Genderless Gift Ideas Perfect for Your Secret Santa

Christmas gift selections that ought to be appreciated by everyone

Christmas is just around the corner. With all the different gift-giving festivities, it can be a challenge to come up with special, out-of-the-ordinary presents meant to appeal to all genders—especially if you have an anonymous Secret Santa to give presents to. 

Cut the brainstorming short! Ahead, a shortlist of shops and organizations from which you can purchase meaningful and purposeful gifts that ought to delight just about anyone.

Cultur’d

Looking for an alternative to the classic bottle of wine? Consider kombucha as a gift for your Secret Santa. Consumed as an elixir of life since ancient times, this fermented drink has been scientifically proven to boost immunity, improve digestion, and enhance your overall mood. 

You can shop kombucha via Cultur’d, a local store that began as a passion project for founder Barbie Limpe Candano, who decided to brew kombucha as part of her self-care journey and her shift to a healthier lifestyle. 

Cultur’d bestsellers include the Blueberry Burst and Afterglow, which are made from a premium blend of black assam and puerh teas, raw cane sugar, fermented fruits, and natural floral extracts. Just in time for the Christmas season, Cultur’d also offers a special flavor called Feliz Navidad, an alcoholic kombucha sangria spiked with red wine. For your gifting needs, Cultur’d has curated kombucha gift sets (starts at ₱615), while the price per bottle starts at ₱180 (for 350ml) and ₱399 (for 750ml). 

Kaliwete Creatives

Heartfelt handwritten letters just don’t lose their charm despite the domination of the digital age. Stationery sets from Kaliwete Creatives are great gifts that ought to remind your Secret Santa of this. (In addition, consider this an invitation for them to slow down and be in the moment!) Here, find dreamy watercolor art by Natz Mendoza-Montes depicting botanical themes and a floral Philippine map. These are printed on tree-friendly, FSC-rated card stock, in various products such as notecards, postcards, gift tags, and sticker sets.

For the holiday season, the Filipina artist created special hand-painted Christmas cards and released a curated selection of postcards and notecards with envelopes, priced at ₱499 for a set of six. If you want to give a gift that would add a special touch to their home, you can also opt to gift your Secret Santa decorative art prints (priced at ₱899). You can shop the paper goodies by Kaliwete Creatives in physical stores at Common Room PH Pop-up (SM Aura, UP Town Center Katipunan, and Ayala Malls Manila Bay). 

Kits for Bulilit

Give a gift grounded on purpose by availing the Hope tote bag. This is a collaborative project between Kits for Buliliit, a non-profit youth-led organization supporting children from underprivileged communities, and Fashion Kinetics, a fashion brand that advocates sustainable and genderless clothing. This reversible tote bag (priced at ₱499) is made from repurposed denim fabric and flour sacks. 

For every item sold, this project aims to give Noche Buena packs to their partner families in the province of Antique. Your Secret Santa ought to not only be happy with a functional gift; they get to also bring smiles to those in need.

Malingkat Weaves

Why not delight your Secret Santa with a unique gift that supports Filipino craftsmanship? Other gift options you can explore can be found at Malingkat Weaves. This social and cultural enterprise promotes Philippine weaving traditions and indigenous textiles, with a special focus on Mindanao and the stories of the communities behind the loom. Malingkat Weaves offers a variety of products ranging from apparel, and accessories, to home decor.

The t’nalak catchall tray (₱999) is made from hardwood cutoffs from furniture production and handwoven t’nalak fabric from the T’boli tribe of Lake Sebu. (This piece would be perfect for organizing your Secret Santa’s work desk or for adding flair to their spaces.) Malingkat Weaves also offers fabric baskets made of the hand-loomed binakol weave from Abra region are priced between ₱495 and ₱600. These gifts are not only functional but definitely made with heart.

Twobakers PH

This home-based bakery crafts gourmet cookies that your Secret Santa can enjoy over the holiday break. Cookies by Twobakers PH range in price from ₱100 (for the regular size) to ₱180 (for the 6-oz cookie). 

One cookie option perfect for gifting, however, is the Twobakers PH soft-baked cookies in a can. This lets your Secret Santa try an assortment of the bestsellers: the dark chocolate coffee mallow, matcha white chocolate with matcha custard, red velvet with classic cheesecake, ube white chocolate with ube custard, chocolate chip walnut with vanilla custard, and dark chocolates Reese’s peanut butter. You can buy a can of six cookies for ₱580.

It’s hard to miss with such great gifting options. Which presents do you think your Secret Santa will like?