Secret Santa gifts under 500 baht: what Bangkok offices want
For an office Secret Santa in Bangkok, 300 to 500 baht got the largest share in a 2025 Thairath poll, at 42.31%. Our advice is a gift that gets used up: eaten, drunk or used every day. Skip photo frames, piggy banks and dish sets. All three made the poll's top five gifts people least want.
Last updated 9 October 2026 by Tim Grassin, founder and head pastry chef at Ondine.
Short answer: set the budget at 300 to 500 baht. That range got the largest share, 42.31%, in a 2025 Thairath poll of 2,667 respondents. Then buy something that gets used up. That part is our advice, not the poll's. The gifts people least want in that poll are the ones that need a shelf: photo frames, piggy banks and dish sets. This guide is for anyone buying for a New Year gift exchange in a Bangkok office, especially if it is your first.
If you have just joined a Thai office, the New Year party probably ends with a จับฉลาก (jap chalak). Everyone brings one gift, everyone draws a number, and you go home with whatever comes out. It works like Secret Santa, except you rarely know who gets yours.
How much should you spend on a Secret Santa gift in Bangkok?
300 to 500 baht got the largest share. In the Thairath Poll published on 25 December 2025, 42.31% of 2,667 respondents picked that range as a reasonable budget for a gift exchange. Under 300 baht came second at 27.81%, which Thairath pitches as the budget for laughs and fun. If your office has set a number, use it.
The point of a range is fairness. Nobody wants to bring a 500 baht gift and draw a 99 baht one.
Which gifts do people least want?
Things the winner has to store. The same poll ranked photo frames or albums first at 25.67%, then piggy banks at 22.71%, the classic red cookie tin at 21.99%, ceramic glass or dish sets at 13.49%, and towels or nano blankets at 10.27%. Most are useful in theory. In practice they end up in a cupboard.
People are polite about it. 59.51% said they smile, say thank you and put the gift away. 19.33% throw it out or give it away, and 8.32% plan to bring it back to next year's draw.
What do people actually want from a gift exchange?
Money, or close to it. Gold came first at 42.45%, cash or a PromptPay transfer second at 38.68% and gift vouchers third at 7.46%. The real test is whether the gift becomes something the winner wanted. If your office rules out cash, our advice is a gift that gets used up. That is Ondine's view, not a poll result.
What makes a good gift exchange gift under 500 baht?
Run it through our four tests before you pay. A gift that passes all four rarely ends up in a cupboard.
| Test | What it means | Fails it |
|---|---|---|
| Gets used up | Eaten, drunk or used every day | Frames, ornaments, piggy banks |
| Works for anyone | You do not know who draws it | Sized clothes, very personal items |
| Looks finished | Ready to hand over, no wrapping in the pantry | Loose items in a plastic bag |
| Easy to carry home | Light and small for the BTS or a motorbike taxi | Dish sets, heavy glassware |
Is a box of madeleines a good gift exchange pick?
It is if your office eats sweets. Pastries get eaten and nobody stores them. Ondine's Petite 3 is 290 baht, under a 300 cap, and the Signature 5 is 450 baht, inside the 300 to 500 band. Each goes in an Ondine logo bag with a ribbon and a wish card. Nothing to wrap. Both are in the shop.
Two honest caveats. Food is a gamble when you do not know who will draw it, so skip it if anyone in the office avoids sweets. And plan the timing with us before you pick a date: message @ondine.bkk on Instagram.
How do you run a gift exchange nobody minds losing?
Agree on four rules before anyone shops. It takes two minutes in the team chat and saves the awkward moment at the party.
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| One budget, as a range: 300 to 500 baht | Every gift is worth about the same |
| Say up front whether cash and vouchers count | Avoids one envelope among twenty boxes |
| Buy for anyone, not for a friend | The draw is random |
| Bring it ready to hand over | No wrapping in the pantry at 5pm |
The short version
For a Bangkok Secret Santa, spend 300 to 500 baht, skip anything that needs a shelf, and pick something that gets used up and looks ready to give. If your office eats sweets, see the boxes in the shop or build your own.
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Fresh flavours, little celebrations and first dibs on the next batch.
Questions
How much should I spend on a Secret Santa gift in Bangkok?
Spend what your office agrees on. If nobody has set a number, 300 to 500 baht is the safe middle. In a Thairath poll of 2,667 people published in December 2025, 42.31% picked that range as a reasonable budget, the largest share. Under 300 baht came second at 27.81%, which Thairath pitches as the budget for laughs and fun.
What gifts should I avoid for a gift exchange in Thailand?
Avoid things the winner has to find a place for. In the 2025 Thairath poll, the least wanted gifts were photo frames or albums at 25.67%, piggy banks at 22.71%, the red cookie tin at 21.99%, ceramic glass or dish sets at 13.49% and towels or nano blankets at 10.27%.
Is food a good Secret Santa gift?
Yes, when everyone in the office eats sweets. Food gets used up, so nobody has to store it, and it is easy to share at the party. It is a gamble if you do not know who will draw it, so skip food if anyone avoids sweets, and plan the timing with the maker.
What comes with an Ondine box?
Every Ondine box goes in an Ondine logo bag with a ribbon and a wish card. The Petite 3 holds three madeleines for 290 baht and the Signature 5 holds five for 450 baht.
