TL;DR
You don't need to find a perfect Christmas gift for each person on your team. You just need a thoughtful approach that gives everyone something to enjoy. This guide covers three gifting approaches, what to send and when, and common mistakes to avoid.
Why the Christmas gift matters
The holidays land right when people are reflecting on the year and getting excited about what's next. That makes the holiday gift a particularly visible opportunity to show employees they're appreciated.
Gallup's research on recognition finds that employees who feel recognized are more engaged and less likely to leave. A thoughtful end-of-year gift reinforces that recognition at the right moment.
Before choosing a gift, answer a few questions: Who are we gifting? Do we want uniformity or personalization? What budget per person can we get approved? Then pick the gift.
Three approaches to employee Christmas gifts
Pick the one that matches how your team works and what you're optimizing for.
Let them choose (recommended)
Best for: teams of any size, especially distributed teams where a single pick won't fit everyone.
Instead of guessing what 200 different people want, curate a selection of options and let each person pick. This is where platforms like Goody come in: you set a price point, build a Custom Collection of 5 to 20+ gifts, and each recipient chooses from your curated menu. Pricing isn't shown to recipients, so the experience feels personal and generous.
This sidesteps the issues that come with choosing one item for everyone: if the collection includes apparel, recipients pick their own size. If it includes food, they can choose something they like or skip it for a different item entirely. A 24-year-old engineer and a 55-year-old VP will pick very different things from the same collection, and both walk away satisfied because they picked it themselves.
You can also let recipients browse a broader catalog and pick from hundreds of brands at a set price point. That means maximum flexibility for large or diverse teams.
One curated gift for everyone
Best for: teams under 30 where you know people's tastes, or when you want a shared moment (everyone opening the same thing at a holiday party).
Pick one item, order it for the group, and everyone gets the same thing. When it works, it creates a sense of unity, like the whole team using the same Fellow Carter mug at the Monday morning standup.
Where it gets tricky is fit. The person who doesn't drink tea gets the matcha set. The vegan gets a box of charcuterie. These are small hiccups, but they add up when you're trying to make people feel appreciated.
If you go this route, lean toward gifts with broad appeal, like a Rumpl puffy blanket everyone can use at home.
Branded swag or custom boxes
Best for: companies that want every employee to feel part of the team, with gifts that reinforce the brand.
This is the approach that turns the holiday gift into a culture moment. Everyone gets something with the company logo on it, and the quality is high enough that they'd still choose to use it on their own.
A branded Owala FreeSip is the kind of water bottle people carry every day, and having company branding on it makes it a conversation starter. For companies with the budget, a branded Away Carry-On is a statement piece that travels with people.
You can also build a custom box that combines branded swag with curated gifts. Imagine a company hoodie paired with a bag of Onyx Coffee Lab and a holiday card, all shipped in branded packaging—that feels like a thoughtful, curated package. On Goody, most branded items are printed on demand with no order minimums, so you're not warehousing 500 hoodies in four sizes. For teams that want a fully custom branded box, Goody also handles warehousing and kit assembly.
One thing to keep in mind: branded swag takes production time. Branded kits typically need 4 to 6 weeks in production after proof approval, so plan to lock in designs by late October for mid-December delivery. Non-branded curated gifts and Gift of Choice sends have no production lead time.
What to send (and what to skip)
Of course, you want your gift to be good. But what you send is only part of the experience: choice, timing, and delivery matter too. Here are the categories that consistently work and the ones to avoid.
What works
Recognizable brands. A Ridge Aluminum Wallet ($95). A set of Bala Bangles. These are gifts people would buy as a treat for themselves but rarely do. That's why they work well as gifts from someone else.
Items that fit into daily routines. A good blanket stays on the couch through winter. A bag of La Colombe coffee starts a morning ritual. A Schmidt Bros cutting board ($40) is a kitchen upgrade people will keep for years.
Premium branded swag. Swag can have a bad reputation, and some of it earns that. The exception is swag built on a brand people already want. Think a branded Eddie Bauer backpack or a Polaroid Go camera with your logo. Goody's branded swag is printed on demand for most items, so there's no need to pre-order 500 units and hope the sizes are right.
For more ideas organized by category, Goody's Holiday Gift Guide breaks things down by employee gifts, branded swag, budget options, and gifts that ship globally.
What to skip
Overly personal gifts. Fragrance, highly specific décor, or anything else where taste varies dramatically can be tough to get right at scale.
