The holidays are a great time to show people in your life that you appreciate them. In the workplace, your list might include your employees, clients, and vendors. A great way to show your appreciation to all these people at once, and make an impact that will last, is to invest in a group gift.
Getting one gift for everyone allows you to contribute to workplace culture, worry less about individual tastes, and bring the holiday spirit to the office.
Whatever the occasion, giving a group gift can be a thoughtful way to show your appreciation—but it can also be tricky. How do you find something that everyone will like? What’s an appropriate budget? Should you go for one big gift or several smaller ones? Here are some tips to help you navigate the world of group gifting.
- Determining a budget for group business gifts
- Guidelines for choosing a gift everyone will love
- Popular group Christmas gift ideas
How to Determine an Appropriate Budget
The first step in picking out a memorable group gift is deciding on a budget. How much you spend will depend on the occasion and your relationship with the recipients. If it’s for employees or clients, you’ll want to stay on the conservative side. For friends or family, you may be able to spend a little more.
Once you have a number in mind, stick to it—it can be tempting to go overboard when buying for a group, but resist the urge! A good rule of thumb is to look to spend about $50-150 per person depending on the size of the group and occasion.
How to Choose a Gift that Everyone Will Love
When looking for a single gift for a group of people, it’s useful to think of the need your gift will fill. Is there something that’s been missing from your office? Would a hit of holiday cheer do your employees good? Maybe a group bonding activity would promote teamwork and boost morale.
You should avoid giving gifts that might offend or exclude members of your group if you don't know them too well. If someone has strong religious beliefs, gifts like alcohol might not work. Likewise, tickets to sporting events may not appeal to people who aren't big sports fans. In contrast, most people will appreciate food gifts or activities like escape rooms or cheese-making classes making them relatively safe bets.
Ideally, you'll be able to find something that is both unique and useful. The last thing you want is for New Years to arrive with your gifts collecting dust or ending up in the landfill. Finding a gift that will be practical and memorable is a challenge, but well worth the effort.
Picking Between one Large Gift and Several Smaller Ones
One big gift has the advantage of being impactful. It can be something luxurious that everyone can enjoy, like a high-end coffee maker for the office or some nice bottles of wine to share at your holiday party. The downside is that not everyone will love it—and if it’s something practical, like a new treadmill for the office, it may not be usable by everyone. This also won't work if you're buying gifts for clients or your business spans more than one location.
If you go the route of individualized gifts, it can still be challenging to find something everyone loves, but you'll have the added benefit of each recipient feeling personally seen. Smaller gifts also have the advantage of fitting into different budgets. You can go as big or small as you want, depending on your budget and the number of people you’re buying for.
What’s the Occasion?
In today’s workplace, it can be hard to know if your recipients celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or anything at all during the holiday season. If you’re unsure, it’s always best to err on the side of caution and not give a holiday-themed gift. For example, if you’re giving a group gift to employees, clients, or vendors, you might want to avoid anything that could be construed as religious - e.g. using the term Merry Christmas on the greeting card or Ramadan Karim on the inscription. Instead, opt for something safer like a nice bottle of wine or a gourmet food basket. That way everyone can enjoy the gift, no matter their religious affiliation.
What are Some Good Ideas for Group Gifts?
Now that we've gone through what makes group gifts such a great option, it's time to start picking out the perfect presents!
A Gift Card to a Nice Restaurant
This is always a classic and appreciated gift, especially for those who have to entertain clients or work long hours and miss family dinners. Make sure to get a card that can be used at multiple locations to fit everyone’s tastes.
Who will love it: Foodies, people with families, anyone who likes to dress up and go out
Price: These cards can come at various price points, so whatever your budget is, it’s a great choice! We recommend looking for cards worth roughly $50 each.
Why it’s great for groups: Everyone likes going out to eat, especially around the holidays. No matter who on your list receives this, they’re sure to be chatting about your generosity throughout the night as they make memories with the people close to them. To make this easier, you can even look into buying gift cards in bulk!
A Classy Wine Gift Basket
If you know people on your list who enjoy a glass of wine or a stiff drink after work, treat them to a high-quality bottle that they can savor. You can go the extra mile and get them a whole wine-themed gift basket to make your gift one to remember.
Who will love it: The company socialite, anyone who loves to savor the good stuff
Price: Beautiful wine baskets from corporategift.com can give you an elevated version of this gift, with prices that range from $70 - $600. A large basket like this might be a great choice if you decide to get one large gift for the office, or if you have a high-end client you’re looking to impress. You can explore a wide variety of Christmas wine gift baskets on the corporategift.com marketplace..
Why it’s great for groups: The people who will love this gift are probably pretty easy to please – if they like to drink, they’ll love getting a nice bottle of something to enjoy. It’s a luxurious gift that shows you care about giving your employees/clients/partners the good stuff. Putting this basket out at the company Christmas party or at the end of a long work day is sure to bring everyone together and get the conversation flowing.
An Office Pizza Oven
Pizza is the classic group lunch – it’s easy to please a large crowd with this classic dish, and there are endless ways to customize it to fit your group’s needs. If you know your office loves pizza, why not get them their own oven so they can enjoy fresh, hot slices all year long?
Who will love it: The foodie, the party animal, anyone who’s always ordering out for lunch
Price: This stone-baked pizza oven runs at only $624.99 and can be branded with your recipients’ logo.
Why it's great for groups: This is a great gift for a group because it's both practical and unique - two things that are always appreciated. If you want to up the ante, you can include a pizza night gift set and plan an office pizza party. This will not only boost morale throughout the year as employees enjoy pizzas for lunch, but it also serves as a great icebreaker. You can learn a lot about a person from their pizza toppings!
