Inexpensive Co-workers Christmas Gifts

by Marcus

Inexpensive coworkers Christmas gifts can be tricky to choose. On the one hand, you might not know most of your coworkers well enough to pick out something just for them. On the other hand, if you know someone well enough to pick something nice for them, you probably can’t get away with it anyway, because everyone is going to know what everyone got everyone else, and everyone is going to be expected to get something for everyone if they got something for anyone. The rule of thumb seems to aim for spending no more than $10 per person, $5 per person if there are more than a few coworkers, and no more than $20 for an “office gift” if there are a lot of coworkers.

The two main trends of things you can go with for inexpensive coworker Christmas gifts are edibles or inoffensive gag gifts. The gag gifts can have a humorous edge, such as something based on an “inside joke” with a particular person, or a suction cup dart board with “THOSE customers” written into the bull’s-eye, for an employee break room. Or they might be less based on laughs and more based on basic, unavoidable knowledge of someone, such as giving a silly tie to the guy who always wears silly ties. Going with edibles, however, is usually the most frugal tactic, especially if you can get away with, say, baking something like cookies yourself. (Do ask around first to make sure you wouldn’t be overly insensitive to someone who is diabetic, has major food allergies, or is on a diet driven by serious health concerns, etc.). If so, do an online search for recipes compatible with the special dietary needs. If you get something wrong, no one can really blame you if you have at least TRIED. It can be thoughtful, in relation to this, though, if you include a printed note about the different types of cookies, and the ingredients within each.

The gift-value-allotment for one or two people should be enough to buy larger quantities of cookie-baking basic ingredients, and smaller portions of the kinds of things that make cookies distinct from one another, that will between them make for an assortment of confectionary varieties to share amongst a far larger number of people. A pack of winter-themed (this is safer than going with holiday-specific imagery, because chances are, you work with someone who doesn’t actually celebrate Christmas) thicker paper plates, a roll of colored saran wrap, and a spool of ribbon are enough to keep the packaging affordable and still look nice.