My workplace has what I consider the perfect balance of co-worker gift-giving at Valentine’s Day and in December, which is that maybe half of the people do little gifts: that’s enough involvement that I don’t feel silly if I feel like giving other people little gifts (this past Valentine’s Day I taped foil-wrapped Dove hearts to paper classroom valentines), but also I feel free to skip it if for any reason I don’t feel like doing it. And I like my co-workers a lot (they’re one of my top reasons for liking my job) AND I like gift-giving, so I am inclined to participate this December.
However. I am noticing how difficult this is. (I find it the fun/happy kind of difficult, or else I would just skip it.) If I count only the co-workers I regularly work with and interact with, that is FIFTEEN PEOPLE. Keeping in mind that I am the lowest-paid employee and I make less than $10/hour—how much do I want to spend on a gift that needs to be multiplied by 15?
Which leads to my second issue: most of the inexpensive things I can think of that would work for a group of 15 people are things no one really wants. That’s not the deal-breaker: I got several things I didn’t really want from co-workers last year, but what I MOSTLY got was a nice warm happy feeling that they had given me a little holiday giftie (and it was especially fun bringing home a little PILE of little holiday gifties)—so I am going to assume it works the other direction, too. But I WOULD like to maximize the chances that it’s something SOME people MIGHT want.
For example, one of my co-workers last year handed out festively-packaged bars of soap. Well, that is a GREAT idea: inexpensive but you can get a fairly nice bar for $3, and library workers are not well-paid so we’re all more accustomed to the $5 ten-packs; festive (because of the packaging and because of the scent); practical, and if you don’t use bar soap it can easily be re-gifted or given to a shelter/pantry. But…she used that idea, so now I’d feel like I was copying. I could do…festive hand soaps? That might be nice. Practical and even fun, for those of us who like seasonal hand soaps; easy to donate for those who don’t; easy to tie a festive little ribbon around the little neck.
I want to avoid all the Pinteresty-type things I see where someone puts in a TON of time and effort to make a small cheap gift look like it also took a ton of time and effort. Even more, I want to avoid all the Pinteresty-type things I see where someone puts a ton of time and effort into something they THINK will be small and cheap—and yet with all the supplies they have to buy for it, they end up making something that is ALSO expensive (for example, anything in a mason jar). I would rather amp up the whimsy of the small and cheap: big bow on a single packet of expensive cocoa mix, for example. We all know these gifts are going to be small and cheap! Let’s at least spend the money on something someone MIGHT WANT at that price point. If a single serving of hot chocolate mix is $3, that might be some very yummy hot chocolate mix, and something I would not otherwise have tried!
Oh, and I’m not leaping to the idea of book/library-themed items. We DO all love books and libraries, natch. But: (1) we all have a fair amount of book/library-themed things already and (2) it’s just such a quick little non-leap, it makes it feel too generic/workplacey—like “What would my co-workers at a library enjoy? How about something library-themed?” But I wouldn’t RULE OUT something book/library themed, so you should feel free to mention it if you have a book/library idea. It’s easy to imagine doing a 180 on this for the right idea.
You may notice I keep carefully saying festive and holiday and seasonal and December. That’s because another complication is that I’d prefer to avoid Blatant Christmas. I assume my co-workers all understand that the timing of our workplace gift-giving is suspiciously Christmas-centric, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show a little situational awareness. So I am hoping for SNOWFLAKE and WINTER and so forth. If the scented soaps smell like balsam fir, I am not going to say “NO: IT CAN’T SMELL LIKE PINE, BECAUSE PINE TREES AND PINE WREATHS ARE CHRISTIAN CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS”; but I am not going to give out little soaps with decorated pine trees or pine wreaths on the wrappers, if you see the distinction. Little forest creatures in a winter scene that includes pine trees and a starry sky: yes! Little forest creatures in Santa hats around a star-topped pine tree looking up at One Big Star in the sky: no.
Here are the things I am NOT taking into consideration:
1. Some people are allergic to certain foods / chemicals. I know. And if I KNEW about any particular allergy, I would certainly avoid it. But this is an inexpensive co-worker gift, the kind where over a dozen people all receive the same item—and, perhaps this is naive, but I have a secure and shining faith in the ability of each of my co-workers to throw out or give away anything that won’t work for them while still receiving the warm intention of the gift.
2. Some people don’t like scented things. I know. And if I KNEW about any particular aversion/sensitivity/allergy, I would certainly avoid it. But this is an inexpensive co-worker gift, and I feel confident in the ability of my co-workers to throw out or give away anything that won’t work for them, while still receiving the warm intention of the gift.
3. Some people won’t eat homemade foods. I know. But this is an inexpensive co-worker gift, and I feel confident in the ability of my co-workers to throw out or give away anything that won’t work for them, while still receiving the warm intention of the gift.
4. Some people don’t want any more “cheap crap.” You know, I don’t think I have ever done a post on relatively-inexpensive gifts (teacher gifts, party favors, etc.) without receiving several comments making this point, almost always using those exact words: “cheap crap.” It gives me a wince of revulsion each time, to think of people regarding other people’s warmly-intended small offerings in that way. It is not how I regard the appropriately-inexpensive items other people give to me. If you are someone who regards such things as “cheap crap,” perhaps you could think of this as indicating that one of your roles in the universe is to be a conduit for getting these items to someone who WILL appreciate/enjoy them: one person’s cheap crap is another person’s fun/nice little treat, and I am sure the universe would appreciate the help of One Person to help get the apparently-incorrectly-directed item to Another Person.
