It may be “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” but there’s still plenty to stress about, especially if you’ve got a Secret Santa or White Elephant gift exchange on your calendar.

Maybe it’s the strict price limit or the fact that you may not know the gift recipient very well, but there’s something super nerve-racking about these holiday gift swaps.

A Secret Santa gift seems like it should be an easy one to pick out right?  A no-brainer?

Just find something inexpensive, a little bit cheesy, a touch irreverent, nothing too personal and keep it PC.

Well, striking the perfect balance between appropriate for co-workers or acquaintances and still on budget, thoughtful, useful, funny and appreciated isn’t as easy as you may think!

Start your gift search by finding out the rules for the exchange (there are ALWAYS rules) and if there’s a price limit, stick to it. Secret Santa/ White Elephant exchanges usually limit the price of a gift to $20 or $25.  Next, try to find out something about your recipient’s interests…you don’t want to give the guy three cubicles over who just entered AA a bottle of wine, for example.

#AWKWARDAF

…and re-gifting the Secret Santa Gift you received last year is a big no-no.

To help relieve a bit of that Secret Santa stress I’ve put together a few of my top picks that are sure to make you The Most Awesome Secret Santa EVER and the best part is… everything is under $25.  

What’s the best or worst thing you’ve ever received in a Secret Santa exchange?