2013-11-05



Christmas is fast approaching. Looking for some great employee Christmas gift ideas? You have come to the right place.

This is the time to appreciate the hard work that everyone on your team has put in. Instead of giving away cold hard cash, a more thoughtful way of gifting will be to purchase thoughtful and personalized gifts for your employees.

Our gift ideas are categorized based on common employee personalities and interests. Let’s see what we have for your employees this year.

Every gift ideas below have a list of popular items which are linked to Amazon for your shopping convenience. Purchases made through the links earn Sprout Geek a small commission that will be used to grow the website. This guide solely aims to help you in buying the best Christmas gifts for your well-deserved employees and it is not influenced by the commission in any way.

For All

All of us prefer to receive personalized gifts. The effort placed in thinking about what to buy makes a gift special and thoughtful.

However, if you have a large team and you are shopping for gifts at the very last minute this year, consider the following gifts. They are appealing to most people and consistently top the charts of popular Christmas gifts.

Gift Cards



Gift cards are becoming a very common Christmas gift these days and they help your employees save money while spending on things they love.

Learn more about places where your employees spend their money with. Does your office frequently receive delivery packages from online stores like Amazon or Zappos? Is coffee a must for your team members every morning? These are all important clues to the types of gift cards that you should be buying as Christmas gifts.

Most Wished for Christmas Gift Cards:

Amazon.com Christmas Gift Cards

Starbucks Cards

Sephora Gift Cards

Home Depot Gift Cards

Gap Gift Cards

Premium Productivity Apps or App Subscriptions



Many employees today rely on productivity apps to be more efficient at work. The premium version or a year’s worth of paid subscription of the apps they are using will definitely be appreciated. Moreover, this may also help those who are still not using these tools to embrace them in the new year.

Here are some productivity apps with a gifting option:

Evernote

SaneBox

LastPass

Books

Good books, whether fictions or non-fictions, are always educational and entertaining.

Before buying books as Christmas presents, you need to find out more about topics that your staffs are interested in (fiction, fishing, cooking, history and other areas of interest) or things that they wish to improve upon (health, communication, self improvement, project management and other attributes).

Today, depending on how your employees prefer to consume information, you can get them a physical book, an ebook or even an audiobook.

Popular Bookstores:

Amazon – For physical books and ebooks.

Audible – For audiobooks.

Kobo – For ebooks.

Inspirational Plaques

An extra dose of motivation or inspiration is often welcomed at work, especially when things get tough and stressful. A nicely-colored inspirational plaque makes a good desk decor. It will also be there to motivate your personnel so that they can go all out and crush it.

Popular Inspirational Plaques on Amazon:

Keep Calm and Carry On Ribbon Tile

Anyway Mother Theresa

Lifelines from Enesco Positive Attitude

Potted Plants

Based on this article written by Mary Mazzoni, having a potted plant on our workstations helps to reduce stress, boost productivity, improve air quality in the office and brings along many other benefits.

Indoor-friendly plants do not require plenty of sunlight and care. They are generally perfect for the office setting. If potted plants never cross your mind as a potential gift, perhaps it is time to go green with Christmas gifts this year.

Popular Potted Plants on Amazon:

Live Lucky Bamboo Plant Arrangement

Air Plant Terrarium Kit

Bonsai Juniper Tree

Coffee Mugs

Coffee mugs are classic Christmas gifts. Although it may be common, you can personalize your mugs to feature designs or images that portray the interests or personalities of your team members. If you are very close to them, you can even consider buying mugs featuring funny messages.

Popular Coffee Mugs on Amazon:

Doctor Who Figural Tardis Mug

Hello Kitty Ceramic Mug

Betty Boop Oval Ceramic Mug

For Him

Wondering what presents to buy for male employees? Here are some tasteful gift ideas that will impress most gentlemen.

Messenger Bags

This is the perfect gift for men who travel and commute daily. A messenger bag allows them to have a place to stash all their gadgets and gears when they are on-the-go.