Okay, so here are some of my ideas so far, for co-worker not-Christmas gifts at around $3 or less:
• The aforementioned hand soap. I could do a Mrs. Meyer’s, maybe the nice pine one or the orange clove one; it’s more like $5, but maybe I’d find it on sale / maybe I could just relax a little.
(image from target.com)
• The aforementioned festive bar soap, even though it feels like copying my co-worker. I don’t think she will care or think about it. I’d be pretty confident of finding a nice selection of these at HomeGoods/Marshalls/TJMaxx for about $3 each.
• Something from See’s Candies. They don’t have all their Christmas stuff up yet, and probably most of the good options will be too Christmassy (foil-wrapped Santas, for example)—but if they had, say, bags of foil-wrapped snowflakes or something, I could buy those plus enough cinnamon or mint lollipops to give one each to everyone, and break them up into little parcels. I’d have to be careful because this is the kind of project that can easily end up going over budget: “Oh, now I need festive little bags to put the things into, plus festive little ribbons…” and so on. Pretty soon it’s a hundred and fifty dollars’ worth of candy/packaging divided into fifteen portions that look like they cost about a dollar each.
• I could make fudge. I make what I believe to be good fudge, and it is the kind where you use a candy thermometer and it takes careful timing and can easily go wrong, so I don’t know many other people who make it. The two most expensive elements would be the baking chocolate and the little festive paper boxes I’d need to buy to put it in.
(image from Amazon.com)
• I could find the theoretical individual packets of expensive hot chocolate I keep mentioning as examples, if they exist. Does anyone already know of such a thing existing? I mean like two or three dollars for a single-serving packet.
• Packets of fancy marshmallows (I remember last year Target had some cute snowflake-shaped ones), or a cocoa topper, or one of the many options for heavily-laden stir-sticks/spoons you put in coffee or cocoa or tea. I have received these sorts of things several times and have always enjoyed them: I’m not going to buy MYSELF a dark-chocolate-and-crushed-peppermint-coated cocoa stick, or a honey-and-lavender-coated tea spoon, but I would love to receive one and try it. (This idea may lead you to think of the idea of cocoa bombs, but my BOSS did cocoa bombs for everyone last year, and I definitely don’t want to duplicate HER idea!)
• A flameless candle, plus batteries for it. I have SO enjoyed mine, and I’ve seen them sold in bigger multipacks at HomeGoods/Marshalls/TJMaxx. Maybe I could find a multipack where all the candles are the same size, for a nice price per candle. This strikes me as a SLIGHTLY weird gift to imagine giving/receiving—but not really any weirder than the small indeterminate knitted thing someone gave us all last year and none of us wanted to ask what it was so we still don’t know. And for someone like me, who already has some flameless candles, it would be fun to add to the existing grouping; while for someone who doesn’t have any, it might be the fun kind of weird where they take it home and try it because what IS this thing??
• I can imagine just going right ahead and leaning into the weird idea: like, going to HomeGoods, seeing nice spatulas, buying everyone a spatula and tying a jaunty ribbon on each one. Or, here’s a gift-wrapped package of snowflake-themed baggies for you! Here’s a neat ruler, I put a bow on it! Here’s a jar of cookie-decorating sprinkles! Why not? Who cares? This isn’t going to make or break anyone’s festive season. Plus, they already know me.
• A festive baggie or festive little box including, say, a seasonal lip balm (I’d get the normal packaging since I’ll just be opening it and throwing it away, except the tree package has four lip balms for $5 and the regular packaging has only three for the same price), plus an assortment of individually-wrapped candies. I like the way this leans into the Token Gift intention—the 3D equivalent of holiday card in the mail. It says: This is a little token of festivity, of the sort I thought Anyone Would Like! I am giving it to you, festively! The festive transaction has now been completed! It is clearly no big deal if you did not get anything for me!
(image from Target.com)
(image from target.com)
• If I were buying for a group where everyone celebrated Christmas, it would be fun to give everyone a Christmas ornament. I can’t think of any way to make this non-Christmassy, but I include it here for anyone who IS looking for small Christmas presents. Individual Christmas ornaments are sometimes surprisingly expensive, so if I couldn’t find anything I liked in the $3-each range (though Target usually has a bunch of cute ones at exactly that price: retro deer! dressed birds! dog in a top hat! a hippo!), I’d look for SETS of ornaments I could divide up.
(image from target.com)
In my climate cheap gloves work pretty well. Everyone already has gloves, but having more stashed in various places is generally useful and they get lost all the time. And if you’re a glove snob you can hand them to someone in need.
This is a great idea. You can buy a big pack of the stretchy knit kind in a fun color
What about cute warm fuzzy sock slippers that come in the one size fits all. They are usually at the dollar store and who doesn’t love warm fuzzy socks.
Adagio.com has tea samplers in tin that are cute and not expensive. You could upload your own picture to go on the tins and even make a custom blend and order one for everyone. So if there is a staff pic or a picture of the library or some kind of staff joke. You could put a picture on there.
My daughter and I did this one year. Put a family picture on and everyone loved them.
To customize do you need to use wedding favors or can you customize any box of tea?
