AmyK, this year's Santas set a $25 limit. But we can always do it differently or add another exchange, eh?

Love the ideas here! Great thread gryffin! Socks are our go to, striped dotted wool or some nice coolmax for working out and an orange or other feesh fruit. I think ill be taking the usb drive idea this year too!

E - memory sticks - they are always getting lost. What a terrific idea!! The nylon shopping bags and books great ideas too. Many thanks!!
Amy K - I tried to google klompen and it just says clogs. Is that where the dutch put out clogs instead of stocking for st nick to get presents? I am out of the secret santa loop too. So I hope someone will chime in to answer your question!
Aquamarine - what a delightful tradition!! Chocolate oranges would be lovely!! I am a huge bookworm too. All my dogs are named for my favorite literary characters (I'm talking to you Jane Austen!) and, of course, I do have the Anne of Green Gables cookbook - although I never made anything from it!!
ManidipaM - gosh girl you read my mind. I was just bemoaning my reynauds!! You can't salt the driveway in gloves and I refuse to go out there again. Lyn also recommended earmuffs and I just ordered a bunch. I did gloves last year, but as you say can you have too many. I love the idea of playlists and personal gift certificates. Great idea. Suds are a great idea I could go with a boiling hot bath to soak my hands right now!! Also thanks for chiming in on Amy K's question!!
Sarah A - nice one on socks the especially the luxury thorlo or coolmax type. Always hard to drop cash on them and it would be a great gift!!

Such a timely post! I am struggling with what to get for the person I am "Secret Santa" to at work. The Trader Joe's stuff all sounds wonderful, but everything on my person's wish list starts with "Smartfood" so I think they are on a diet.

This may be a bit nerdy. Boxed desk calendars, the page a day type. They have every subject. I gave my late Dad a "left hand" one one year, giving my DH Peanuts, hi s fave comics this year, I received a handbag one last year, MIL cats one year, etc.

Gryffin, I grew up Dutch but in a British Colony (HK). So we had Sinterklaas on the 5th Dec (left a clog outside your room door and hoped it was filled with a goodie the next day) and did Xmas on Xmas Eve (the Euro way). A tree with presents but no stocking. Also my Mum made sure the kids knew that Father Christmas was fake from the get go. That's just how she rolled - rightly or wrongly. Now, Greg and I have Xmas with a tree and presents, but no stockings. That said, stockings look adorable and I hope yours are filled with lots of fabness. xo

Growing up, we always received office supplies, like pens, post-its, and those small spiral pads. Even when I was < 10 years old! I loved it. (I think I've just figured out the root of my office supply addiction.)

Now that I have kids, I found out that I'm supposed to put Santa gifts in there. It's very strange to me!

It is so silly... but I LOVE the thrill of getting cheap makeup - lip glosses in particular. My sister and I used to give and get those Bonne Bell flavored lipglosses (more like chapsticks). Eventually it 'grew up' into nicer lipglosses - but always stuff you would get at the drugstore. Maybelline, Cover Girl, etc.

And silly as this sounds - one year someone (mom or sister or former MIL) wrapped up 3 or 4 packages of nude and pantyhose - sheer stuff, not very expensive, but still quite nice. I think it was Hanes. It was such a useful gift, and I always love hosiery. It was very nice to have several weeks of getting dressed in the morning, and not having to scramble for a pair of hose that didn't have runs or snags

Just a funny story - but one year, my dad really wanted a keyboard and mouse set. My mom told him he was NOT allowed to buy it (we had a working keyboard and mouse), so he snuck out one day after work and bought it!

On Christmas Eve, he strung up his own stocking and put the keyboard and mouse in it - and told my mom "OH LOOK, WHAT SANTA BROUGHT ME THIS YEAR IS JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED." and she couldn't say anything in front of us, kids.

It took me years to figure out what my dad did - but he still thinks he was SO clever.

Karie - secret santa is alway difficult. What about dried fruits? perhaps a healthy cookbook? A set of vinegars? or several people suggested teas and coffees. It's tough when you don't know the person well but I am sure you will choose something wonderful!!
Angie - I never met a tradition I didn't like! I must make a note not to tell my son about the clogs. He's made a pitch to celebrate all holiday that are associated with gift giving. He feels since the world has become such a small place this will help him understand different cultures!!! Does he know how to work the system or what!!
Pastrygirl - I also love that stuff. Do you remember in the movie, "You've got Mail" when Tom Hank's character wanted to give Meg Ryan's character a bouquet of freshy sharpened pencil? Did you just want to swoon!!
La Belle - yes so exciting all those little goodies that we try and resist the lure of. So much fun to get to sample them at last. The pantyhose were also a really good idea. I guess we should add tights to that too. Great ideas!!

Lyn - too funny and great story. Just proving that sometimes the best gifts we get are the ones we give ourselves!! Very instructive (esp in the fine art of matrimonial manipulation - or as your mom might say, "that's just like a man!!)

@Manidipa, thanks for the clarification. I'd gotten a different impression.