Popular Messenger Bags for Men on Amazon:

Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag

Timbuk2 D-Lux Laptop Messenger Bag

Original Heavyweight Classic Messenger Bag

Grill Sets

You can never go wrong buying a grill set for guys who are into food preparation, cooking and of course, grilling. Instead of buying each grilling tool separately, a grill set comes with all the grilling essentials that a guy needs to have a great time with peers, friends and family.

Popular Grill Sets on Amazon:

Weber Style 3-Piece Barbeque Tool Set

Cuisinart 14-Piece Deluxe Grill Set

Style Asia 18-Piece BBQ Set with Aluminium Storage Case

Wallets

Wallets are classic gifts for men. They are easy-to-choose and with prices ranging from below $50 to above $100, you can be sure that they will fit nicely into your budget for Christmas gifts this year.

Popular Wallets for Men on Amazon:

Saddleback Leather ID Wallet

SHARKK Leather Wallet for Men

Alpine Swiss Hybrid Classic Bifold Trifold Leather Wallet

For Her

Struggling to think of appropriate gift ideas for your female employees? Let us help you out with some thoughtful gift ideas that they will be looking forward to receive this Christmas.

Skin Care Products

Many health and beauty brands offer hampers or gift packs for easy shopping during the holiday season. Women love skin care products because they keep their skin healthy and nourished throughout the year.

Although most skin care products can easily qualify as gift items, you may want to avoid heavily-scented items if you have employees with asthma or fragrance allergies.

Popular Skin Care Products on Amazon:

Camille Beckman Glycerine Hand Therapy

Viva Labs Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub

Handbags

Most women use a handbag to carry personal items and belongings around. For some women, however, handbags are more than just functional accessories. To them, the handbag they use can be an expression of wealth, social status as well as their fashion sense.

Choosing the right handbag for every female employee in your office may sound daunting. To make this easier, take note of current trend as well as the personal preference of each employee when it comes to color, brand and style.

Popular Handbags for Women on Amazon:

High Sierra Shelby Tote

Baggallini Town Tote

Nine West Vegas Signs Four Poster Shopper

Cosmetic Bags

A great way to store and organize all that makeup so that they are easily accessible when needed is to use a cosmetic bag. If your female employees wear makeup and carry them around, a simple and durable cosmetic bag could be the best Christmas gift for them this year.

Popular Cosmetic Bags on Amazon:

niceEshop Double Layer Cosmetic Bag

Baggallini Complete Cosmetic Bag

Belvah Quilted Solid Cosmetic Bag

For Fitness Junkies

It is not hard to know if someone in the office is extremely passionate about fitness or trying to get healthier. Here are some gift ideas that will be perfect for these fitness junkies.

Fitness Tracking Devices

Fitness tracking devices or activity trackers motivate their users to perform better in their exercise and helps to improve their overall fitness. They accomplish this by tracking either health attributes or the performance of activities such as walking, running, cycling, sleep and many more.

As more people are jumping on the quantified self movement, fitness junkies will be more than happy to receive one of these high-tech devices as a Christmas gift this year.

Popular Fitness Tracking Device on Amazon:

Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker

Garmin Foot Pod

Polar Heart Rate Monitor

Sports Earbuds

If you go running with a normal pair of earphones, you might find them dropping off so often that it becomes a frustrating experience. In addition to that, the usual earbuds will not be able to withstand the amount of sweat, dirt and rainwater that they come across when used for outdoor activities.

Fitness enthusiasts usually prefer to use sports headphones or earbuds during their activities or training sessions. They will love you for getting them a pair this Christmas!

Popular Sports Earphones on Amazon:

Soundsoul U10 Sport In-Ear Headphones

Sennheiser CX 685 Adidas Sports In-Ear Headphones

Koss SportaPro Stereo Headphones

Health and Fitness App Subscriptions

There are a lot of fitness apps out there that we can use to keep track of our progress, get highly personalized recommendations as well as to improve our knowledge on various health and nutritional issues.