I see Target has boxes of Good & Gather hot chocolate mixes, (my site shows $5.79 for eight packets). There’s Sea Salt Caramel, Pumpkin Spice, Cinnamon, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint. If you picked four of those flavors and tied four packets together with ribbon and a bow, it would take you eight boxes for $46.32 total (for sixteen gifts, and neglecting tax) or $2.89 each gift. Plus there’s a $10 off a $40 grocery purchase deal right now which takes it down to $2.27 a gift. If you did all five flavors, with the discount, it works out to almost exactly $3 a gift. As a recipient, I would have fun trying each flavor, and it has the effort but not too much effort feel I think you were going for. (Plus, sixteen gifts leaves one for yourself, which is always fun!)
May I ask your line of work? I got a little frisson of happiness reading your detailed price breakdown.
Ha! I’m the Purchasing Manager for a school district, so I kind of can’t help myself. Getting good value is my jam. I have to make a little go a long way.
I love this suggestion, both for the idea itself and for the detailed break-down on pricing and discounts and so on (and the very appropriate price point it ends up at). It’s exactly the kind of thing I’d love to receive in this kind of context. I can try several kinds without needing to buy a whole box of one that I may end up not liking, and it’s also something that’s nice to have around when company drops in on short notice, to jazz up just having a plate of cookies or so.
If I were to go with four flavours, I’d probably kip the sea salt-caramel. In theory, it sounds like something I’d enjoy, but in reality, I have yet to encounter something with that flavour that doesn’t leave me oddly disappointed. There’s a 1/4 eaten tub of ice cream in my freezer that’s a testament to this. You’d think I’d learn, but… no.
Big Lots and Tuesday Morning are also good places to find things like those chocolate spoons and whatnot.
Flameless candle is nice – mine had a remote…but only one for both candles.
I like the soap (hand or bar), lip balm ideas a lot. Are you anywhere near a Trader Joes? They have these little boxes of salted caramels that I was wishing I had a reason to buy. I think they are $1-$2. They have some other cute things too. Very inexpensive plants, etc. I also like those tins of mints/hard candies that are circular. Those seem fancy.
What about hot cocoa bombs? They feel super fancy and are probably in the right price range to just give one or two?
If your state has a lottery, one or two instant tickets are a fun thing. Many people would never buy them for themelves, but it’s a chance to win! So maybe a $2 ticket taped to a candy cane, or a fancy chocolate.
Oh, this is a super idea! It’s my stepfather’s signature stocking stuffer.
Your co-worker might call in rich instead of calling in sick.
If you do a spatula or a snowflake cookie cutter you should include a recipe on a tag.
I love all of these ideas!!! YMMV but little airplane bottles of booze in fun flavors are fun, but of course only if you know people drink. And maybe that’s not the best for a workplace gift anyway BUT IT IS STILL FUN.
I know we all have games on our phones, but dollar stores still have puzzle books like sudoku and crosswords, yes?
Warm socks and gloves are always good, and can be easily donated if not needed.
Maybe winter-themed/holiday-themed kitchen towels folded into cute shapes or tied up with cute ribbons? They’re fairly inexpensive and with all of the cooking/baking people do throughout the holidays, they’re bound to go through a bunch of towels during prep and clean-up and they might appreciate having another one around.
Trader Joe’s hot cocoa sticks are great for the cute cocoa themed idea. I think $1 each. And they always have cute ones at TJMaxx, lots of different options
I personally would love to get some fudge :) And I think your lip balm and candy in a festive bag idea is a good one.
Oh, gosh. I am normally lousy at this sort of thing, but seeing the cookie-looking ornaments you post a picture of makes me wonder … what about a cookie cutter? I am envisioning your buying 1 or 2 sets of same and splitting them up, and I suppose (if it doesn’t violate the “too much work” principle) you could make a batch of cookies of your own and give a couple, along with the cutter, or a jar of store-bought sprinkles, or — whatever. I have 2 sets of cookie cutters obtained (I think) years ago from Ikea and one set is … quirky — it includes things like a squirrel and a porcupine — and we always include those (plus a few other random ones we’ve gotten over the years, like a guitar), and having them in the mix of our Christmas cookies always makes me happy, because why shouldn’t a porcupine be part of a Christmas menagerie (but also part of a not-Christmas menagerie, for those who don’t celebrate Christmas).
This sounds so fun! Sometimes I see cookie cutter sets at the bargain places (Tuesday Morning, Ross, etc.) and this would be the perfect application!
This was so fun to read and I love all these ideas. Chocolates or fudge are always nice gifts, I think. If you wanted to go hand lotion/ soap, I know that in Canada (so I assume for you too) Bath and Body Works has a whole line of wintry themed/ festive scents (not great for the people who don’t like scents but once a gift is given it is out of your hands, is my coping thought, and they can always donate to a shelter or regift or something). The scents that I love have names like Frosted Coconut Snowball or Cashmere and Snowflakes or Winter Candy Apple, and all of those are not-specific-to-Christmas in my mind.
If you have Trader Joe’s in your area, they have lots of yummy treats that I get for stocking stuffers and would fit your price point. Hot cocoa bombs on a stick, a ten pack of chocolate bars for probably $12, bags of adorably mini peanut butter pretzels, etc.
I’m here to vote for the fudge. I haven’t had homemade fudge in forever, I don’t think people really make it anymore, and I would be DELIGHTED if someone gifted me a little bit.
Another option: I know someone who makes hot chocolate cookies (I think she uses the Taste of Home website’s recipe), and they are delicious and different. They aren’t overly sweet, either. If you made those and tied them up with a candy cane, that would be low-cost but festive.
I love all your ideas, and I think any one of them would be amazing.
