Good gifts for co-workers during Christmas can vary in different situations.  If you have dozens, or even hundreds of coworkers that you see on a regular basis (such as large offices or restaurant crew), your Christmas gift-giving will be different from the person who works on a mobile sales team and sees a few coworkers only for monthly meetings.  While you have to consider your budget, you also need to consider the impact you want to make, and the message that your gift will send.  Believe it or not, a little can go a long way, and a lot can go a small distance, depending on how you work it.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when picking out good gifts for coworkers and employees:

Branding isn’t important.  Avoid using a company logo or something work-related in your gift’s theme.  People want to feel cared for with the gifts they receive.  Emphasizing a company name will take away the warmth of a gift.  If you want to personalize with a monogram, embroidery or engraving, consider using each person’s initials on a corporate type of gift (such as a business card holder).

Notice the little things.  People often decorate their personal workspaces with photos of family or things that they like.  A workspace can be a major indicator of a person’s preferences.  If you see several travel mugs and cup rings on their desk, you know they’re a coffee drinker, and maybe a gourmet coffee gift will light up their morning taste buds, all while they think of you! 

Remember other people’s feelings.  If you are planning to give a holiday gift to only a few people you work with and not everyone, it is best to do so in private to avoid hurt feelings.  Some coworkers are closer to you than others, and that’s ok, but there’s no need to rub it in! 

Be generic.  Opposite of gifting for only a few people, you can create several small, identical gifts so that everyone can have something for Christmas!  Offer something everyone can make use of, keeping in mind special cases of allergies, religious and cultural beliefs or food preferences.  Gift in style by custom ordering a set of individually wrapped chocolate boxes, special cheeses, tiny gift baskets, bags of nuts, wine bottles or other delicacies.  This will save you a lot of ribbon-tying work.  You’ll only have to sign the notes!

Go big, once and for all.  An alternative to dealing with many smaller gifts, and a way to keep everyone happy, is to go with a big gift that everyone can enjoy – that’s right, a gift basket!  The more coworkers you have, the bigger you basket will need to be, so everyone can share in the treats.  But of course, this is a great way to stay within your budget, not look stingy and truly make EVERYONE feel special.

The great thing is that gifts can be customized to anything.  Whether you personally hand paint picture frames for everyone’s desk or special order customized gifts, you can add that personal touch so everyone remembers you as they enjoy their treat!

At this time of the year, we get many phone calls and emails asking for our advice on holiday gift-giving. Here is our `MAPP’ showing you a pain-free way to get to your destination!

M – Make a list.  A good way to start is by making a list of the people you want to send gifts to. Decide which ones will be individual gifts, and which ones will be group gifts. Families, employees, clients, or a department at the office would be good examples of group gift-giving.

A – Allocate a budget for the different groups that you have. You may find it easier to categorize them into small, medium and large budgets. Decide what each of these budget categories should be.

P – Pick a theme for your gifts. For example, for the environmentally conscious, how about an eco-friendly or Fair Trade gift? For the fan of the outdoors, consider a grill set, stadium seat & blanket or a gardening tote. For the international traveler, a cool globe set or mini travel bar would be great. In need of some pampering, we offer a wide range of sensuous Beauty & Bath products. And for the person who has everything? Indulge them in exquisite gourmet food items.

P – Pick the date of delivery. If these gifts need to be sent out of town, send them early to avoid any delays like the weather or the mad crush of the holiday season. Also remember that some people may leave for their year-end vacation a little early, so check with them and schedule your gifts to arrive a little earlier.

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