Every office has a Secret Santa story. The candle that smelled like a hospital. The novelty socks, again. The year someone wrapped a stapler from the stationery cupboard and hoped nobody would notice. (Everybody noticed.)
This year, you can do better, and you can do it for under £15. If your workplace is anything like most, at least one person in the team now lets a chatbot write their emails, summarise their meetings and, quite possibly, choose their lunch. That is a lot of comedy material. Here are our favourite Secret Santa ideas for the office, all under £15.
The golden rules of office Secret Santa
- Stick to the budget. Going over makes everyone else look stingy.
- Keep it work-safe. Funny, yes. Something you would not want HR to see, no.
- Make it about the job, not the person. A joke about the inbox lands better than a joke about their haircut.
- Useful beats ornamental. A mug gets used every day. A plastic snow globe gets "accidentally" left behind.
For the colleague who is always "out of office"
Out of Office Mug (£12.99)
Out of office. My AI is covering. For the person whose auto reply has been on since August. Printed on both sides of a white ceramic mug. See the Out of Office Mug.
For the one who is useless before 9am
Don't Talk to Me Before My First Prompt Mug (£12.99)
Fair warning for the rest of the team. It also makes a very good shield in the queue for the kettle. See the Don't Talk to Me Before My First Prompt Mug.
For the meeting hero
Dear AI... Thanks For Helping Me Sound Smart In Meetings Mug (from £12.99)
For the colleague who suddenly started saying "let's circle back on the key takeaways". We all know where that came from. See the Dear AI... Thanks For Helping Me Sound Smart In Meetings Mug.
For the one who has already put the tree up
Ho Ho Hallucinate Mug (£12.99)
A festive mug with an in-joke for anyone who has seen AI confidently get something completely wrong. Which is everyone. See the Ho Ho Hallucinate Mug.
All I Want for Christmas Is a Better Prompt Mug (£12.99)
For the colleague who has rewritten the same request eleven times and is still not happy with the answer. See the All I Want for Christmas Is a Better Prompt Mug.
For the dad of the team
Dad Jokes, Now AI Assisted Mug (£12.99)
Every office has one. Now his jokes have backup, and the rest of you have been warned. See the Dad Jokes, Now AI Assisted Mug.
For the desk that needs cheering up
Fake It Till You Prompt It Print (£12.99)
An 8 x 12 inch print that turns a grey desk partition into something worth looking at. Frame not included, but a drawing pin works fine. See the Fake It Till You Prompt It Print.
Eat, Sleep, Prompt, Repeat Print (£12.99)
The daily routine of half the office, ready to pin up next to the rota. See the Eat, Sleep, Prompt, Repeat Print.
Organising for the whole team?
If you are the one sorting out presents for everyone, here is a handy tip. Delivery is free on orders over £50, so four mugs at £12.99 gets you there with a little to spare. Everything is printed to order, usually within 5 to 10 working days, so please order by Wednesday 9 December for UK delivery before Christmas.
See the full range of Secret Santa gifts under £15, browse all our funny AI mugs, or, if your budget is a bit bigger, have a look at our gifts for colleagues.
Whoever you have drawn this year, we hope they laugh, keep the mug, and never find out it was you.