One thought I had was perhaps you get pencils — maybe some bookish pencils, maybe some snowflake pencils — and group them together with a bow.
Something like these: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1094580217/book-lover-pencil-set-gift-for-book
Or these: https://www.etsy.com/listing/518804233/book-nerd-pencil-set
Mixed in with some of these: https://amzn.to/3tBky6k
These aren’t wintry or bookish, but they are RAINBOW: https://amzn.to/3OeCZr2
Maybe with a snowflake pencil sharpener? https://amzn.to/3X8ijoE
what a cute idea, Suzanne! Love them all!
Last year I bought wax covered amaryllis bulbs at Costco and gave them out to my kids’ teachers and friends. I remember a 3 pack being about $20 (so, slightly higher than what you wanted to spend, but everyone RAVED about these) but I just checked prices and either they’ve quadrupled in price or I paid a lot more than I’m remembering last year. Probably both are true.
They were so well received that I’m contemplating buying a 10 pack of amaryllis bulbs and dipping them in wax myself, and I am not a crafty person. But I did find a tutorial here:
https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/how-to-make-wax-dipped-amaryllis-bulbs/
A school I worked at used to give out an office supply item with the school name on it, and it was handy to get an extra pair of scissors, or a magnetic chip clip. Maybe pick out some office necessities with a festive tag and cute pun (e.g. Scissors Greetings! I’m Dreaming of a White [Out] Christmas!)
I also love festive hand sanitizer from Bath and Bodyworks.
I work at a school, so I give/receive tons of gifts in this range. My favorite things to give/get are: tiny Bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt cakes- you can get a pack of 12 for $50 and everyone loves them. This year is a bit leaner, so I got liquid hand soaps from bath and body works when they were $3 each and you can get the little cellophane and ribbon from the store as well. I might put some candy in with them, or not. I also have loved getting little holiday hand towels or candy dishes; they come out once a year and I like having them, but they don’t add to my “household clutter” bc they are holiday clutter.
I was just at Bath and Body Works last weekend, and I was going to say they have lots of cute small items (lotions and soaps and hand sanitizers, and you can get little winter themed hand sanitizer holders that are adorable). With Black Friday coming up I’m betting they’ll have some really good deals on those things. I feel like soaps and hand sanitizers and the lip balm idea you mentioned are all very cute and functional things that can be festive as well. I love the idea of a hot cocoa packet (who says it has to be a fancy one, even?) and maybe a cute snowman chocolate (the dollar store has lots of candy in their seasonal area, I bet there’s some non-specific winter holiday ones) and maybe a little toiletry item!
So many good ideas – I don’t think you can go wrong.
Of everything, i would love to receive a deluxe hot chocolate mix I think it perfectly hits the festive/winter/cozy feel and the ‘economical gift that gets amped up with a whimsical bow’.
https://www.purewow.com/food/best-hot-chocolate-mix
Some of the ones listed above are cheap enough that you might add a candy cane/special stirring stick/homemade marshmallow or something to them…
Let us know what you pick!
I really love the idea of your homemade fudge. I give homemade chocolates to my coworkers most years.
Foil wrapped chocolate coins are traditional for both Christmas and Hanukkah, and are inexpensive.
A coworker gave us all mini tubs of Play-Doh one year. It was fun, I made a dinosaur.
Or…what about stickers?
Oohh I love hearing everyone’s ideas!! I appreciated Nicole’s comment that once a gift is given it’s out of your hands. I would love to receive homemade fudge from a trusted co-worker. Holiday hand soaps are fun, or holiday tea towels or other cute random things from Home Goods. You can also find those adorable tiny pots with succulents, tie a holiday bow around the pot with a cute tag and you’re all set!
What about everyone getting a fun trial size bag from Penzey’s? That would be such a fun order to place, picking out an assortment of spice and spice mixes.
love this idea! Penzey’s often has great specials too that could work.
I love the idea of fudge! Or a hot cocoa bomb if you can find them cheap somewhere. I saw them on super sale somewhere last year but I’m guessing that was after Christmas. I’d also like to tell you that whatever thing it might be as the gift, the jaunty bow would actually be fantastic. You see, I almost never remember to buy bows, so my wrapped gifts always feel very underdressed. So, having a nice bow I could save for my next gift would, itself, be a nice gift.
I mean, I kind of wish someone would gift me a discounted spatula with a jaunty bow, is what I’m saying.
Reading these ideas with interest! I love Trader Joe’s seasonal snacks and will be hitting that store up later for some stocking stuffers. Another homemade gift idea is chocolate covered pretzels. Stores sell them for ridiculous prices, like small bag for $15. Making them at home is super cheap. Add some festive sprinkles to make them colorful and voila!
I am part of a scout camp that the adults give little gifts out during the week. One person always gives little sharpies every year that can be put on a lanyard. One person gave a clipboard last year with a drawing of our camp mascot Cricut-ed onto it. One person had a custom drawstring backpack made with our camp logo on it, and because it’s being made in bulk for 30 people, the cost per piece isn’t too much. The items are often so useful that it gets even I, who leans toward that “cheap crap” feeling, end up using these items multiple times through the year, in part because they often have something specific to our camp that I love, or some other funny or inside-joke kind of image or saying on them that makes me love them even more than just a warm giftie feeling. From your ideas, I’d love the flameless candle because I like gifts of the “I loved this so much so I think you would too!” variety, and it lends itself nicely to the big bow idea. As a person who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, I can tell you that we always notice when people go out of their way to cast a wider net for December-themed gifts, and appreciate it. Just a note that marshmallows almost always contain pork gelatin in them, if you have any pork-avoiders or vegetarians among your coworkers. Not all – some are made with carrageenan instead of gelatin but don’t melt/hold the same way, and some (like kosher brands) are made with fish gelatin.
