Tis the season for Secret Santas and office holiday parties. It is always difficult to pick out a present for someone that you hardly know, or perhaps you know well but do not want to give away that you are their Secret Santa. Office appropriate gifts are often hard to find during the holiday season anyway. It seems that department stores seem to stock up on soaps, perfumes and other goodies that may not seem right to pass on to a co-work. So, of course, there is a dilemma every time the Secret Santa hat is passed around. These ten gifts are just about perfect for almost any co-worker without doing damage to the holiday budget, or revealing who their Secret Santa truly is!
1. Books
A book is usually a safe bet for anyone; of course you do want to be careful what book you choose. For instance, giving a self help book could be offensive to some, while others would find it fairly useful. You also do not want to choose a book that is overly personal or else you may give away the secret of who provided the present. Works of fiction are usually appreciated, but some people do not enjoy reading, so it is up to you to figure out who does and who does not. The Office Dirty Tricks: 50 Ways to Sabotage Your Coworkers and Bluff Your Way to the Top with Other by Hunter S. Fulghum is a safe bet for many co-works. Pranksters will love the great ideas found in the book and might even add a little spice to office life, while many others will just enjoy the humor of the book. You can find this book on sale for $.99, a 90% discount, on buy.com.
2. Gift Basket
A gift basket is one of the best gifts to give to someone you hardly know. It is typically not a personal gift, can’t be misread by the receiver, will not give away who you are, and offers a wide selection of gifts that should please the recipient. One of the best things about gift baskets is they come in a wide variety of prices, so you do not have to spend too much if you don’t want to! This Perfect Picnic Gift Basket by Hickory Farms is perfect for anyone you might need to buy for. This gift is especially great for single guys who might want to use this fabulous set to take someone special on a date. This particular gift basket comes with its own picnic basket, three different kinds of sausages, two different kinds of cheeses, peanut brittle, mints, crackers and two different kinds of mustards for only $110. This basket can be purchased on hickoryfarms.com.
3. Custom Pens
When you work in an office a pen can be a precious commodity, especially a really nice pen. The only bad thing about owning nice pens is they often go missing. People run off with them and often clients take them by accident. So, one great gift idea for your colleagues is their own person pen. The Customize Your Engraved Pen generator from VistaPrint allows you to place your co-workers name, title, or a special message on their very own pen. Customers can choose the font and color of engraving, so this pen will be a fun creative project. Your co-workers will love opening up this pen and will be able to hold onto it for so much longer! You can purchase this pen for $5.99, a discount from its original price of $11.99 on vistaprint.com.
4. Coffee-To-Go Maker
Every office runs on coffee, which makes the gift of coffee one of the top gifts for colleagues. This Innovative Twin Coffee Maker by Toastess is perfect for any coffee lover. This coffee maker has the capabilities to brew two different cups of coffee at once, making it great for multiple users with different taste. This coffee maker even comes with two tumblers that are great to take on the go and will keep your coffee warm throughout the day. The Twin Coffee Maker makes it easy for anyone to clean up as it does not even take a filter and brews coffee quickly so you can be on your way. This great coffee maker can be purchased for $29.99, a great price for a coffee maker of this caliber, at target.com.
5. Money Tree
Most people love a little foliage on their desk to make their work life a little bit better. What better way to give your co-workers a little foliage than this beautiful money tree. The money tree symbolizes a new line of luck and prosperity that your co-workers will surely adore. This tree is easy to take care of, so is perfect for the office or the home. This tree will only grow to be about 10 to 12 inches high so it will not overtake the work space. Money tree comes with a Chinese food inspired container, but can be upgrades to a beautiful bamboo container for $9.99. This Braided Money Tree can be purchased for $29.99 on proflowers.com.
6. Desk Organizer
Keeping the desk area tidy is important when you work in an office and have minimal space. It is often hard to organize this small amount of space without the help of organizer. So, grabbing an organizer is one of the best ways to bring a smile to your co-workers face. This Safco Faux Leather Multipedia Organizer is perfect to help keep the smallest of spaces organized. This organizer has space for a stapler, C.D.s, paperwork, index cards and just about anything else that can be found on your colleagues desk. It also looks great on the desk with its faux leather design! This organizer will speed up work times and make life so much easier! You can purchases this brilliant organizer for $35.99 on overstock.com.
7. Popcorn Tin
Popcorn is another great option, especially for people you do not spend a lot of time with at work. During the holidays there are so many different kind of popcorn to choose from that there is surely something for everyone. This Caramel Corn Holiday Tin will bring a smile to your co-workers face. The popcorn will not only make a great treat during the holiday season, but the tin will make a great decoration or storage unit when the season is over. This one gallon tin of popcorn can even be used as a party favor for office get togethers. You can find this tin of popcorn on savannahcandy.com for $32.99.
8. Day Timer
Keeping track of your time is also an important part of work life. Many workers often have the most trouble in this area, which is why this Day-Timer(R) Handheld Vinyl Computer Binder, 3in. x 5in., Black is the perfect gift for anyone who has trouble planning their time, or for people who love to keep track of the things they do throughout their work day. This day timer comes with an area for a handheld device, notepad, pens and identification card slot. The exterior is made of black vinyl so it not only looks great, but will also protect all of your hardware from any spills or bad weather. Your co-workers work will improve with this great day planner! You can purchase this day times for $18.99 on amazon.com.
9. Candy Container
Having candy on the office is great for many pick me ups during the day and is a great to please customers. This Unzipped Glass Zipper Bag gives the illusion that the candy is sitting in an open Ziploc bag, which will be a great conversation piece for coworkers and customers. This candy container would make a great gift for any coworker, especially if you add a bag of candies to go with it. Your coworker will love the candy and can use the candy container on their desk at the office or at home. This unique candy container can be purchased for $17.50 at uncommongoods.com.
10. Digital Picture Frame
Everyone loves to have pictures of their friends, family and pets on their desk, but they do always have enough space to fit everything they want. This Gear Head 1.5″ Digital Photo Frame Travel Alarm Clock is a great gift for coworkers who lack desk space, but love to decorate their desk space. This picture frame fits neatly on the desk and will rotate between 50 different digital pictures. Frame comes with a USB that will charge the picture frame as well as allow your coworker to easily uploaded pictures of their choice. This great frame even comes with a clock and has a durable frame, so it will not break if dropped. This great frame can be purchased for $9.99 at nothingbutsoftware.com.
This holiday season please your coworkers with these unique gifts that will surely bring a smile to even the most distant coworkers face. These gifts should be able to provide a great burst of the holiday spirit to anyone who receives them. This season do not stress over coworker gifts, but rather enjoy the actual giving spirit of the holiday, while still saving money.