An Assortment of Teas
Tea is having a moment, and there are some seriously gorgeous tea sets out there that would make an amazing gift for anyone on your list. Having gourmet tea available at work will make people excited to come in, encourage good conversation, and give them the boost they need to get through the day.
Who will love it: The health nut, the stressed-out professional, the hipster
Price: This set starts at $70 a box, so you can get lots and make sure your employees are stocked up on tea well into the new year!
Why it's great for groups: Like the wine basket, this is a great gift for a large group because it can be easily customized and you can save money by buying in bulk. It's also a unique gift that shows you care about your employees'/clients'/partners' health and well-being - something that is always appreciated. This tea is sure to keep your office cozy through the cold winter, and may become a staple in your employees’ days.
A Custom Camping Stool
This one’s for the group of outdoorsy people on your list – or even the ones who just like to be prepared. A camping stool is a small, lightweight, and portable seat that folds up, making it easy to bring along on any adventure. This one also doubles as a cooler, and can hold up to 24 cans and other tools. It’s perfect for anyone who loves spending time outside, whether they’re hiking, fishing, or just enjoying a picnic in the park.
Who will love it: The adventurer, the nature-lover, the camper
Price: This stool starts at just $58.80, and features your company name or logo and a built-in cooler!
Why it's great for groups: This is a great gift for groups because it's both useful and fun! Get them for everyone to use at your next company picnic, and let them know they can take them home after. You’re bound to see these coming back year after year.
A Sweet Treat Gift Basket
A gift basket full of sweets is always a hit, and it's an excellent option for groups because you can customize it to include everyone's favorite sweets. You can also add in some savory snacks, like crackers or nuts, to balance out the sweetness.
Who will love it: The office sweet tooth, the coffee addict, the stressed-out professional
Price: This gift basket starts at $44.95 per person and includes a variety of cookies, brownies, and cakes. However, there are lots of options for these types of baskets, so be sure to find an option that has the treats you think everyone on your list will love!
Why it's great for groups: This is something that everyone can take home and share with their loved ones for the holidays, no matter what they celebrate. Even if they don't love everything in the basket, the variety means there will be something that gets them smiling.
A Cake Baking Class & Kit
This is the perfect gift for people who love to bake, or those who have never touched a spatula. The kit comes complete with everything your office needs to bake delicious cakes at your next office party! This is a great way to build camaraderie among team members while celebrating any birthdays that might be happening.
Who will love it: The novice baker, the busy professional, the dessert lover
Price: This set starts at $44.99 per kit, so you can get one for every person on your list and plan the most memorable party of the season.
Why it's great for groups: This gift is perfect for a group because it doubles as a bonding activity! People in the office will practice working together and make memories while they craft these delicious desserts.
A Beer-Making Kit
Lately, everyone has been talking about craft beers, and if you know the people in your office love going out for drinks together at the local brewery, this gift is perfect! Everyone at the office can get creative and make their own custom brews. What’s better, if you make a group activity of it and leave them to ferment, there will be a real party waiting for everyone when they come back after the holidays.
Who will love it: The beer connoisseur, anyone who loves to try new things.
Price: This kit starts at $48.00 per person. If you know your office isn’t full of beer drinkers, or want to add some variety, you could also get a kit for making hard cider!
Why it's great for groups: This gift is great for groups because it's something that people can enjoy together. Even if everyone takes it home, once the beer is made, you can all get together and taste-test the different flavors. This is also a gift that keeps on giving – once they finish the kit, everyone will have a new hobby to enjoy and might even start brewing their own beer to bring to the next company picnic.
Luxury Whiskey Chilling Stones
These beautiful stones are a great gift for the whisky lover in us all. They come in a handsome box and can be customized with a logo, initials, or message. They also have cups, so all the recipient will need to add is the perfect drink
Who will love it: The whiskey connoisseur, the classy drinker, the sophisticate
Price: $49.95 per person
Why it's great for groups: This is a great gift for co-workers or clients because it is both luxurious and useful. Even if they don't drink whiskey, a person could use these stones to keep any drink cool without diluting it. They truly add a bit of class to any occasion.
A Custom Game Set
For the group that loves to play games together, a luxury game set is a perfect gift. From Monopoly to poker, there are sets for every type of game out there - and they come complete with everything you need to get started.
Who will love it: The competitive ones, the social butterflies, the party animals
Price: This set starts at $45.10 per person, and can feature your brand's logo or artwork
Why it's a great group gift: This is a unique option that will keep your company at the top of the recipient's mind any time they play. This set also has a very luxurious feel, elevating a simple game night to a magical affair. The variety and simplicity of the included game pieces mean that any level of game enthusiast will find something that they can use again and again.
An eGift Collection
If you can’t decide on a gift that would work for everyone on your list, that’s understandable. That’s why our favorite choice for group gifts during the holidays (and throughout the year) is an eGift collection. This innovative new style of gift-giving allows each recipient to choose a gift from a curated list, ensuring that everyone gets something they’ll truly love.
Who will love it: Everyone on your list, including you because it takes the guesswork out of gift-giving!
Price: When choosing a collection, you can set a budget for the items your recipients can choose from. This can range from $25-$200, so you can truly fit this present into any budget.
Why it’s great for groups: Everyone on your list will be able to get something they’ll use and enjoy. It’s a great way to show you care while ensuring your gift will be used throughout the year!
In Conclusion
Picking the perfect group gift can be tough, but it's doable with a little planning and thoughtfulness. With many of these gifts, the more people you’re buying for, the more affordable it will be. In the end, it's always the thought that counts!
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