Oh THANK YOU for mentioning this about the marshmallows!!!
Trader Joes has reasonably-priced carageenan marshmallows but only seasonally – luckily NOW is the season for my TJoes, and they have mini ones right now too. Otherwise it’s $8 a bag for the Dandies brand at Whole Foods, or finding a good kosher selection. I was visiting the Catskills once though and the Walmart there had a huge and varied selection from the Pascesz kosher brand.
Ooh I LOVE the tiny sharpie idea!
Yea, sharpies are nice to receive! Also a couple ‘nice’ of your favorite pens tied up with up with a holiday ribbon would fun.
**Also a couple of your favorite pens tied up with a holiday ribbon would be fun.
Yes, I love receiving office/desk-related items.
Target has a set of 52 colored Sharpies for $39. That would give you plenty to tie up 3 with a ribbon. They also have several other fun sets of pens/markers.
My daughter once got ‘snowman soup’ – it was a cellophane bag with hot cocoa mix, a few mini marshmallows, and some peppermints. Also a cute rhyme-y tag to explain the cuteness. Simple, sweet, and still special!
I second bath and body works hands soaps. I usually grab a bunch of the foaming ones when they go on sale. Last year for our work swap put 3 summer scents in a bag and they went over well.
Chocolate, always chocolate!
When you mentioned the cocoa packets that led my mind to thoughts of tea. One (or three- odd numbers seem more substantial) packet attached with a pretty ribbon to a festive card/printout that alludes to cozy cups of tea and books. But really, fudge seems like a winner.
Fun socks can always been a cheap, simple, and happy gift to give. Who doesn’t love a sock with a cute design even if to just wear around the house? And you don’t have to worry about sizes generally or allergies etc. I know you like to think through different calendar, shirt, and jewelry designs for people and situations so this can have that same fun to it.
My mind went immediately to bookmarks, which I know is blindingly libraryish, but who doesn’t need another GOOD bookmark?? I’m thinking the kind with tassels, like Peter Pauper Press sells on Amazon (at least here in Canada).
The fudge jumped out at me from your list. That’s a fun, delicious, and unusual thing to receive.
I vote for fudge! You just reminded me that I once got a tiny box of fudge from a teacher as a thank you for helping out at a party. It was such a sweet gesture and I appreciated it so much. I liked that it was made by someone other than me and that it was not an overwhelming amount and that it was different from the usual cookies.
You can get tubes of foil wrapped chocolate covered oreos at TJMaxx and they are amazing. Put a couple in a pretty little cellophane bag with a sparkly tie and you’re all set. Cheap, so good, and easy to regift.
I got so excited when you said spatula. I LOVE spatulas. Especially spoon spatulas. There are 6-packs of silicone spoon spatulas for $17 on Amazon. And, a ribbon, perhaps reusable? Come ON.
Anyway, I’m glad I clicked over here to say this, because now I’ve seen a million great gift ideas.
Have fun!
One year I received 2 of these little bowls (from Pampered Chef) filled with homemade chocolate turtles. I loved these bowls so much, I bought some more for myself.
https://www.pamperedchef.com/shop/Kitchen+Tools/Storage/1-cup+Prep+Bowl+Set/1825
I’ve also purchased sets of these and then filled them with treats to give as gifts. I usually give 2 bowls per person (it’s a set of 6 bowls), but you could definitely give just one. It’s definitely fun to eat the treat, and the the container is very practical. I don’t fully wrap them – just put a bow on it. (I am in no way affiliated with Pampered Chef – just fyi.) You could certainly find other cute containers to serve as “packaging” as and as the gift itself.
This is the chocolate turtle recipe:
https://farmflavor.com/recipes/caramel-chocolate-turtle-pretzels/
This was so fun to read … I was laughing at your thought process , because you are so opposite of what mine would be … like, this is too much thinking for me! Ha! But it really reveals your personality which I love, and so warmed my heart to learn your perspective on the sweet feeling you get from giving/receiving!! A good lesson for me, actually , to be a better gift giver. Thank you.
I’m here to jump on the fudge train. Even one nice piece of fudge would mean much to me in terms of what you have personally invested–just wrap it in seasonal cling wrap and add a curly bow, and you’re all set.
Fudge train 😂 Take that, Polar Express.
I love this post so much. I would love to receive any of these items. I love your comments about “cheap crap” too, those types of reminders and frank talk is why I keep coming back to your blog year after year.
I make fudge with my kids every year (I have a great sea salt hazelnut recipe and white chocolate candy cane recipe) and give them in fancy little seasonal boxes or bags from the dollar store to teachers and friends. It has always been a hit, I think it’s unique and I find making fudge in a lot of ways easier than baking so it suits me well!
Yes, I am no help on gifts, but I wanted to thank you for your paragraph about “cheap crap” because it a) helped me put a name to why comments that heap scorn on “cheap crap” always make me uncomfortable and b) gave me a way to think about those comments, and the people who make them, that is helpful and also kind.
And that sentence was WAY too long but it’s too late now to go back and fix it.