Gifts that create work for the recipient. Anything complicated to assemble or redeem adds friction to what should be an easy experience.
Generic promotional items. A stress ball, a lanyard, a pen with the company name on it. If the item could have come from a boring trade show booth, it doesn't belong in a holiday gift.
How budget shapes the decision
Typical spend runs $50 to $200 per person for employee gifts, with $75 being a common benchmark for mid-size companies. Custom boxes with multiple items and branded packaging tend to start at $100+, while bespoke branded swag starts around $75+. Here's how the most common ranges play out.
Under $40 per person
This works for large teams where the gesture matters more than the price tag. At this range, the gift needs to feel curated, not cheap.
A JLab Go Pop ANC earbuds ($20) or a Homesick candle ($30) punch above their weight because the brand feels intentional.
$40 to $75 per person
This is where most companies land. This budget opens up premium drinkware, quality food gifts, and wellness products.
A MALIN+GOETZ skincare set ($54) or a Twelve South AirFly Pro 2 ($60) feels generous without being extravagant. At this range, a Goody Gift of Choice or the "let them choose" approach starts to shine, because $50 to $75 buys a meaningfully different gift depending on the person.
$75 to $150 per person
At this range, you can move beyond smaller treats and everyday essentials into gifts that feel luxurious, like a Flamingo Estate Tablemates gift box ($104) or a Holcomb Birdie Wine Decanter ($132).
$150+ per person
At $150+, you can consider bigger-ticket tech items and experiences, like a Therabody Theragun Mini ($220) or a Virgin Experiences hot air balloon ride ($299).
Don't forget to budget for other fees on top of the gift price. They add up, especially with international shipping. Goody's Holiday Gift Planner has a budget estimator that calculates all-in cost per recipient, including shipping, taxes, and processing fees.
Deadlines and when to start planning
If you want the full range of options, start in August and September. Certain gift options, custom branding, and international shipping routes require lead time, and starting early keeps those doors open.
Here are the key deadlines, working backward from a mid-December in-hands date:
Custom gifts where recipients choose first (lock in by early October): Want to offer a custom branded collection where each person picks their gift? We recommend starting the process by early October. Recipient counts need to be finalized by the end of October, since production and proof approval need a runway after that.
International shipments (lock in by mid-October): International shipping adds roughly two weeks. Get the list of countries you're shipping to early.
Custom branded kits (lock in by late October): Branded kits take 4 to 6 weeks in production. The clock starts after proof approval, which comes after the sales order is signed and paid. You can still execute branded kits after late October, but your options get more limited.
Curated (non-branded) gifts at scale (lock in by early November): No production lead time, but internal approvals, leadership sign-off, and procurement review still eat weeks.
Gift of Choice (any day): Sends in minutes, no deadline. This is always available as a fallback or as a deliberate strategy.
Goody's Holiday Gift Planner breaks this down into a phase-by-phase project plan with milestone dates you can check off as you go. It also includes a gift questionnaire, to help you answer the key logistics, brainstorming, and shipping questions before your kickoff call.
Logistics to consider
The address problem
Collecting home addresses from every employee is awkward for remote teams and a privacy headache for HR. The simpler path: send via email or phone number and let the recipient enter their own shipping details when they accept.
With Goody's bulk sending, you can upload a CSV of names and emails, add a personal message with first-name tokens, and the whole thing ships in minutes.
Remote and global teams
Holiday gifting takes a little more planning for distributed teams. A gift that arrives at a remote employee's door can help make the celebration feel inclusive wherever they're working.
Goody ships branded swag and gifts internationally, with local gift options in the US, Canada, and the UK. A Custom Collection with a mix of physical gifts and options available across regions keeps the experience consistent regardless of where someone lives. Your team in London and Singapore won't get the leftover version of the gift.
Consistency across teams
Gift consistently across teams. A thoughtful, equitable approach helps everyone feel valued and avoids favoritism. If one department gets a branded Away suitcase and another gets a mug, the mug team definitely notices.
Tax
Gift cards and cash equivalents are always taxable income to the employee, regardless of the amount. Physical gifts of nominal value (a holiday ham, a branded tumbler) typically qualify as de minimis fringe benefits and aren't taxable.
Note that the tax treatment of employee gifts differs from client gifts: client gifts are deductible up to $25 per person per year, while employee gifts follow de minimis rules. Our employee gift tax guide covers the details.
