Best Secret Santa gifts under £10 (UK): 10 office-safe picks

Best useful gift

1. Logitech M170 Wireless Mouse (grey)

by Logitech

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Who it’s for: The safest pick if you don’t know the person well. Almost everyone who uses a laptop will use a spare wireless mouse, at work or at home.

Verdict: Our top pick because it’s genuinely useful and impossible to get wrong. It’s a small, plain wireless mouse from a big name: plug the tiny USB receiver into a laptop and it works straight away, with no pairing or software. The listing gives up to 12 months from a battery, with an on/off switch and auto-sleep, and Logitech covers it with a three-year limited hardware warranty. The shape works in either hand, and you can swap the buttons for left-handers.

Best office game

2. Exploding Kittens Grab & Game (pocket card game)

by Exploding Kittens

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Who it’s for: Someone sociable, or a team that likes a quick game at lunch. It also works as a gift for a colleague with kids.

Verdict: A pocket-sized version of the hit card game, and a gift that gets the whole office involved. Players take turns drawing cards until someone draws an Exploding Kitten and is out – unless they can play a card to save themselves. Every card has its rules printed on it, so you can learn it in a few minutes, and the box is small enough to live in a desk drawer. It’s silly rather than rude, so it’s safe for work.

Best for gamers

3. Paladone Nintendo NES Cartridge Coasters (set of 8)

by Paladone

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Who it’s for: Someone who grew up on Nintendo or has a retro corner on their desk. Good for a gamer you don’t know well.

Verdict: Eight double-sided coasters made to look like NES cartridges, with games including Metroid, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda. They’re officially licensed, they’ll actually get used on a desk, and they’re a nice nod to retro gaming without being a dust-collector. They’re made from engineered wood and paper, so wipe them rather than washing them.

Best desk gadget

4. UGREEN Foldable Phone Stand for Desk (black, 50747)

by UGREEN

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Who it’s for: Anyone who props their phone against their monitor. It’s a small, useful gift for a colleague you don’t know well.

Verdict: A simple plastic stand that holds a phone upright at the desk for video calls, two-factor codes or watching something at lunch. It adjusts from flat to 100° and locks at the angle you choose, with silicone pads so the phone doesn’t slide or scratch. It folds flat, so it can go in a laptop bag too. It’s a boring gift on paper, but it’ll get used every day.

Best for phone photographers

5. Amazon Basics Mini Phone Tripod with Wireless Remote (25cm)

by Amazon Basics

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Who it’s for: Someone who takes the team photos, posts to social media or films on their phone.

Verdict: A small tripod with bendy legs that can stand on a desk or wrap around a railing or branch, plus a phone clamp and a wireless remote, so you can be in the photo instead of taking it. A side knob switches between portrait and landscape. The listing says it takes phones up to 9.4cm wide and cameras up to 500g, and the remote works up to about 9m away. It’s a handy gift right before the Christmas party.

Best for new-laptop owners

6. Anker USB-C to USB-A 3.0 Adapter (2-pack, A8731)

by Anker

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Who it’s for: The colleague who keeps asking to borrow a dongle. Good for anyone with a newer MacBook or a USB-C-only laptop.

Verdict: Two tiny aluminium adapters that turn a USB-C port into a full-size USB-A socket, so old memory sticks, mice, keyboards and phone cables plug straight in. They’re slim enough to sit side by side in a MacBook’s ports, and Anker says the connectors are rated for 10,000 plug-ins. Not exciting, but it fixes a real everyday annoyance.

Best desk fidget

7. Rubik's Cube – The Original 3x3

by Rubik's

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Who it’s for: Anyone who likes a puzzle, and anyone who fiddles with things during meetings. It works for any age.

Verdict: The original puzzle from the brand that made it. It’s a classic Secret Santa gift because everyone knows it, it lives happily on a desk, and it’s a fun challenge for the person who’s never solved one. The listing says the current version turns more smoothly and doesn’t snag or pop apart like older cubes.

Best for a whole-team game

8. UNO Card Game (W2087)

by Mattel Games

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Who it’s for: Anyone, really. It’s a safe choice for a big team or someone you know nothing about.

Verdict: Everyone knows UNO, and that’s the point: it’s a game the whole office can play at the Christmas lunch without anyone reading rules. This edition has Swap Hands cards, customisable wild cards where you write your own rules, and symbols on each card so people with colour blindness can play. It takes 2 to 10 players.

Best for Star Wars fans

9. LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 Key Chain (854312)

by LEGO

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Who it’s for: The colleague with Star Wars on their desk or a LEGO set on the shelf. It’s a small gift that gets used every day.

Verdict: A LEGO R2-D2 minifigure on a metal chain and key ring, made by LEGO itself. It goes on keys, a bag or a lanyard, and it’s a nice small gift for anyone into Star Wars or LEGO without being too personal. LEGO makes lots of these, so if they’re more of a Marvel or Batman fan, look for the same style in other characters.

Best joke gift that's actually useful

10. ColorCoral Keyboard Cleaning Gel (160g, yellow)

by ColorCoral

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Who it’s for: Someone with a sense of humour and a messy desk. It’s a light joke that’s actually useful.

Verdict: A tub of squishy gel you press into a keyboard to pull out dust and crumbs from between the keys, then put back in the tub to use again. It also works on car air vents, phones and other gadgets with small gaps. The listing says to replace it when it turns dark. It’s a gentle joke gift that will actually get used – just make sure the person will take it the right way.