Perhaps a fun bookmark? I love to order pins and stickers from red bubble https://www.redbubble.com/shop/pin-buttons
If you have the time and inclination to make that much fudge, I think that would absolutely thrill folks. It’s so rich that a little goes a long way, plus it’s wheat-free, unlike many holiday treats, so some folks may appreciate it even more. Even if I eschewed most homemade items, I can’t imagine not trying fudge. Might could package very simply (read: inexpensively) in twist-tied cellophane bags, with maybe a cute sticker or a little ribbon, and you could write “From Swistle’s Kitchen” or “Happy New Year” or whatever you wanted on the bags. For a less DIY option, I think lip balm is pretty ubiquitously needed during winter and would also be appreciated. Good luck and have fun!
Something homemade is really nice — I used to have a coworker who gave out bourbon balls, and she retired years ago but I still miss them.
I had been thinking lip balm, because who doesn’t need more of that in the winter, plus I lose them. But fudge is more fun.
THIS WAS SO FUN TO READ!! I am now ENCOURAGED to buy small gifts for acquaintances vs regarding it as a dreaded task that I always feel I fail at!
I personally would also love to receive homemade fudge, although honestly this list is chock full of outstanding ideas.
I cannot believe a post has made me WANT to go shopping. That is a real accomplishment. These are such fun ideas, everyone!
The gift options you listed sound good, as do the ones in the comments! (I vote for spatula or fudge or led candle, myself, but that’s because I can nearly always use more spatulas and I loooove fudge and led candles are delightful.)(and gloves or fun socks are great)
If there are no nut allergies, though, I’d put a pitch in for pistachios or smoked almonds. So good, esp. when there is so much sugar around and slightly irregular meal schedules. There are often Snack Packs available (multiple individual-serving bags in one box); as long as the count is about right, the price would likely be about right. (see also wasabi peas, trail mix, etc.)
Freeze-dried fruit is also a delightful luxury and sometimes within that price range.
There is also browsing the kitchen/bath/bedding aisles at Target, because sometimes there’s a really great hand towel/kitchen towel/potholder/pillowcase/mini-bowl/etc. within that price range. (but beware, because sometimes there is something *great* but not in that price range and you may fall in love) (or the toy aisle. Or the puzzle section at the dollar store.)
Have fun!
Love the fudge idea – personal and meaningful (because it’s homemade) and doesn’t leave clutter. Plus – yum!
We have done jars of homemade spiced nuts as teacher gifts, which feels like a similar category to me. I don’t know how the pricing worked out – maybe not the cheapest, given that we put them in jars, but you could easily do bundles in seasonal baggies or cellophane or something. We made cute labels and then it was quick to assemble and seemed well received. I was worried about the implications of gifting a potential allergen, but figured these were adults and they could politely decline or regift if needed.
One thing I thought about when you mentioned your more whimsical idea was to check out the cash register at the toy store. There are always the fun little toys you would put in loot bags or stockings. Things like mini figures, the rubber monster finger puppets and other funny little things that I notice people keep on their desk to brighten their day long after the holidays.
On a more practical side, you can get little notebooks in packages of 3 or 5 that have a nice wintery design on them.
I call nonsense on the thought that you can’t give out hand soaps just because someone else did last year. Those hand soaps are gone! Get them some more! I’m a home canner and make tons of half pint jars of jam every year for this expressed purpose. People may get a different flavor, but they know they’re going to get a jam from me. And I have to tell you everyone seems to love it. Jam every year! Soap every year! Give yourself the gift of not having to put mental energy into it!
“Give yourself the gift of not having to put mental energy into it!” You are a genius! I’m going to think about what my “thing” can be!
I LOVE recieving little notebooks and pens as cheap gifts. One friend of mine bought a pack of the colored papermate felt-tipped flair pens and divided them up so we each got a little set of three and paired it with a cute little notepad/notebook.
I also love your spatula idea!
I also vote fudge.
I made peppermint marshmallows with beef gelatin one year and they were a big hit! Dollar store bags forever.
Last year, my coworker gave out little cellophane bags that included a fresh lemon, a honey stick and some tea. You can get this Stash tea assortment, 180 tea bags for $27 and each tea bag is individually priced.
https://www.amazon.com/Stash-Tea-Flavor-Assorted-Collection/dp/B071WD49CB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12BHQ4T4S87Y9&keywords=assorted&qid=1668634401&sprefix=assorted%2Cspecialty-aps%2C80&sr=8-1&srs=5299219011
I am ridiculously smitten with the idea of you gifting spatulas with a jaunty bow and am now fervently hoping someone gifts me one – my spatulas keep disappearing! Holiday baking! Unexpected!
If you have a kitchen or break room, another idea might be to gift a basket of various teas and hot chocolates to the library staff as a whole. I think I would enjoy some post-holiday cozy drinks at work, and that way people can choose what they like.
I love all the ideas here. Another fun idea is a festively wrapped notepad, maybe with a pen. You can usually find inexpensive but cute pads at Michael’s, Tuesday Morning, the dollar store, etc. The kind of notepads I like are the small, lavishly decorated ones with a cardboard cover like these: https://www.amazon.com/Punch-Studio-Notepad-46763-Multicolor/dp/B097NRVFLC/ or magnetic list pads like these: https://www.amazon.com/SWEETZER-ORANGE-6-Pack-Magnetic-Grocery/dp/B092SS3YHR/ .
