Secret Santa Gifts for A Colleague Who's Leaving: Ideas Under £15

Secret Santa gifts for a colleague who's leaving

This one is worth more thought than the rest, because it is probably the last thing they take from the building. Keepsake beats desk-useful — they are clearing their desk, not filling it.

Everything below sits inside a normal UK Secret Santa budget of £10 to £15, so nothing here makes anyone else's gift look small. The ideas are grouped by what usually works, what to steer clear of and how to handle the opening itself.

If you are still setting the draw up, the Secret Santa rules guide covers budgets, deadlines and drawing names, and our free name picker does the draw for you.

Secret Santa gifts under £15

Pin badges, candles, coasters and prints designed in house and posted from the UK — all comfortably inside a Secret Santa budget.

A typographic music print featuring Taylor Swift Bejewelled lyrics on high-quality paper, unframed. Best Believe I'm Still Bejewelled By Taylor Swift Music Lyrics Print £8.00 Unframed wall art print featuring the text 'In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo' in colourful, vibrant lettering. In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful typographic wall art print with the quote 'I work hard so that my dog can live a better life' in A4 or A3. I Work Hard So That My Dog Can Live A Better Life Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful fitness wall print illustrating the HYROX competition race format with running and functional workout steps. Hyrox Competition Race Format Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 Enamel pin badge shaped like a red cowboy boot with the text What Would Dolly Do. What Would Dolly Do? Pin Badge £4.49 Small enamel pin badge with a funny "Chicken Nugget Club" design, perfect as a humorous novelty gift. Chicken Nugget Club Pin Badge (Small) £4.00

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Secret Santa gift ideas for a colleague who's leaving

  1. A card everyone signs. Ask the organiser to pass it round quietly beforehand.
  2. A pin badge with the team's running joke. Small enough to keep for years.
  3. A print of the phrase the team says constantly. It hangs at the next job.
  4. A candle for the evenings they are about to get back.
  5. A notebook for the new job. Clean start, first page empty.
  6. Good coffee for the first week somewhere new, when you know nobody and nothing.
  7. A keyring or small keepsake that fits in a pocket rather than a box.
  8. A card with one specific memory in it. This is what they will keep, not the object.

What to avoid

  • Anything desk-shaped they now have to carry home in a box.
  • Jokes about why they are leaving.
  • Anything that only makes sense inside this building.
  • Leaving the card unsigned because it is "just" Secret Santa.

Budget and etiquette

  • Get the card signed before the opening, not after.
  • Keepsake over clutter — they are packing, not unpacking.
  • Keep any leaving joke affectionate and general.
  • Let them say a word if they want to, and do not force it if they do not.

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How to write it so it lands

  • Small enough to fit in the leaving box.
  • One specific memory beats five compliments.
  • Keep the whip-round separate from the draw.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What do you buy a colleague who is leaving for Secret Santa?

Something keepsake-sized with a properly written card: a pin badge, a print, a keyring or a notebook for the new job.

Should the leaving gift be bigger?

Not inside the draw. Keep Secret Santa at the budget and run a separate whip-round for a leaving present if the team wants one.

What do you write in the card?

One specific memory and one line about what they were like to work with. Generic good luck is forgotten by the car park.

How much should you spend on Secret Santa in the UK?

£10 to £15 at work and £15 to £20 in families. Agree one number rather than a range, and say up front whether the card and postage count towards it.

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