The paid versions of these apps offer a variety of premium features. If some of your employees are heavily into stuffs like nutrition tracking, exercise how-to and fitness tracking, receiving a paid mobile fitness app or a year long subscription to a fitness web app will mean a lot as you are helping them move closer to their fitness goals.

Popular Paid Health and Fitness Apps:

Fitocracy Hero

Runtastic Gift Cards

MyNetDiary Gift Card

For Tech Freaks

Have someone who is deeply passionate about technology, computers and the latest gadgets in the office? Instead of breaking the bank to buy the latest tablets or smartphones for him or her, here are some unique and practical gift ideas for the tech freaks working for you.

Geeky Merchandises

Geeky technology merchandises make great gifts for tech geeks. You can even get a t-shirt, mug, poster or a bumper sticker with a geeky statement on it.

Find out more about the interests of tech geeks in your office. What are their favorite technology brands (for example, Apple, Google, Facebook and many more) and topics of interest (programming, gaming and other geek culture)?

Popular Geeky Merchandises on Amazon:

Craftsquatch Social Media and Tech Pillows

ION iCade Arcade Cabinet for iPads

Geeky T-Shirts

Mobile Phone Docks

Know of someone in the office who can’t stop checking their phone every once in a while? He or she might be the perfect recipient for a mobile phone dock as a Christmas gift.

A dock keeps a mobile phone in a standing position while charging it so the owner only needs to take a glance at the screen without picking the it up when there are incoming notifications. Pricier docks also come with speakers attached.

Popular Mobile Phone Docks on Amazon:

Belkin Charge and Sync Dock

Samsung Galaxy Smart Dock Multimedia Hub

Black Faux Leather Multi-Charging Station

Smartwatches

Although they have been around for quite some time, smartwatches only become popular recently after models such as the Pebble watch and Samsung Galaxy Gear enter the market.

Different smartwatches sport different features and may only be compatible with certain mobile devices. If you are planning to buy one for your employees, be sure about the devices that they are using and that they are not planning for an upgrade any time soon.

Popular Smartwatches on Amazon:

Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch

Pebble E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android

Sony Smart Watch SW2 for Android Phones

SCOTTEVEST Travel Vests

SCOTTEVEST travel vest is the dream clothing for any person who is into technology.

Vests and other clothing items such as hoodies, pants and even shirts under the brand helps wearers to organize their technology items and personal belongings neatly within the many hidden pockets made available.

Popular SCOTTEVEST Products on Amazon:

SCOTTEVEST Men’s Multi-Pocket Travel Vest

SCOTTEVEST Women’s Multi-Pocket Travel Vest

For New Parents

For employees who just had a baby, the best gifts for them will be toys, baby items or items that will help to make their parenting tasks easier.

Digital Photo Frames

Parents take a lot of pictures of their baby and children. These photos make them happy and keep them motivated at work. As we progress into a world of digital photography, a parent will find a digital photo frame useful as he or she can customize the photos to display.

Popular Digital Photo Frames on Amazon:

Pix-Star 10.4 Inch FotoConnect XD Digital Picture Frame

NIX 12 Inch Digital Photo Frame

Micca 7-Inch High Resolution Digital Photo Frame

Parenting Gadgets

There are a lot of innovative gadgets out there that are aiming to help parents out. Items listed below will take away some of the common headaches that new parents go through and allow them to better enjoy the precious moments with their child.

Popular Parenting Gadgets on Amazon:

Digital Baby Pacifier Thermometer

Booginhead SippiGrip

iPotty

Toys

Babies and children love to play and learn with toys. Parents are definitely going to spend some money on them, especially if they just became parents for the first time.

To be safe, always take note of the age of a child and only buy toys that are suitable for their age. This is to avoid buying something that is too hazardous for him or her to play with.

