When the holidays roll around, there is probably nothing more stressful than figuring out what to give as office gifts. It is always especially hard knowing what to get the boss. And depending on the social structure of your work place, you may feel obligated to buy for everyone.
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The good news is everyone else is in your same situation. If your workplace has a holiday party and no one has suggested the idea of a gift exchange, make that suggestion yourself, if necessary via the anonymous suggestion box. Hopefully your employer has instituted that policy.
Meanwhile, you must come up with some unique ideas to give as gifts, however many people you will be giving presents to. With some forethought and a little creativity, you shouldn't have to break the bank to get through the holidays.
1) Spend the most money on your boss and any close friends at work, without being ostentatious. Go for quality, not flashiness. Here are some suggestions:
An office supply organizer, whether or not you get it monogrammed, is almost always welcomed unless you have a boss who already has everything. In that case, there are the latest fancy pens, including the kind astronauts use because the ink doesn't depend on gravity to flow like most pens do. Again, go for quality.
Gift baskets tailored to the tastes of your co-workers could earn you some big kudos. For example, if someone likes Tex-Mex, buy a small basket, put in a red bandana for color and tie another around the handle, tuck in a bottle of fancy hot pepper sauce and maybe a chili seasoning packet or other related item from a gourmet food store. Maybe include a small bag of blue corn chips or some such unusual go-with, and finish with a big gift tag that follows the theme.
The trick with food gifts is to be creative. The better you know your co-workers, the easier it will be to find something they will like. If you have a specialty food that you bake which gets rave reviews every time you serve it, consider making several batches, freezing them if possible if you make them in advance. Then buy some fun take out containers or disposable decorative holiday serving containers to give out. Have the recipe already printed out and handy, but don't offer it unless someone asks how to make it.
Another possible gift for someone you know that has a new home office and possibly doesn't have all the fancy home office accessories that executives generally have.
Your favorite administrative assistant might appreciate a magnetic file holder that could attach to the side of a filing cabinet. With the rare earth magnets used today in some of these file organizers, weight isn't an issue. Many hold up to 5 pounds.
The receptionist might like an attractive caddy for pencils, pens and other supplies. A generic gift for any co-worker could be a special sticky note holder or dispenser. Every time they write a sticky note, they will think of you. (We'll hope that that's a good thing.)
You now have several suggestions for office gifts, so why not get started before the rush, since planning is everything?
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