Secret Santa Gifts for Your In-Laws: Ideas Under £15

Secret Santa gifts for your in-laws

In-law Secret Santa is a politeness test more than a gift. Warm, tasteful and clearly considered is the whole brief, and humour is a much bigger risk here than it is with your own family.

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 your in-laws

  1. A candle in a classic scent. Generous, tasteful and almost universally liked.
  2. Good coffee, tea or biscuits. Consumable is always polite.
  3. A coaster set for the house. Useful and clearly chosen rather than grabbed.
  4. A print with a calm line or a place that means something to them.
  5. A notebook or diary for the new year.
  6. A postcard set, especially if they are the letter-writing generation.
  7. A small plant or seed kit if they garden at all.
  8. A card with a warm, specific line — being welcomed is worth writing down.

What to avoid

  • Family in-jokes you have only heard second hand.
  • Anything that comments on the house, cooking or habits.
  • Alcohol unless you are certain.
  • Under-spending. This is the one draw where it gets noticed.

Budget and etiquette

  • Match the family budget exactly.
  • Wrap it properly — presentation counts more here than anywhere.
  • Keep the card warm and short.
  • Ask your partner for one hint before you buy.

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Pin badges under a tenner

Small enough to post, funny enough to survive being opened in front of everyone.

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 Small, cute enamel pin badge in the shape of a daisy flower. Cute Small Daisy Pin Badge £4.00 Cute Cat With Pearl Ball Pin Badge Cute Cat With Pearl Ball Pin Badge £4.00 All Panic, No Disco Pin Badge For Emos All Panic, No Disco Pin Badge For Emos £4.00 Small Heart Notification Pin Badge Small Heart Notification Pin Badge £4.00 What Would Dolly Do? Small Pin Badge What Would Dolly Do? Small Pin Badge £4.49 Cute Duck In Pink Cowboy Hat And Boots Pin Badge Cute Duck In Pink Cowboy Hat And Boots Pin Badge £4.00

Christmas cards to go with it

A card turns a small gift into a proper present. Printed and posted in the UK.

'tis the season to drink Guinness Christmas Card 'tis the season to drink Guinness Christmas Card £3.87 Let's drink (Guinness) and be Merry Christmas Card With Tree Let's drink (Guinness) and be Merry Christmas Card With Tree £3.87 Let's drink (Guinness) and be merry Christmas Card Let's drink (Guinness) and be merry Christmas Card £3.87 Wishing you an Electrifying Christmas Greeting Card Wishing you an Electrifying Christmas Greeting Card £3.87 Merry Christmas Nanny (Christmas Card For Nan) Merry Christmas Nanny (Christmas Card For Nan) £3.87 Merry Christmas Mummy (Christmas Card For Mum) Merry Christmas Mummy (Christmas Card For Mum) £3.87 Merry Christmas Brother (Christmas Card For Brothers) Merry Christmas Brother (Christmas Card For Brothers) £3.87 Merry Christmas Daddy (Christmas Card For Dad) Merry Christmas Daddy (Christmas Card For Dad) £3.87

How to write it so it lands

  • Tasteful over funny.
  • Ask your partner for one hint.
  • Wrap it like it matters.

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Frequently asked questions

What do you buy in-laws for Secret Santa?

Tasteful and consumable: a candle, good coffee or biscuits, a coaster set, a print or a plant, with a warm card.

Should you be funny with in-laws?

Keep humour very light. A joke that works in your own family can read as cheek in someone else's.

How much do you spend on in-laws?

Exactly the agreed family budget. Over-spending is as awkward as under-spending in a draw.

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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