By Tophik · Updated 21 October 2026 · 5 min read
Pulling a name for Secret Santa is the easy part. Finding something under £20 that the person will use after Boxing Day is harder, especially when you don't know them well.
A desk gift is a safe bet for anyone who works at one, at home or in the office: it solves a small daily annoyance, and they see it every working day. Here are eight picks under £20, what each one is good for, and what to check before you buy. All of them come with free UK delivery.
In short
- Under £10: reusable cable ties for under the desk.
- £13 to £16: a headphone stand, keyboard cloths or a suction phone mount.
- £17 to £19: a desk mat, a magnetic cable holder, an LED alarm clock or a folding laptop stand.
- For an estimated delivery before Christmas, order by 10 December. For the headphone stand and the phone mount, order by 4 December.
In this guide
1. The eight gifts at a glance
| Gift | Price | Good for | Estimated delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veil keyboard cloths, pack of 3 | £14 (13 in) or £17 (15 in) | Anyone who works on a laptop | 6 to 9 working days |
| Perch headphone stand | £13 (black), £16 (white), £17 (pink) | The colleague who lives on calls | 8 to 12 working days |
| Limpet suction phone mount | £16 | iPhone users with a glass desk or a window nearby | 8 to 12 working days |
| Flow desk mat | From £17 | A bare or worn desk | 6 to 9 working days |
| Anchor cable holder | £18 | Anyone whose cables slide off the desk | 6 to 9 working days |
| Grain LED alarm clock | £18 | Someone who checks the time on their phone | 6 to 9 working days |
| Lift laptop stand | From £19 | Laptop users who move between desks | 6 to 9 working days |
| Velor cable ties | £8 (10) or £9 (20) | A small extra, or a tight budget | 6 to 9 working days |
2. The gifts, one by one
Veil keyboard cloths, pack of 3: £14
Three thin microfibre cloths that lie flat over a laptop keyboard when the lid is closed, and wipe the screen when it needs it. One for the desk, one for the bag, one spare. Each weighs about 14 g.
Before you buy: there are two sizes, 29 x 19.5 cm (£14) and 34 x 22.5 cm (£17). The small one is labelled for 13 and 14 inch laptops and the large one for 15 and 16 inch, but keyboards vary, so measure theirs if you can.
Perch headphone stand: from £13
A slim aluminium stand with a soft curved headrest, so over-ear headphones have one place on the desk instead of under the paperwork. The base takes a 10.5 cm square of desk, it stands 23 cm tall, and four silicone pads stop it sliding. It comes apart in three pieces.
Before you buy: it's made for over-ear headphones, and the headphones are not included. Black is £13, white £16 and pink £17.
Limpet suction phone mount: £16
A folding phone mount with a suction base that locks onto a glass desk, a window, a mirror or a smooth tile with a turn of the collar. The phone sits on a magnetic head at the angle you set, and the whole thing folds down to pocket size.
Before you buy: this one needs two things. A flat, smooth surface (it won't hold on rough wood, fabric, leather or anything textured), and an iPhone with MagSafe, from the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 16 series. Other phones need a MagSafe-compatible case or a magnetic ring, which isn't included.
Flow desk mat: from £17
A faux leather desk mat that gives the keyboard, mouse and notebook one smooth surface. The back grips the desk so the mat doesn't slide, and the top wipes clean with a damp cloth. It comes in 5 sizes and 30 colours.
Before you buy: the £17 price is the smallest size, 60 x 35 cm, in eggshell. Some colours cost a little more at that size, and the bigger sizes go over £20, so check the price of the one you pick.
Anchor magnetic cable holder: £18
A small base with five clips that hold to it by magnet. Each charging or audio cable sits in its own clip, so when they unplug, the end stays on the desk instead of sliding off the back. Black, grey or blue.
Before you buy: it holds the cable ends on the desk top. It isn't for hiding cables under the desk (that's what the ties further down are for).
Grain LED alarm clock: £18
A wood-effect block that shows the time and the room temperature in soft LED digits, so they can check the time without picking up their phone. Three alarms, three brightness levels, and a mode where the display goes dark after 10 seconds and lights up again with a clap or a tap.
Before you buy: Grain runs on USB power, and there's no plug in the box, so it plugs into a computer or a USB phone charger. The finish is wood-effect, not solid wood, and the temperature reading is a guide, with a margin of 1 to 2 °C.
Lift folding laptop stand: from £19
An aluminium laptop stand that folds flat for the bag, for anyone who works on a laptop at more than one desk. Silicone pads hold the laptop in place.
Before you buy: the £19 price is the Standard model, in silver or grey. The Tall model, which rises to 31 cm, costs more.
Velor cable ties: from £8
Small reusable ties that stick under the desk and wrap round the cables, so the bundle stays tucked up instead of hanging to the floor. Each tie is 9 cm long. A pack of 10 is £8, and a pack of 20 is £9.
Before you buy: these stick on with an adhesive pad, so they suit a desk the person owns more than a shared office desk.
3. When to order for Christmas
Every product page shows its own delivery estimate, counted in working days from the day you order. For an estimated delivery before Christmas:
- Order by Thursday 10 December for the gifts with an estimate of 6 to 9 working days: Veil, Flow, Anchor, Grain, Lift and Velor.
- Order by Friday 4 December for the gifts with an estimate of 8 to 12 working days: Perch and Limpet.
These are estimates, not fixed dates. Busy weeks and customs checks can add a few days, so earlier is safer. If you buy more than one gift, they may arrive in separate parcels. Full details are on our Delivery page.
First order? Use the code WELCOME10 at checkout for 10% off your first order.
4. Questions people ask
Can I send it straight to the person? Yes. Enter their address at checkout. We deliver anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or BFPO addresses.
What if they'd rather have something else? You have 14 days from delivery to change your mind. Change-of-mind returns go to a warehouse outside the UK and the return postage is paid by the buyer, so it's worth checking sizes before you order. If a gift arrives faulty, damaged or wrong, we put it right at our cost. See our Returns page.
Are all of these under £20? Each one starts under £20. A few have options that cost more: the 15 in Veil cloths, the white and pink Perch, some Flow colours and the bigger mats, and the Tall Lift. The prices in this guide were checked on 21 October 2026.
The short version
Laptop person: Veil or Lift. Always on calls: Perch. Cables everywhere: Anchor, with Velor as a small extra. A bare desk: Flow. Or browse all our desk gifts, sorted from the lowest price up.
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