Christmas Gifts for Coworkers That Don't Feel Like an Afterthought

Christmas gifts for coworkers are tricky. You want to show you care without making it weird. You want it to look nice without spending a week’s lunch money. And you’re probably buying for more than one person, so it has to work for the guy who only drinks black coffee and the woman who decorates her desk for every holiday.

The good news is that the best gifts for coworkers follow a simple pattern: useful, cozy and personal. Here’s what we’d give, and how to handle the awkward parts.

Set a Budget and Stick to It

If your team does gifts, agree on a number before anyone shops. It takes the guessing out of it and nobody ends up feeling outdone. A $20 to $50 range works for most office exchanges.

Shipping is free on every Zoey & Lex order, so the price you see is the price you pay.

Easy Christmas Gifts for the Whole Team

A personalized mug with cocoa or coffee. This is the one we’d give the whole team. The Mug and Cocoa Gift Set pairs a personalized mug with Ghirardelli Double Chocolate hot cocoa and marshmallows. It’s $29.

The Mug and Coffee Gift Set does the same with Peet’s Dark Roast, for $29. Put their name on the mug and it’ll live on their desk for years.

A soy candle with a keepsake. The Holiday Candle and Ornament Gift Box pairs a hand-poured soy candle in Cashmere or Fireside with a keepsake ornament. It’s $25, and it’s a safe, warm pick for a coworker you don’t know well.

A little glow for their desk or home. Our small Illuminated Glass Vessel is clear glass with delicate white lights inside, and it runs on batteries with a timer. It’s $27, and it’s a nice desk gift since there’s no flame.

Gifts for Your Work Best Friend

For your work best friend, your manager or the person who covered for you all year:

A tote and mug set. The Tote and Mug Gift Set pairs a canvas tote with a mug in the same design. The tote is the kind people carry their lunch in every day. It’s $39.

A tote with a lighted vessel. The Tote and Lighted Vessel Gift Set pairs a Winter Wonderland canvas tote with a glowing glass vessel and a matching mug, all in one gift box. It’s $45.

How to Handle Secret Santa

Secret Santa works best with a clear budget and a short list of likes from each person. If you drew someone you barely know, go consumable and cozy: cocoa, coffee or a candle. Skip anything with a joke on it that might not land, and anything too personal.

A gift set is a safe Secret Santa gift because it already looks finished. There’s nothing to wrap creatively and nothing to explain.

Gifts for Your Boss

Gifting up is optional, and plenty of offices skip it. If you want to, a group gift from the team takes the pressure off any one person. Pool together for something nicer, like a luxury gift box, and sign one card from everyone.

Gifts for Coworkers Who Work Remote

Half your team might live in other states, and that’s fine. Ship the gift straight to their house and add a gift note in your bag before checkout, so it shows up with your name on it. A personalized mug set is the easiest remote coworker gift because it doesn’t need wrapping and it lands on the kitchen counter, right where they’ll use it.

Christmas Gifts for Coworkers to Skip

A few gifts tend to miss at work. Perfume and lotion are too personal for most coworkers. Joke gifts depend on knowing the person really well. And anything with alcohol can be awkward if you don’t know who drinks. A mug, a candle or a tote works for almost everyone, which is exactly why they’re the gifts for coworkers we’d pick.

Gifting the Whole Office?

If you’re the one buying for the entire team or for clients, we can help. Our corporate gifts page has a short form to tell us how many gifts you need, and we’ll reach out by email to plan the rest.

Common Questions