Cash is an easy Christmas gift to get right, but the handover can be more fun than passing someone an envelope. Hide the notes behind numbered dials, tuck them into a stack of boxes or make the recipient pull them out of a paper cake. Here are eight ways to make them earn their Christmas money.
1. Wooden Password Puzzle Box
This pale wooden cube starts as a kit with 111 laser-cut pieces of natural wood. Once assembled, it measures 120 × 120 × 120 mm. The box has three numbered dials, and you can see the mechanical gears when the door is open.
The box ships from Mainland China and takes about an hour to assemble with the illustrated English instructions. It also has a music movement, a small mechanism that plays a tune when you turn the handle. Build it before Christmas if you want the recipient to start with the password puzzle.
Check out how much it costs here: https://s.shopee.sg/9KjbT9GW9Z
2. Maze Money Box
You can see the blue maze walls and the small metal ball through this translucent cube. It measures 7 × 7 × 7 cm and has a coin slot on its blue lid. Hide a small gift inside and give the recipient a test of patience and problem-solving.
The box ships from Singapore. There’s also a pink design, so go for the “Design Blue” one. If you want to keep the challenge a surprise, take the cube out of its retail box before wrapping it. The words “MAZE MONEY BOX” give the game away.
Check out how much it costs here: https://s.shopee.sg/9pfs44Ec8g
3. Musical Cash-Pull Cake Box
From the outside, this thick-paper gift box looks like a gold-toned “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” card tied with a ribbon. Open it and there’s a pop-up cake, warm light and music. It measures 18 cm × 8.5 cm when unfolded and has a pull-out strip of folded compartments for banknotes.
The box ships from Thailand. There’s also a ten-card version, so go for the “Music light 6 cards” one. Tuck the notes into the compartments so there’s another surprise after the cake pops up. The birthday greeting makes it a fitting pick for someone whose birthday falls near Christmas.
Check out how much it costs here: https://s.shopee.sg/9fMRrlFFTf
4. Combination-Lock Money Safe
This black money box has a silver rim, a slot for notes on top and a “SAFE BOX” badge on the front. There’s a small keyhole and a dial for the mechanical combination lock, which uses a sequence of numbers.
The reusable safe is made of ABS, a common hard plastic. It measures 24 × 15.6 × 18 cm, needs three AA batteries and ships from Singapore. Go for the “Black” one. Put the cash inside and write a clue to the combination on the Christmas gift tag.
Check out how much it costs here: https://s.shopee.sg/AAIiSgDLSm
5. Christmas Nesting Gift Boxes
These three square paper boxes come in three sizes, so the smaller ones can fit inside the larger ones or you can stack them for display. Each red box has a red ribbon bow and gold prints of a Christmas tree, a reindeer, stars and snowflakes.
The set ships from Mainland China. Go for the “Red Holiday season Tree” one. Put the money in the smallest box, tuck it into the middle one and put both inside the largest box. The recipient will have three boxes to open before they find the cash.
Check out how much it costs here: https://s.shopee.sg/9zzIGNDynl
6. Book-Shaped Hidden Safe
This black safe passes for a dictionary with “The New ENGLISH Dictionary” on its textured-paper exterior. It measures 24 × 16 × 6 cm and has a hidden compartment, a stainless-steel liner and plastic parts. Slip it among the books on a shelf to turn finding the cash into the first challenge.
The safe ships from Singapore. Go for the “Black, L【Password】24\*16\*6cm” one. Once the recipient finds the right book, give them a clue to the password. If the whole family is watching, write the clue on a Christmas card and let everyone have a guess.
Check out how much it costs here: https://s.shopee.sg/1gKALC3VCj
7. Pop-Up Bounce-Card Cash Box
This black-and-gold surprise box is made of paper and thick cardboard. It comes with 10 bounce cards and a matching birthday gift bag with black cord handles. Red packets or papers pop out when the box is opened, so the surprise comes as soon as they unwrap it and open the box.
The set ships from Singapore. Go for the “Design HBD-balck, Size 10 Card Slots” one. Put the cash in a red packet and add a few family photos or handwritten notes, so the recipient has something to sort through before they get to their gift.
Check out how much it costs here: https://s.shopee.sg/1W0k8t48Xi
8. Fold-Out Cash Greeting Card
This gold “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” paper card unfolds into a standing display shaped like a tiered cake. A small pop-up cake sits at the top, and the tiers below have six red-envelope slots for banknotes. Spread the cash across the slots so the recipient has to collect it one note at a time.
The card measures 18.2 × 8.6 cm, is sold individually and ships from Mainland China. If you’re seeing someone with a December birthday at Christmas, the greeting on the front makes it easy to hand this over as their birthday gift while everyone’s together.
Check out how much it costs here: https://s.shopee.sg/1LhJwa4lsh