All of the ideas and comments are great! I wanted to point you toward the gourmet village for stuff like this in the future… I like it because it has French on the packages and also some stuff like mulling spices, dip mixes, and yes, hot chocolate single servings with whimsical characters on them and also in fun flavors – maple bacon hot chocolate?!
https://www.gourmetduvillage.com/
Hot chocolate is very nice. Land o Lake individual packets were always my favorite. I see 12 for $18 on Amazon. Ghirardelli is also a nice brand and it’s 10 for $10 on Amazon. I always like a candy cane with it as a stir stick.
Bath & Body has different sales every day. Today they have fun size fragrances for $2.95.
I don’t think you can go wrong – all of your ideas are very nice and useful or delicious.
I vote for fudge or spatulas!
Barring that, although this may be too expensive – what about magnets? They would not have to be holiday themed, and if everyone got a different one I imagine all the Swistle co-workers going “Ooh, I got the Tower of London! Ooh, I got a turtle!”
Reading all these great suggestions gave me an idea: why don’t you make your gifts themed around a particular book (since, you know, library). For example: if you did the spatula you could use “The Joy of Cooking” as your inspiration. Make a little gift card/tag with the cover of the book?
What fun ideas!
For a cheap gift recently, I paired a dollar tree mug with hot chocolate. I thought that was inexpensive but fun, but also love the “fancy” hot chocolate idea!
This wouldn’t be for specific coworkers, but I also think leaving treats in a break room is a good idea—either homemade or storebought. (If you have one local to you, Panera’s Tuesday Bagel deal is always a hit!!)
Can I make a plea on behalf of those of us who are allergic to scents? I’m perfectly capable of receiving a gift I don’t care for in the spirit in which it was given. But I often react instantly to scented things, even when they are still in the package. Regifting or even just throwing it away still means I have to handle something that is making me itch and sneeze. I appreciate the thought of these gifts, but it’s a great deal less easy to appreciate the gift of a week of eczema.
Bookish gift idea: One of my favorite bookish gifts is book darts! (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Darts-Line-Markers-Bookmarkers/dp/B00685DVSO?th=1) You can get a tin of 125 for $15, so you could clip 8 of them to a cute card or postcard with maybe a book recommendation for that person (if you think you can do a personalized rec?). Or maybe use the book darts to clip together a few bookplates? (These are $6 for 80: https://www.amazon.com/Molly-Hatch-Owl-Bookplates-Galison/dp/0735339821/)
The head massagers with all the tines can be had for cheap and they’re a fun thing. Example: https://a.co/d/fSO2wsD
Target also usually has the PaperMate Ink Joy gel pens in larger sized packages. They’re fun colors and write nicely (they’re my preferred pens now), maybe paired with a post it note or a small notebook.
I think it would fall into the ‘too much faff’ category – and I don’t have to do as many as you – but for my son’s preschool key worker and daughter’s teacher and TA, I’ve bought cute little (very cheap) mugs and then hot chocolate stirrers from Etsy. I’m going to fill each mug with the stirrer and a handful of wrapped chocolates, and wrap them in cellophane bags. It’s going to work out as around £4-5 per head – but to be fair it would be cheaper if I scaled up, I think, because then I could buy bigger packs of mugs and they would cost less individually. The mugs are white with gold stars – which I’m hoping falls into the category of ‘nice for Christmas but totally usable all your round’.
I see you have plenty of ideas, but I just wanted to share – your discussion of the limitations of the “cheap crap” idea reminded me that when I was living in Mississippi, they have a tradition of giving small gifts they call “happies.” Think, hostess-gift-type gifts, only for more occasions. I loved the idea of thinking of people with small gifts this way, and loved the idea of calling small gifts “happies!” Thought you might enjoy the idea of “happies,” too.
One year I gave bags that had a box of spaghetti, a can of tomato sauce, and a little ziplock that I had filled with the ingredients I add to tomato sauce to make my husband’s Italian grandmother’s pasta sauce. I labeled it like “dinner in a bag for those busy nights” or something like that and it was very popular.
Last year I gave chocolate covered snack mix in $1 tins from Target. It’s Chex and pretzels and peanuts covered in that melting chocolate and then festively colored M&Ms. It was so much more popular than the effort I put into it. I’ve had to make it approximately once a month since then for my husband’s best friend because he loved it so.
This year I think I am getting those pretzel rods and dipping them in chocolate and rolling them in sprinkles.
Fudge would be great! Boozy brownies might also be a hit.
I’m just posting to say thank you for recommending the flameless candles a few weeks ago. I got two sets and LOVE them. My family does too, and I’ve recommended them to others.
Several years ago a neighbor gave me a gift of ingredients to simmer on the stovetop to make your house smell good. I think it was a cinnamon stick, some cloves, some cranberries and maybe a sprig of a fresh herb. She included a note that said to cut up an orange or lemon and put it all in a big pot of water on simmer. I LOVED the gift and now keep a similar mix of items simmering on my stove around the holidays. I think this could be a fun coworker gift!
If you do give a homemade food, I’d recommend making sure to supply an ingredients list with it. I enjoy receiving a homemade food or eating one at a party, but also have a food allergy. I don’t eat things if I don’t know the ingredients. If given something, I just say “thank you” with pleased voice and pass it onto my family. At parties, I generally end up not eating at all or only eating things that I brought. It would feel rude to ask “what’s this made of” and have to have a conversation about it. I don’t want the person who made food to feel badly about not knowing what they had no reason to know! But there have been a number of times when I’ve wished that I could know what was safe. An ingredients list would be a plus.
Instead include the recipe- a gift and ingredient list all in one.
A friend buys me a box of little debbies Christmas Tree cakes every year. They have a couple of festive designs. They are edible, not homemade, and a big enough box that they feel like a big gift.