Mistakes to avoid
Forgetting remote and international employees
If the holiday gift program only covers people who can pick up a box from the front desk, you risk inadvertently leaving part of the team out.
Goody ships internationally to 140+ countries, which makes it possible to include international employees in the same gifting program as everyone else.
Defaulting to gift cards
Gift cards are flexible and easy to send, but they can feel less personal than a physical gift. They're also taxable income to employees at any amount. If you want to offer flexibility while keeping more of the gifting experience, consider letting employees choose from a curated selection of gifts.
Skipping gifts entirely
A holiday party is great, but it doesn't replace a gift. The party is a shared experience. The gift is a personal one.
Companies that throw a celebration and skip the individual gift are leaving a high-ROI investment in employee morale on the table.
Paying for rush shipping
Rush shipping gets expensive fast in mid-December. Before paying a premium to overnight physical packages, consider whether a digital send can buy you more time.
Even a digital gift sent on December 25 feels right on time, because the recipient gets an instant notification and picks their gift on their own schedule. It's never too late to send a holiday gift on Goody.
Frequently asked questions
How much should we budget for employee Christmas gifts?
Typical spend varies from $50 to $200 per person, with $75 being a common starting point for most companies. Custom boxes start around $100+ per person, while bespoke branded swag starts at $75+. Below $30 can work for very large teams if the gift feels curated. Gifts on Goody start at $15 per person.
Remember to budget for taxes, shipping, and fees on top of the gift price. Goody's Holiday Gift Planner has a budget estimator that breaks down all-in cost per recipient.
How early should we start planning Christmas gifts for employees?
August and September are a good time to start. Custom branded kits need 4 to 6 weeks of production time, so designs should be locked in by late October for mid-December delivery. International shipments add roughly two weeks. Non-branded curated gifts need less lead time but internal approvals still take a few weeks.
If you're using a Gift of Choice, there's no deadline. You can send one on December 25 and the recipient gets notified instantly.
Goody's Holiday Gift Planner lays out a full phase-by-phase timeline with milestone dates based on your gifting approach.
Are employee Christmas gifts taxable?
It depends. Gift cards and cash equivalents are always taxable income to the employee, regardless of the denomination. Physical gifts of nominal value typically qualify as de minimis fringe benefits and aren't taxable.
The rules for employee gifts differ from client gifts, so check with your tax team or see our employee gift tax guide for the specifics.
What should we write in an employee Christmas card?
For smaller teams, skip the group-signed platitude. The best messages name one specific thing that person did this year, then get out of the way. Two or three sentences is plenty.
Something like: "Priya, the onboarding rebuild was one of my favorite things anyone did this year. Thanks for taking it on. Happy holidays!"
Sending to the whole company at once? Use a first-name token so every card opens personally, then write one honest paragraph for the group instead of a generic one. On Goody, you can add a digital card and message to a bulk send in the same flow.
What if some of our employees don't celebrate Christmas?
Frame it as end-of-year appreciation instead of a Christmas gift. Keep the card language neutral ("happy holidays" works for everyone), and avoid Christmas-specific items like advent calendars or ornaments—they're a miss for anyone outside the tradition and a little awkward for the sender.
Giving people a choice removes the problem entirely. With a Custom Collection, each person picks what fits them, and the gesture reads the same across your whole team.
Can we include branded swag in the Christmas gift?
Yes, and it can be the star of the gift if the quality is right. Unique swag, like a branded Hydroflask tumbler or a Camp Snap camera with your logo, gets used and talked about. A cheap logo tee does not.
Keep in mind that branded items need 4 to 6 weeks of production time, so start early.
What if we have employees in other countries?
Goody ships internationally to 140+ countries, with local gift options in the US, Canada, and the UK. A Custom Collection with a mix of physical gifts and globally available options keeps the experience consistent regardless of location. We handle international shipping logistics, so you're not coordinating customs paperwork. Build your country list early, since international shipping adds about two weeks.
Ready to send Christmas gifts your team will remember?
Sign up free on Goody to start building a Custom Collection. For teams over 50, book a call to explore volume pricing and HRIS integrations that automate the whole process.
Sources
- Gallup, "Employee Recognition: Low Cost, High Impact"
- IRS, De Minimis Fringe Benefits
- SHRM, "Reminder: Holiday Gifts, Prizes or Parties Can Be Taxable Wages"
- The Tax Adviser, "Tax Consequences of Employer Gifts to Employees"
About the author