Popular Toys on Amazon:

Step 2 Up & Down Roller Coaster

Melissa & Doug Giraffe Plush

Richard Scarry Busy Town

For Sports Fan

Sports is a very popular and highly talked about interest. Of course, every sports fan feel strongly about the club or team they support.

Noticed a number of sports enthusiasts in your office? Excite them this Christmas with gifts that are closely aligned to their passion.

Team Jerseys

Every sports team have its own set of jerseys. Wearing the jersey of your favorite team is the best way to express your support. You can never go wrong giving a team jersey as a Christmas present as long as you know what team does the recipient supports.

Popular Team Jerseys on Amazon:

NBA Miami Heat LeBron James Swingman Jersey

Chelsea Home Authentic Soccer Jersey

Reebok Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane Premier Home Jersey

Sports Memorabilia

Sports memorabilia or autographed collectibles are the best gifts to complete the collection of any sports enthusiasts.

Before placing an order for these limited items, make sure that they are official and authentic, especially if you are buying them from third parties or other collectors.

Popular Sports Memorabilia on Amazon:

MLB Baseball Card Collector’s Box

NFL Football Card Collector Box

NFL Green Bay Packers 2011 Super Bowl Champions Team Set

Ticket Albums

Having a ticket album allows a sports fan to collect ticket stubs for games that he or she has been to. What else can better prove that someone is a loyal supporter other than a collection of ticket stubs to all the games, including the monumental ones, that a sports club played for the past few years?

Popular Ticket Stub Diaries on Amazon:

Sports Ticket Album

Detroit Tigers Ticket Album

Phanatic Philadelphia Phillies Mascot Ticket Album

For Foodies

Have someone who can’t stop munching in the office or an employee who just have a taste for food? Show your appreciation by getting them some yummy gifts this holiday season.

Chocolates

Everybody loves chocolates. For gifting, you can go for gourmet chocolates that are prepared using high quality ingredients and have a luxurious packaging.

Here’s a tip if you are buying some chocolates this Christmas. Make sure the primary ingredient for the chocolates that you are buying is cocoa because if it is not, they are very likely to contain a higher proportion of sugar, which can be unhealthy and fattening.

Popular Chocolate Gifts on Amazon:

Asbach Uralt Brandy-filled Bottle-shaped Chocolates

Anthon Berg Liquor-filled Dark Chocolates

Chocolate, Caramel and Crunch Grand Gift Basket

Wine

Although it comes down to personal preference and taste most of the time, almost every food and wine expert will agree that pairing dishes with wine enhances dining experience. If a wine lover is on your list of gift recipients, find out what is his or her favorite wine or wine producer.

You can choose between buying just a bottle of wine or a wine gift basket packaged by any well-reputed producer. Any of these will definitely put a smile on the face of any wine lovers in your team.

Popular Wines on Amazon:

2011 ONEHOPE California Pinot Noir

2012 Quady Electra Moscato – Orange Muscat

C.G Di Arie Broad Market Wines Zinfandel, Sierra Foothills

Gourmet Food Baskets

For a foodie, receiving a food basket during Christmas is going to be awesome.

A few things have to be considered before buying gourmet food baskets as gifts. Try asking your staffs beforehand on whether they have any special dietary needs. For example, are they vegetarians, vegans or do they observe halal or kosher? You need to also make sure that they are not allergic to any ingredients or have any health concerns.

Popular Gourmet Food Baskets on Amazon:

Buffalo Bills Beef Jerky Gift Cooler

Pacific Coast Classic Dried Fruit Tray Gift

Fruit, Cheese and Nuts Delight Fruit Basket

Ask Us Questions and Share Your Christmas Gift Ideas

Have you started buying Christmas gifts for your employees? What are you going to get them this year?

Let us know in the comment section and feel free to ask questions about gift buying. We are more than happy to help by providing gift shopping guides and recommendations.

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The post The Essential List of Employee Christmas Gift Ideas appeared first on Sprout Geek.

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