Sinterklaas with a wink: choosing an 18+ gift that doesn't get awkward
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
Drew names and want to give something funny? Here's how to choose an 18+ gift that suits the group and budget, and wrap it so it only opens when you want it to.
Around mid-October, the first draws for Secret Santa begin, and many people come to the same decision: something funny this year. In a group of friends, this usually goes well. In a department with twenty colleagues who half-know each other, it often goes wrong. Not because the gift goes too far, but because no one agreed beforehand on what the intention was. This guide helps you choose an 18+ gift that suits the group, the budget, and the moment — and then wrap it so it only opens when you want it to.
Why Secret Santa works differently than a birthday
For a birthday, you give one-on-one. The recipient unwraps it, you see the reaction, and if the gift is a wink, it stays between you. With Secret Santa, there's usually a group around. The gift is read aloud, there's a poem, and everyone watches. That changes the question: it's no longer about what the recipient likes, but about what the recipient likes while everyone else is watching.
Two practical consequences. First: the less you know someone, the milder your choice. For a colleague you draw from the Secret Santa pot, a funny utilitarian item is safer than something directly about sex. And second: agree beforehand in the group whether 18+ is even the intention. One sentence in the group chat prevents the awkward moment when a gift is opened by someone who wasn't expecting it.
Three types of gifts, three types of reactions
The joke. The gift is worth one laugh and then disappears. Think of the Inflatable Breasts – Boob Battle (€14.95) or the Inflatable Penis Battle Set (€19.95): both come in gift packaging and are clearly intended as a game for a party. Jokes work best in a group that knows each other well and with a small budget.
The utilitarian item with a wink. This is the category that most often goes down well, because the gift still serves a purpose after the evening. A funny kitchen apron (€14.95), socks in two pairs (€7.95) or a 320 ml ceramic milk jug (€3.95) are just an apron, socks, and a jug after the holidays. Whoever cooks, uses them.
The serious gift. You only give this to someone with whom you have that relationship: a partner, or someone who has explicitly asked you for something. Here, material, size, and function weigh more heavily than the joke. First, read the product information carefully and choose something small and decent rather than something large that the recipient can't use.
What suits which group
Situation
What usually goes well
What you'd better skip
Secret Santa at work
Something with a wink that is primarily usable: mug, apron, socks
Anything about the recipient themselves
Group of friends
Games and inflatables; small edible gifts
Gifts that are only funny for one person
Family evening with children present
Nothing from this category — save it for later in the evening
Anything you don't want to read aloud
Partner
A serious choice of material and size
A joke when you actually mean something serious
Budget: what you get for €5, €10, and €25
Most Secret Santa agreements are between five and twenty-five euros. This is exactly the range where this category is strong, as many items are small.
Above €35. The Teddy Bear with bondage outfit (€39.95) is a classic "big package, small joke" gift: it fills a box and stands out under the table.
Wrapping: the box determines the moment
For these types of gifts, the packaging is not an afterthought. You want two things: that no one sees what it is beforehand, and that the gift doesn't slip out of the paper halfway through the evening.
A closed box therefore works better than just wrapping paper. Small items fit into a black gift box of 8.5 x 6 x 3 cm (€2.99) — although it has a window, so tape that if it needs to remain a surprise. If you don't want to show anything, choose the white cube box of 12 x 12 x 12 cm (€2.99): closed, and large enough to work with filling so the shape gives nothing away. For a gift you take to an evening at someone else's house, the yellow treat box with handle (€2.99) is handy, because you can carry it without a bag.
Flat gift, like socks or a card game? Then a flat gift box of 12.5 x 8.5 x 1.5 cm (€1.99) is sufficient. If you are sending the gift instead of giving it yourself, a sturdy shipping box of 15 x 10 x 4 cm (€1.99) is a better base than an envelope: cardboard protects the contents and does not reveal what is inside to the person receiving it.
Order on time
Sinterklaas is on December 5th and the Secret Santa draws usually go around in October. That seems ample, but with funny items, the pitfall is in the stock: many models have ten to twenty pieces, not a hundred. Anyone who orders in the last week of November chooses from what's left. If you are ordering the same item for an entire group, explicitly check the stock count before adding it to your cart.
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