17 Unique And Rewarding Christmas Gifts For Employees

According to an Employee Happiness Survey, 50% of employees believe the gifts they receive from their employer reflect how valuable they are. The same survey found that more than one in three employees has never received a gift from their managers.   

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Besides showing how much you value your team, giving gifts around the holiday season also boosts employee morale. Not to mention, it’s a great way to say thank you for all your employees’ hard work. 

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17 Best Employee Christmas Gift Ideas (There’s Something For Everyone)

No matter what your budget or industry is, we’ve got the best employee Christmas gifts for you.  

The Gift of Education 

A unique gift could be an investment in your employees’ education. Your team doesn’t just have to invest in education for the purpose of furthering their career. They can sign up for a fun course on the Science of Well-Being or learn to code in their free time. 

Books 

Make Iceland’s Jolabokaflod tradition, which means a “Christmas book flood”, your own.  

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You may wonder what books to give as Christmas gifts for employees. Well, you can look at the top-selling books in your industry. You can decide on motivational books, books in the comedy genre, or something that will up your team’s skill set. 

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Also keep your company brand and tone in mind when giving books as a Christmas gift. 

Virtual Visa Cards 

Virtual Visa cards have the benefit of being flexible. Your employees can buy something they desperately want and you don’t have to worry about figuring out what that is. With PerkUp, you can issue virtual Visa cards to your whole team in just minutes. Thinking about going through Visa directly? Take a look at how PerkUp is better.

A Package to Show You Care

Who doesn’t love a care package? Besides, there’s bound to be something in the package your employee will simply love (or their family will find value in the goodies). 

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The options for what to include are endless. You can pick a theme (Christmas, anyone?) or you can get items that are personalized with your company’s slogan/tagline and logo. 

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Popular ideas to include in employee Christmas gifts care packages are: 

• Healthy snacks 

• Chocolates and yummy goodies 

• Specialized coffees and teas 

• Gourmet cocoa mixes  

• Noise-canceling headphones 

• A unique smelling candle with a motivational message 

• Personalized notebooks and stationery

• Coffee mug or heated mug 

• Portable charger for electronics 

• Premium cable organizer 

Go Ergonomic 

Make your employees’ life more comfortable (and healthier) by choosing an ergonomic gift.  

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Popular options include an ergonomic mouse pad, under-desk footrest, keyboard wrist pad rest, coccyx seat pillow, or lumbar support pillow. For those employees who love to type at a standing desk, consider an anti-fatigue standing comfort mat.

Include Some Greenery 

Bring good luck, tranquility, and health to your team members’ desks with the addition of a bonsai tree. 

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The ficus bonsai is considered to be the easiest plant for beginners to take on. So you know that even those employees with supposed black thumbs will be able to care for their bonsai. The ficus bonsai is resilient and a low-maintenance tree, which is also ideal for a work desk.    

Think Fit

This list of Christmas gifts for employees would not be complete without mentioning fitness gift ideas. This is an especially fitting gift if your organization prioritizes employee wellness.

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You don’t have to worry about gifting everyone on your payroll with the fanciest treadmill or stationary bike. You can do small(er) gifts too. Ideas would range from yoga mats and resistance bands to jump ropes, ankle or wrist weights, a stability ball, and more. 

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Unique gifts in this category could be a paid subscription to a fitness app, an exercise journal or logbook, a fitness tracker, or even a trampoline.     

A Digital Photo Frame

A digital photo frame is a great personal touch your employee could place on their desk. They can upload a range of photos of friends and family to keep them company as they type away. Or they can even choose to showcase photos from all the great team-building outings your company has sponsored.   

Brew Your Beer 

Gifting alcohol as a Christmas gift for your employees would depend on your company culture. However, if apt, then a homebrew kit can make for a great gift. 

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You offer your employees the opportunity to try out a new hobby or just to have fun. 

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Most homebrew kits include the basic equipment, step-by-step instructions, and the dry ingredients to guide the newbie brewer through the process.  

The Wonder of Chocolate  

No holiday would be complete without chocolate. And if your company is very health-focused, then you can look at healthy dark chocolate or low-sugar alternatives.  

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Besides the traditional box filled with chocolate and super delicious fillings, you can also consider: 

• A custom-made chocolate smash box where you break the chocolate to reveal what’s inside 

• An assortment of unique tea and coffee flavors (chocolate ones included, of course) 

• Chocolate sticks to swirl in hot milk for making hot chocolate 

• Chocolate caramel drizzled popcorn 

• Rainbow chocolate bark (or opt for bark in Christmas flavors)

• A s’mores kit 

• Dark chocolate liquor bottles  

• Chocolate exfoliate 

Relax With a Massage 

There are various ways in which you give your employees this gift. With some spas, you can book for a few professional massage therapists to come to your office and each employee gets a 15-minute neck and shoulder or hand massage.  

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Alternatively, you can give a massage gift card and your workers can go for a spa day in their own time. Or you can arrange for everyone to have a paid off-day specifically for a trip to a spa. 

Take Stress Away With a Ball 

Yes, a stress ball can be a great Christmas gift too, especially if you are on a budget. You can get stress balls in your company logo or print motivational messages or jokes on the balls. 

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If your employees have a healthy way to relieve their stress, productivity can improve. Plus, your team can share a giggle or two if you opt to have funny messages or memes printed on the stress relievers.   

Related: The Ultimate Guide To Rewarding Employees Around The Holidays

Kitchen Appliances or Accessories  

Christmas gifts for employees can also include ideas in the kitchen appliance and accessory niche. If you have the budget, you can give your coffee-addicted employees coffeemakers so they can have a nice cup of java before arriving at the office. 

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Other gift ideas include a personalized wooden cutting board, a BBQ tool kit, a funky spice rack, a mixology bartender kit, an apron with a Christmas-y spin of your logo, or a tulip tea infuser.     

Where’s the Adventure? 

Your company can also consider adventure excursions for your employees. The type of adventure would depend on your budget and what’s available locally. 

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Some options are skydiving, go-kart racing, miniature golf, paintballing, and more. 

Do Some Charity 

If social outreach is a priority for your organization, then there are a variety of ways you and your employees can give back. 

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If you give physical gifts, consider gifts from companies that support a charity that’s close to your heart. An example would be the Charity Pot from Lush. It’s a body lotion and 100% of the purchase price gets donated to various grassroots groups that work with environmental justice, the protection of animals, and human rights.   

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You may also decide to give back in another way. You could organize for your employees to help out in teams at the local soup kitchen, read and play with sick kids in a hospital, or spend a day with the elderly at a retirement village. 

The Power of Magnets

Another unique Christmas gift for employees is magnet toys. Consider rare earth magnet balls, which can help your team relieve stress and have some fun. Employees can play with these magnet balls as they work through a problem or challenging task or just take 5 minutes to breathe.

Sign up for a Class or Two 

The options here are quite endless. You can really play toward your employees’ strengths and interests with this type of Christmas gift for employees.

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For those who love to bake, give them a voucher to attend baking classes. You can also consider cardio and kickboxing classes for the fitness fanatics and an outdoor survival course for the nature-lovers. 

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It may be a great idea to send out a survey if you aren’t sure what your employees’ hobbies are.  

Get In The Spirit of Giving!

Christmas gifts for employees don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. And more expensive gifts don’t equate to how valuable your employees are. 

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Instead, personalized gifts are the way to go, and you can easily give a rewarding gift by considering what your employees are interested in. Alternatively, you can also be more generic and go with gift cards or gift boxes, which are surefire winners.  

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So, get inspired by these Christmas gift ideas and give your employees something special this Christmas.