What would you like to receive in a hamper?

[Fcukthisshit]

Hi all,

So our Christmas party at work has been cancelled and I’ve been given the job of putting together a Christmas hamper for each member of staff. Budget is about £70 per hamper. I’d like to do something a little bit different to pringles and mince pies (although absolutely nothing wrong with them) so tell me - what items would you be really delighted to receive in a hamper at Christmas time?

Thanks in advance!

Go with cash. Even if it does need to go via Payroll and get taxed, a Hamper is classed as a gift is seen as a Benefit in Kind and also subject to tax.

I haven't forgotten the whoohah many years ago come April when everyone realised the Christmas Hamper was subject to BIK tax. That was the end of the Christmas Hamper.

A Corporate do isn't subject to tax as it's seen as Relationship Building amongst the company and has a benefit to the organisation.

So I'd vote for cash.

Yeah I wouldn't want any alcohol but if your colleagues are ok with it then that's fine. But £70 worth. Blimey. I don't think I would want (appreciate) £70 worth of random stuff. Sounds really ungrateful but that's a lot of money for something I really wouldn't be interested in. Seems a waste. I would actually prefer 20 quids worth of maybe chocs, biscuits and hot chocolate type bits and £50 given to charity.

@Sawyersfishbiscuits there’s about 35 to make I reckon. Most of us have worked together for a good few years so I’m planning to personalise them as much as possible.

I would find a hamper exciting

Things like
Teapigs tea
Luxery biscuits
Green and blacks chocolate
Whittards hot chocolate
Fancy breadsticks
Expensive Pesto
Bottle green cordial

Basically things I couldn't usually justify spending the extra money on when cheaper, simpler options are ready avaliable

I thought those dilly posts were from some people who all had the same good ideas.
It depends a little when people will know the contents of the hamper. Something like cranberry sauce is nice to receive before we have bought or made cranberry sauce.
If people would like a virtual get together drinks/snacks that could be used to celebrate might be nice.

There was an HMR&C rule that gifts less than £50, in kind, were called “trivial benefits” and thus there was less tax/NI bother. A gift voucher would be subject to paperwork and deductions though.

Jam, nice biscuits, wine.

I'd like raised trade olive oil & some balsamic, some crackers & crisps & a bottle of wine, maybe some chocs. Chutneys & jams. How many people is it for?

I bought a lovely long wooden serving board thing for £10 in Ikea recently.

I don’t like the usual stuff in hampers like olives and chutney etc.

My ideal hamper would have...

Tea bags
Latte sachets (the M&S ones)
Hot chocolate
Cake
Fancy biscuits
Crisps
Mince pies
Sweets
Crackers

Ooh I would love a mini bottle of port or sloe gin, some nice crackers, a fig chutney and some cheese. Also like the suggestions of hot chocolate, posh teabags, nice biscuits and chocolates. I love reading so the book suggestion is perfect for me. However, I would hate candles or anything smelly.

Most of the people I work with would rather have just alcohol or just cash though.

So I think what I’m saying is you know your colleagues best so go with what you know they’d like.

A bit boring I know, but I’d prefer a voucher. The earlier suggestion of a small £20 hamper and £50 voucher would be lovely

I don’t want any chopping boards or knives, anything like that. I have enough clutter of my own choice. I don’t want an actual hamper either, a cardboard box is just fine and can be recycled. Maybe packed with some nice paper napkins. orr a loo roll in honour of 2020
Personalised glasses/water bottles/mugs to use at work night be ok. I think if they have a company symbol on they don’t count for the £50.

In one of my previous roles I organised a lot of corporate and staff gifting.

Shopping for all this and building the hampers will take you hours and then you'll have to transport it all

Have you considered using a company?

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/t/categories/hampers

Fortnums are amazing and will do the job for you. They have lovely wicker baskets which are great to keep anyway and then you can select which one or "build your own" and they send them all out with a message on a card.
I'd highly recommend them and If doing a
Bulk order usually offer a bit of a discount

A gift is different from a "benefit in kind" as has no transferable cash value was how we used to do it so if the boss or owner chooses to send gifts there should be no tax implications for staff.

Agree, get readymade as you have so many to do. You might get better value for money and a more personal service if you used a local cheese/winery. And you'd probably make the owners' day.

A gift voucher for £20-30 to somewhere nice In there along with some of the other lovely bits

I’d much prefer a personalised one. But it is a lot of work trying to get them to the same value, and a fair bit of storage room.

Not Prosecco! I really don't get the appeal. That and gin!

Prosecco and Gin in my opinion are almost as good as cash, can be easily regifted!

A bottle of gin or some fine wine and not much else

I'd sooner have the money, even if it does get taxed - or maybe a Waitrose voucher! But if you must - good cheese and crackers (eg Paxton & Whitfield), good chocolates (and that does not mean Hotel Chocolat!), wine/gin/whisky, but absolutely no boring supermarket 'treats' that will still be at the back of the cupboard five years later. No 'special' teas as they go straight in the bin. No 'experiences' that involve any effort from me.
Why not do the sensible thing and ask people what they'd like? Surprises are over-rated.

@AluminumMonster

Honestly, I think people would prefer cold hard cash. What about £20 hamper/xmas bundle and £50 gift card.

Exactly this.

I'd prefer a voucher and a token gift too. A surprise book would be nice, but nothing else that's not consumable, like a pp I have enough clutter already. A voucher for the local farmshop so I could choose my own cheese etc would be great.

Going by this thread everyone seems to want such different things. If the company really is being that generous to spend £70 per person perhaps they should ask people to do a gift wish list. Why not treat people to something they ACTUALLY want. Maybe do £20 hamper, £20 voucher and a £30 gift from the persons list. You could make it fun by saying they have to say 3 things they would like to have and one gets chosen - that way they are getting a surprise.
Come Christmas these threads will be full of people complaining about the 'pointless tat'* they get given at Christmas. Treat people to a real treat.
*'Tat' seems to even vary from person to person. One person's lovely posh candle seems to be another person's "what do I want a pointless candle for?". The Christmas threads both amuse and baffle me.

My ideal hamper would be:

Camembert
Nice Artisan bread
Baileys (Maybe a little drink me card suggesting to add to hot chocolate 😉😋)
Nice hot chocolate
Percy Pigs
Tub of Yorkshire Crisps
Nice bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Box of posh chocolates
Really posh eggs - we always buy free range but treat ourselves to Clarence House Burford Brown at Christmas
Something cute and Christmassy for the kids
A card game - cards against humanity, The chase etc. Or some other type of activity.

So basically, something quite indulgent. I’m happy to DM you my address to tear and assess for you 😉😂

On another note, would turned hampers work? So if someone like films it may have a jar of really posh hot dogs and brioche rolls, fancy popcorn or if they were party animals a couple of litre bottles of spirits and mixers with some glow sticks?

I’ve been very tempted by the fortnum hampers and never bought one, this year I might just do it!