Home made fudge is yummy!
Firstly, I LOVE this image: “warmly-intended small offerings”. <3
So many great ideas! I particularly love the homemade fudge idea! My go-to is a nicer bar of chocolate (the flat rectangle kind, like Lindt Excellence Sea Salt Dark). If you had the budget you could add a scratch card (as others have suggested), with a nice ribbon around it.
Please let us know what you choose!
You could score points for giving the weirdest gifts if you went for something from the American Science and Surplus catalogue! https://www.sciplus.com/
I am also a library worker, and I would love every single thing in this list! (And I very much appreciate you understanding that those of us who don’t celebrate Christmas put ornaments in the same category you made for pine-scented things, but moreso. Yes, they’re cute and you could conceivably hang them anywhere… but we all know they’re meant to go on a Christmas tree.)
And I know you said you weren’t psyched for book- or library-related things, but I bought something similar to these to give to teens, but my coworkers took a bunch first: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1264542815/book-stickers-book-lovers-25-random-pack
A few of the stickers feel like inside library jokes. Like, a book cart sticker that says “this is how I roll” on it. Could be a cheap and nice addition to any of the other gifts on your list!
I adore “warmly intended small offerings.” What lucky folx who get to work with you.
This post is so much fun (and so timely)! I love several of the ideas, especially fudge, lip balms, hot chocolate, or the candles. I will also add to the person who suggested the Good & Gather hot chocolate: I haven’t tried other flavors, but their cinnamon one is delicious!
I love all your ideas. I LOVE scented soap and a couple of the ones given to me by others have become the ones I always look for myself. My book club always gives this kind of thing – rather than “cheap crap” I tend to think of them as “tiny beautiful things” – and I love it. And on the library theme, I always love getting a new pretty book mark, because I never seem to have too many. Chocolates, little ornaments, lip balms, stickers, little pins – all lovely.
This might sound a bit weird but what about a small bank?. We always pick up pennies & then have to put them somewhere. I’ve seen small kids banks shaped like animals or other items (cars, boats, etc) , for very little money. Add 3 pennies (to make noise) & a card that says “this is to hold all the pesky pennies that you never know what to do with”. It’s something they can put on their desk or keep at home & not something that will take up much space, cause allergies or require baking. Add a bow with the card & it’s done.
I give the “family” gift these days. My aunt did it, then she died, and I (idk WHY) decided to carry the torch. It’s not that stupid, but it is. Anyway, she used to give things like birdfeeders or popcorn buckets or doormats. Those things are PRICEY, y’all. Do you know what a bucket of popcorn costs? And shipping is extra! I do not like this gift that much plus like 2 out of 14 people even acknowledge receipt of it, so, yeah. But I’m also weirdly attached to it so I keep doing it. Anyway, budget is $20 or less with shipping.
The first year Lehman’s in Ohio had a sale on their popping corn sampler. I think it was $12 (which is way better than $40+ for the popped kind) plus shipping. I called it Kate’s Gift, Deconstructed and did that. They haven’t had such good pricing since. Someone above did remind me that we also did Penzy one year, can’t remember what, but they usually have some sort of decent sale/situation going on and I like them. One year I sewed cloth napkins for everyone and it can be really cheap if you hunt through the remnants at Joanne for the 100% cotton choices. It is time consuming. Sewing 100ish napkins when you’re not REALLY a sewist takes a long time, but CHEAP. (Especially if you go look around for prices on cloth napkins generally HOLY COW). One year we did seedballs by state (google that and it should pop up) – there are quite a few per packet, so you could order like 2 or 3 sets and break them up to give 3 seedballs per person or something, seeing as your coworkers would all live in the same geographic area. Last year I went to zazzle (I use them for december postcards because who needs and envelope and postage is cheaper and they’re literally the only people that do that) and made notecards out of a picture I had taken (of a famous lighthouse), ordered 15 *5 of them or something – each recipient got 5 cards — bundled in groups of 5 with envelopes, tied with a ribbon and sent them off. I’m pretty certain it was well under $1/card and you wouldn’t have the additional shipping cost. I think I got like 4 replies on that one, instead of the usual 2.
I have also done fudge, fudge is good. And my recipe made something like 5lbs of it, so it’s really easy to give 1/4 to 1/3lb per person and that’s actually quite a bit of fudge. Hot cocoa mix is pretty darn easy to make, and cheap, and you can put it in old jars (and if anyone in the vicinity of Boston wants to do this but lacks jars, please let me know, I’ve got you covered. I have a jar saving problem. Also, if you have bees, I have honey jars to give you.) and voila! Marshmallows are pretty easy to make too, add ’em in. Add some peppermint extract and mint mallows. Quick breads and muffins are always good. Cookies. Peppermint bark is actually supremely easy. I did salted caramels for a while (sally’s baking addiction) and the worst bit of that was usually twisting into the wax paper.
This was really fun to read. You are such a thoughtful gift giver!
I like the idea of fudge! It’s a special talent of yours, personal and lots of people (or someone in their home!) would enjoy it. I also personally love the spatula idea (as I bake and have to constantly rewash the one I have when the kids lick it!) but some people may not or may be fully stocked. Easily regifted or donated though!
Sorry if someone has mentioned this – I haven’t gone through the comments yet – but there are festive little packets of fancy hot chocolate here for about $1.50 Canadian, so even paired with an inexpensive dollar store mug that might be within your budget!