Token gifts for my work team

[Becles]

Looking for ideas for what to give my team for Christmas.

I have a budget of about £5-10 per head and obviously the lower end the better!

I've tended to get Christmas ornaments with their initials from Oliver Bonas and such, and last year for a few who'd pretty much carried us, I added bottles of their favourite spirits. This year I'm completely out of ideas any suggestions appreciated 💡

I have 11 people:

Female: 50s 2x, 40s 2x, 30s 1x
Male: 50s 1x, 40s 1x, 30s 2x, 20s 2x

I'm glad you've discounted chocolate. It's always peoples go to gift and I don't like chocolate! So it's a disappointment and a waste of their money. In fact I find most food gifts a waste of money. Also agree that I wouldn't eat anything home made.

A coffee shop voucher is good or a small Christmas ornament. Stationary can be used at work, so is always useful. A nice pen maybe.

What about non drinkers?

For the members of your team that drink - What about miniature fancy gin bottles? I do my DD a homemade advent calendar every year and this year I ordered a load of minature fancy gins (think strawberry gin from Tiptree etc) from the bottle club. They worked out at less than £3 each. You could add in a fancy tonic, and either a herb or citrus fruit as an accompaniment and wrap in cellophane with a sprig of mistletoe etc. I think this year the national lottery is doing Xmas card gift scratchcards but I do understand that not everyone would want to receive one.

My fave idea so far!

@Bbq1 there weren't any on our team! Obviously wouldn't work if there had been

I'd love that!

Something they can pass on if they can't use it - like a coffee shop voucher, a box of chocs, some nice biscuits etc.
Or maybe a nice pen.

A paid half-day off for each person, to be taken any time in December. I’d appreciate this much more than a gift.

Personally I wouldn't want personalised things, or baubles or ornaments from work - I have my own matching Xmas decorations at home and don't particularly want reminders about work hanging off my tree 😂"I'm on annual leave! Bugger off!" is what I'd be thinking.

I just think something fairly innocuous and useable like some nice foodstuffs from a Xmas market - chutneys, gingerbreads, pannetone, mulled wine. That sort of thing. Just think about whether anyone has any allergies you know of first.

I think scratch cards are a really bad idea.

B and M have some great Xmas mugs.
Go buy one each , including yourself .
Fill with kit Kats, pengins, twix ect.

And hand them out first working day in Dec.

As an employee just wanted to thank you for thinking about it rather than just giving everyone chocolate (or vegan/etc) substitution even though you know people won’t like it.

As to ideas nothing personalised as can’t be regifted- however thoughtful you whatever you gift just won’t be for some people. Anything else I’m just grateful for. Maybe a notepad, and pen if money allows.

Wentworth jigsaws do lovely Christmas cracker 40 piece jigsaws for £10/£11.50. Would that be something different?

https://www.wentworthpuzzles.com/seasonal-jigsaw-puzzles/christmas-jigsaw-collection/cracker-bauble-jigsaw-puzzles?srsltid=AfmBOor2PWJFVzMrmkd-u0UiWaDiO__PrQsTCguKXrmbHKaFp5UCuSQv

I don't have any suggestions other than chocolate or scratchcards.
But whatever you decide spend the same on everyone. I had a manager who bought most people very small gifts but expensive ones for her favourites. And all gifts were given publicly. It led to a lot of bad feelings that lasted for years!. Most people didn't expect or want anything but having made the decision to buy everyone something the consensus was everyone should get the same. The people who got the low value gifts felt under valued.

A small pot with spring bulbs planted in it - snowdrops or crocus or similar.

No, please, not Shein — about the worst company around for ethics and quality.
I'd be appalled if you gave me anything from Shein. I'd be equally appalled at initialled tat, too, frankly. The last thing in the world most people need is another cheap ornament.

How about looking for quality under a tenner?

Hotel Chocolat:https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/a-dozen-gingerbread-men.html?cgid=christmas
https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/a-dozen-gingerbread-men.html?cgid=christmas
A single posh soap from Oritigia: lovely packaging, various scents
www.ortigiasicilia.com/en/bath-shower/soaps/florio-single-olive-oil-soap
Lovely hand cream. I was given this myself and it's good:
https://www.nealsyardremedies.com/collections/hand-cream/products/organic-defence-hand-cream-50ml
Fancy coffee: this is a real bargain!
https://www.fortnumandmason.com/ethiopia-yirgacheffe-ground-coffee-tin-125g
Posh herbal tea:
https://www.fortnumandmason.com/ginger-sicilian-lemon-infusion-tin-37-5g
For the men, if they drink, a bottle from a local craft brewery.
A funky Christmas tree decoration:
Loads like this at John Lewis: https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-dawn-dusk-felt-fox-tree-decoration/p111826088
These, and the other options listed under them, seem an absolute bargain and they're on a 3 for 2 offer.
www.lakeland.co.uk/60119/belgian-milk-chocolate-thins-orange-crisp-125g?srsltid=AfmBOorFmqKHw6TMaQ9VXFqnWer1fsWDd1dqhyIgWl2KwBIINZ-zFy383iY#reviews-toggle

Lots of offers at the moment, including 10-15% off first order.

What about l'occitane hand creams? If you buy a set and split them kt works out a bit cheaper.

You can buy hand made cupcakes decorated like a poinsettia for £5 each.

M and S had Emma Bridgewater pots (tin buckets) with a plant in them last year for £6- that’s a lovely gift for anyone…

Or maybe a local coffee shop would do vouchers with a wee discount?

I liked the idea of a mug with biscuits to be given on Dec 1st- flapjacks could be a dairy free alternative if the no choc rule was dietary based?

or stationery!!! I lLOVE new notebooks and pens- as does my hubby!!!

Molton Brown do bauble shaped shower gels which might be nice

I would probably get them a travel mug and a £1 scratch card :)

This year I've bulk-bought glass double-walled mugs and put a net of Cadbury's chocolate coins in each mug.

In previous years I've bought Hotel Chocolat selectors and a mini poinsettia each.

I like the scratch card idea but some of my team are quite religious and I'm not sure they'd appreciate the gambling aspect.

If you decide to go with a gift card, remember to use Topcashback or Quidco to buy them. These sites often have good cashback deals so your budget can go further (or you can treat yourself with the savings)

You can get these universal ones so people can use them for pretty much anything they need - a treat or to help pay for January when the bills come in!

A op suggestion of panettone is a great idea. Looks nice, useful if they have guests and you could print serving suggestions out an stick in the card

Fatface has got a great selection of Christmas socks in at the moment on a 3 for 2 offer

https://www.fatface.com/search?w=christmas%20socks&p=1#0

I usually love Hotel Chocolat. Their Christmas Box was really really poor quality last year.