Holiday Gifts for Employees People Remember
Twelve holiday gifts for employees that people still talk about in January, from an extra paid day off to a song about your team's year, and how to give them.
Most employee holiday gifts are forgotten by the time people get home. A water bottle with the logo on it says "company." A gift people remember says "we noticed you." The best holiday gifts for employees give them time, choice, or proof that someone saw their work this year. For a small team, our top pick is a song about your year together, with the team's names and stories in it, played at the holiday party.
Hear what a Songbond song is like
This one was made for someone else. Yours would carry your team's names and your stories.
12 holiday gift ideas for employees
- A song about your team's year ($39.90). Share the names, the big project, the office jokes and the week everyone pulled together, and Songbond turns it into an original song. Play it at the party and send it to everyone after. For a long-serving employee, a song just about them means even more.
- An extra paid day off. Add a day to the holiday break, or give a floating day to use in January. It costs no cash up front, and nobody forgets a day they got back.
- A cash bonus with a handwritten note. Even a modest amount means more with two lines about what that person did this year. $50 to $500.
- A personal letter from the owner. Ten minutes per person, naming one specific thing they did well. It costs nothing but your time.
- A catered lunch on company time. Close early, bring in good food and let people sit together without an agenda. $25 to $60 per person.
- A pick-your-own gift. A short list of four or five items at one price, and each person chooses. Nobody gets something they do not want. $50 to $100.
- Quality gear with a small logo. A good fleece, a backpack or an insulated jacket people will actually wear on weekends. Keep the logo small. $40 to $90.
- A gift card to a local restaurant. A real dinner out for them and a partner, from a place near the office. $50 to $100.
- A hamper from a local bakery or farm. Bread, jam, cheese and coffee. It supports a neighbor business and gets shared at home. $40 to $80.
- A learning budget. Money toward a course, a certificate or a conference they choose. It says you see a future for them here. $100 to $500.
- A donation in their name. Let each person pick a charity, and send them the confirmation. $25 to $50 each.
- A framed team photo from this year. Take it at the party or use one from a big day. Print one for everyone. $20 to $40 each.
How to choose for your team
Size and setup matter more than budget. A team of six can get something personal. A team of sixty needs something fair, easy to give and easy to explain.
- If your team is small: the song, the personal letters or the catered lunch.
- If your team is remote: the pick-your-own gift, the extra day off or the learning budget.
- If your budget is tight: the extra day off, the personal letters or the team photo.
How to hand out employee gifts
How you give it matters as much as what it is. Give gifts in person where you can, one at a time, with one sentence about what that person did this year. Hand them out a week before the break, not on the last afternoon when half the team is already gone. Give everyone the same value so nobody compares, and keep the gift separate from any talk about pay or reviews. If you made a team song, play it once everyone is in the room with a plate of food.
Make a song for your team
Create a holiday song for your employees with the names and stories from your year. It is ready within 24 hours, and express delivery gets it to you in about an hour, in time for the party.
Also in the Journal: a personalized song as a Christmas gift and thank-you songs for a mentor.
