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!

Chocolate
Big candle
Hand moisturiser
Fluffy socks
Nice mug
Make up brushes
Little bit of jewellery (not expensive, studs from H&M type thing)
Nice nuts/nibbles
Bubble bath

My old work gave us the choice of £100 John Lewis voucher (can use these at Waitrose) or a hamper one year and also everyone went for the voucher - I liked having it from there as could just use it on regular shopping as well or buy presents for others and was just like an extra £100.

I think the thread shows people would all spend it differently. I would have no interest in books, bags etc. DHs work do a hamper and we do like the posh treats like fudge, posh chocs small bag, cheese. I wouldn't add meat or fish to it without checking if people are vegan or vegetarian first. Alcohol I don't drink but I don't mind it in there as often you need it to take to other people's houses / school raffles so gets used. I think the £20 few treats and £50 voucher from somewhere selling a wide range of things is the best idea or a voucher for whole lot or give people the choice like my work did.

also = almost

For the Vegetarian / Vegans please make sure everything actually says 'suitable for' on it, otherwise it isn't. Especially with things like cheese/wine/chocolate/candles (think honey/beeswax etc)

Loads of things look vegetarian/vegan but actually aren't.

I think this depends on how many employees there are. If there are 10 and you can do everyone an individual hamper then great I would like this. If it is just loads of the same ones then I'd think it was such a waste of money and I'd probably end up regifting most of it.

A voucher for an independent business or a small token gift and then money is a much better idea.

Why don’t you make up different ‘types’ of hampers, so vegan/vegie/alcohol based/health based hampers/food based/cheese etc, and give people an idea of what may be in them and they select the type of hamper they get. Or they can choose a voucher instead. Personally I wouldn’t want alcohol (don’t drink) and probably wouldn’t want food based because half of it never gets eaten and I’m a fussy sod, but I would love a gift voucher so I can do with it what I want.

We ones got ladies/gents version of smellies hamper from work that looked lovely. It consisted of a small bottle of something bubbly, champagne truffles a nice candle, some bath salts/bombs, shower cream/scrub type of stuff, a loofah hand cream face mask (cannot recall exact contents ) . It's was very tastefully put together colour scheme vise and quality of the items was good too. Might be a nice alternative to food hampers and less worry buying, storing and packing perishable food items, can be assembled well in advance.

As a small child, I remember when my df used to get a Christmas hamper from his employer (big American firm). It included a huge ham AND a turkey... neither of which would fit in the fridge, let alone the oven.

Bottle of champagne or prosecco, mulled wine, good jam, tea and coffee (but not the strange Christmas spiced flavours), hot chocolate (with marshmallows and chocolate spoons), crisps (the kind that are hand cooked and really crunchy), biscuits, or shortbread, nuts (if certain there's no allergies), a posh box of crackers and a Christmas pudding or cake!

You say there is around 35 to make but you know them fairly well, so if it's not too much effort, I would personalise them as much as possible. £70 seems like a lot on face value, but as a gin drinker, all my faves are on the £35-£40 category and I would much rather recover that than Gordon's and loads of other stuff I wouldn't usually consume. One bottle of that and you're halfway there!

Here's what I can think of:
A higher end brand of spirit ( e.g. monkey 47 for gin/ Belvedere vodka/ a good whisky)
A nice champagne like Veuve Cliquot
Green and blacks chocolate
Fortnum and Mason tea
Nice pâté or caviar
Pipers crisps
A micro lot of coffee
Craft beers
Luxury hot chocolate - I like the hotel chocolat ones

Scented candles
Crabtree and Evelyn hand cream and/or soap
Christmas socks

I would love any combination of those things. I'd rather have 3/4 of these than loads of biscuits and dried pasta that I won't use.

@Fcukthisshit If I were you, I'd go for indulgent contents rather than lots of cheap stuff/supermarket brands they could buy from a supermarket anyway. Perhaps browse food/Christmas markets to buy produce from independent suppliers? I'd line the hamper with a lovely tartan blanket (think indoor Christmas picnics in front of the fire), a glass Christmas tree bauble, a bottle of champagne or an independent local gin with nice tonics, quality hot chocolate powder (Whittard and Chelsea do a great one), coffee beans/Christmas tea-bags, quality mince pies, Chutney (and cheese if you'll be making them up just before giving them out) , possibly a Christmas cake or pudding such as a Pannatone, hand cooked crisps, chocolate truffles or fudge, olives etc
I'd also look for wicker hamper baskets with a lid, rather than wrapping with plastic which I think looks really tacky.

If I got that MrsP I wouldn't be interested in most of it.
Hampers are weird really. A bunch of random stuff. Not my idea of a gift.

I agree for £70 I'd love a nice gin and a picnic rug and a candle much more than stuff I could buy myself

I'd avoid tje christmas gift lacks - so the gift pack of overpriced miniature jars of jam or chutney would be out and "posh" full sized jars would be in! Depending on when they are to be given then Id also go for things that keep - if its given last minute then I probably have things like my xmas cheese and mince pies already and don't want more. Also people may be going away so things like that might be wasted.

I dont drink so wouldnt want booze.

Personally I'd much rather receive either a £70 voucher or a smaller something (bottle of prosecco) and a voucher.
Without sounding ungrateful, most of what has been suggested on here l wouldn't use and it would be £70 wasted. I think things like candles, hand cream, gin, blankets etc are very personal and everyone will have very individual likes/dislikes.
Can you conducted a survey to see how many would actually like a hamper (before you go to a lot of effort)?
What about finding out where people like to eat out and buying a voucher for their favourite restaurant?

I would love;
Posh soaps (as in actual bars of soap)
Pair of gloves (I’m always losing them)
Pair of socks
Belgian chocolates
A Dundee cake.
A bottle of fizz.

I would like posh alcohol (no spritzer, Echo Falls type things - no offence to people who like them!) savoury biscuits, like cheese twist type things, non-Christmas tea or coffee, and maybe truffles or caramels. I am allergic to nuts, and first year in my job got a nut-central present from my boss. I didn't mind, but everyone else thought she was a twat 😂

Honestly none of this. It would go to the food bank on my way home.

My DH gets £200 vouchers of his choice -we get John Lewis for Waitrose. They pay the tax liability for everyone as well.

I did laugh at gifting cards against humanity to your employees. That would be an interesting potential complaint to manage post Christmas