening German families open their presents.

Two things Germans take more strictly than most. First, the budget is not a guideline but an agreement: if twenty euros was agreed, nobody turns up with something for thirty-five. Going well over shows everyone else up — roughly the worst social mistake you can make at Wichteln. Second, there is a separate version purely for laughs: Schrottwichteln, literally "junk Wichteln". Everyone brings something useless they already had lying around: the soup tureen bought by mistake, the candle shaped like a pineapple. The less usable, the better.

That difference matters, because it decides what you buy. At Schrottwichteln, ugly is the whole point. At ordinary Wichteln — and at Secret Santa — people genuinely want to receive something nice. Something that actually gets worn later, and that nobody can tell came off the budget shelf.

Why jewelry is the easiest twenty-euro gift

There is one practical reason jewelry is almost unbeatable as a drawn-name gift: jewelry has no size. No S, M or L, no shoe size, no guessing whether someone takes a 38 or a 40. Stud earrings fit everyone, and our rings are adjustable and therefore one size. That removes the only real risk with clothing: that it does not fit, and that the other person then has to say so.

On top of that, a piece of jewelry looks more expensive than it is quite easily, as long as the material is right. Our pieces are premium stainless steel, usually with a gold-tone PVD coating: it does not discolor, it can come in the shower and it is hypoallergenic — useful when you do not know whether the person receiving it has sensitive ears.

Four that always work — under EUR 19

Fiene Tulip StudsEUR 14.95 Max Ball StudsEUR 14.95 Pia Flower of LifeEUR 14.95 Klara Four-Leaf CloverEUR 18.95

For the colleague you barely know

This is the hardest name to draw: you know her first name, her department and that she drinks her coffee with oat milk. That is it. The rule is then simple: neutral, but not boring. Avoid anything that has an opinion about her — no birthstone, no initials, no in-joke from the group chat. Choose something small and timeless that goes with any outfit instead.

Small hoop earrings are the safest thing there is for this. The Emmy hoops (EUR 18.95) are the kind of pair everyone wears and nobody finds too much. Does she work somewhere jewelry is less welcome? Then a smooth, adjustable ring like the Elia (EUR 16.95) is a better bet: subtle, one size, and nobody looks twice. Want a little more presence without getting personal? The Nore knot stud earrings (EUR 19.95) or the silver-tone Ovela hoops at 3 cm (1.2 inch) (EUR 18.99) are a nice middle ground.

Safe for a colleague, still a real gift

Emmy HoopsEUR 18.95 Elia Adjustable RingEUR 16.95 Sol Chunky HoopsEUR 15.95 Florianne FlowerEUR 14.95

For your close friend

If you have drawn the name of someone you really know, the rule flips: now it can absolutely be personal. A shape with a wink works better than something neutral, because she sees straight away that you thought about her and not about "a woman, roughly thirty".

The Femme heart stud earrings (EUR 17.95) are our best-selling choice here — small enough for weekdays, sweet enough to mean something. Is your friend the kind who handles everything with humor? Then the Kaya smiley studs (EUR 17.95) are a bullseye. And if you would rather give a necklace than earrings within budget: the Maja necklace with a round charm, 40 cm (15.7 inch), costs EUR 19.95 and just fits. Looking for something bigger outside the drawn-name season? See our guide to a Christmas gift for your girlfriend.

Personal, but within budget

Femme HeartsEUR 17.95 Kaya SmileyEUR 17.95 Alma Small HeartsEUR 19.95 Maja NecklaceEUR 19.95

For your sister-in-law, or anyone else in the family

Family names sit exactly between the two categories above. You know her, but not well enough to predict her taste — and you will see her again at Christmas, so a miss lingers. There is one trick that almost always works: look at her watch or her wedding ring. Does she wear gold-tone or silver-tone? That alone removes the only real taste risk.

Handily, the Milea wave ring comes in both colors, both EUR 17.95 and both adjustable — so you are covered even if you only work out which way she leans on the evening itself. For something with more presence the Tilda chain bracelet (EUR 17.50) is a lovely choice, and the Tovi charm necklace (EUR 19.99) is the most "gift-like" piece within budget.

Gold or silver — both under EUR 20

Milea Ring Gold-ToneEUR 17.95 Milea Ring Silver-ToneEUR 17.95 Tilda Chain BraceletEUR 17.50 Tovi Charm NecklaceEUR 19.99

If the budget is lower than twenty euros

Not every group lands on twenty. If ten or fifteen was agreed, or you would rather give two small things than one big one, it works just as well. The adjustable Jiva statement ring costs EUR 6.95 and is surprisingly eye-catching for the money. Small earrings also do well as a standalone gift: the Arina hoops with a heart and the Max ball studs are exactly the sort of thing she puts in the very next morning.

This is also the price range for filling an Adventskalender — the German advent calendar with 24 small compartments, one for every day from 1 December up to Christmas Eve. Want to do it the German way, small and personal and ready before the first Sunday of Advent on 29 November 2026, then read our guide on filling an advent calendar the German way. The same goes for the small gifts left in children's shoes: on 5 December for Sinterklaas, the Dutch gift-giving celebration, and on 6 December in Germany, where Nikolaus is marked separately from Christmas. We have a separate guide for that with Nikolaus and Sinterklaas gifts for her.

Comfortably under EUR 16

Jiva Statement RingEUR 6.95 Arina Hoops with Heart€ 12.95 Max Ball StudsEUR 14.95 Pia Flower of LifeEUR 14.95

How to make a twenty-euro gift look expensive

With drawn names, people watch — often literally, because everyone is sitting there when it gets opened. Three things make more difference than the price.

One: the packaging. A piece of jewelry in a proper box reads as a gift; the same piece in a pouch reads as a leftover. Here everything comes in a luxury Lundholm gift box as standard, so that sorts itself out. Two: take the receipt out, but leave the brand in. Three: one line on a card. "Saw this and thought of you straight away" does more than ten euros of extra budget — and at Wichteln, where you stay anonymous, that one line is the only personal thing you can give.

Ordering in time (and what if you are late)

Order before 15:00 CET on a working day and we ship the same day. Shipping costs EUR 3.95 and is free from EUR 75 — with two or three drawn-name gifts you are there quickly. Delivery takes 3 to 7 working days inside the EU and 5 to 14 working days outside it, so if your Wichteln group sits in another country, count backwards generously.

The dates in a row: the Weihnachtsfeier where Wichteln usually happens falls in November and December, Nikolaus is Sunday 6 December 2026 and Heiligabend — the evening German families open their Christmas presents — is Thursday 24 December 2026. So count back from the 24th, not from Christmas morning. Running late? Our guide to last-minute Christmas gifts and delivery tells you how late you can still order.

Frequently asked questions about Secret Santa and Wichteln

Twenty euros is not a small budget if you spend it well — it is just a budget you cannot hide anything in. So pick one small thing that is right rather than three things that only fill space. Browse all earrings and find the gift your colleague thinks you overspent on.