Pinterest’s idea of a coworker gift fits in one hand. A bottle of Frappuccino with a tag that says “thanks a latte”. A pack of gum. A bag of candy with a pun stapled to the top. Most of the saved Christmas gifts for coworkers cost a few dollars each, because nobody buys one: you buy twelve, for the whole team, and the tag does most of the work.
We went through the boards people keep for office gifts and picked 25 Christmas gift ideas for coworkers in four groups: pun gifts, goodie bags, homemade treats and simple crafts. These are small Christmas gifts for coworkers, and all of them are original pins you can save.
Coworker Christmas gift ideas with a pun on the tag
1. Thanks a latte
Every office has someone who runs on coffee, and this one is for them: a bottled Starbucks Frappuccino with a printed tag tied on by a yellow ribbon. The tag is a free printable from the blog behind the pin, which suggests it for school volunteers. Twelve bottles and a sheet of tags is a whole team done in one evening.
2. You are so-da bomb
The bottle in the photo still says “Share a Coke”, and the round scalloped tag on red and white baker’s twine adds the pun. The original is a “pay it forward” idea. For coworkers, write a name on the back of each tag so the bottles don’t get taken by the wrong desk.
3. Something a little Extra
A pack of Extra peppermint gum with folded twenties tucked into the pack and a tag that reads “got you something a little Extra.” Cash between coworkers can feel odd, so swap the bills for a coffee shop gift card cut to fit, or leave the gum on its own. The pun still works.
4. Thank you for bee-ing
Hands dry out in winter, so this one gets used. Burt’s Bees hand cream and lip balm go in a clear bag, tied with black curling ribbon and a yellow flower, with a tag that says “thank you for bee-ing such a great friend.” Change “friend” to “coworker” if you print your own tags.
5. Hoping to brighten your week
Of all the cheap Christmas gifts for coworkers here, this is the cheapest: a single pack of Skittles with a rainbow-lettered tag that reads “Hoping to brighten your week with a sweet little treat!” The second line on the original tag wishes luck with school, so rewrite it before printing. “Good luck with the year-end reports” works fine.
6. The important roll you play
A manager handing something to a whole department could use this one. Clear bags of chocolate candies get a kraft paper tag and a striped ribbon: “Thanks for the important ROLL you play each day! Keep up the great work!” Signed “From, Gina”. If the candy in your bag is actual Rolo, the pun gets better.
7. Reese-ently simply the best
Read the tag slowly: “Have I told you REESE-ently, you are SIMPLY the BEST to work with?!” Inside the bag are a small bottle of Simply Lemonade and a pack of Reese’s peanut butter cups, one product for each pun. It is one of the few tags here that was written for coworkers from the start.
8. The snuggle is real
A navy fleece blanket with white snowflakes, rolled up and tied with twine. Under the twine sit a bag of Angie’s popcorn, two packets of Swiss Miss hot cocoa and a pair of candy canes, plus a jingle bell and a tag: “The snuggle is real. Wishing you a warm and cozy holiday season!” It costs more than the other coworker Christmas gifts here, so save it for the person you actually sit next to.
Christmas goodie bags for coworkers
9. Candy bar treat bags
Buy the candy in bulk packs, and one evening at the kitchen table covers the whole office. Each clear bag holds a Snickers, a KitKat, M&M’s, a Twix and a Ferrero Rocher, and is closed with a paper doily folded over the top and a wooden clothespin. The tags say “thank you”, “a little sweetness for you” and “sweet treats for you”.
10. In case of emergency, break glass
A black shadow box filled to the top with M&M’s, with “In case of emergency break glass” in white letters on the front. It belongs on a desk, and it is a good gift for the person everyone runs to when the printer jams. The full how-to is on 30 Minute Crafts.
11. A stuffed tumbler
A reusable cup is one of the few things nearly every coworker uses at work, and it doubles as the wrapping. Here a clear Starbucks cold cup holds a Target gift card, Burt’s Bees lip balm and a bottle of green nail polish. The pin calls it a birthday gift; it works just as well in December.
12. Pause. Sip. Glow.
The description under this pin is a complete shopping list: a medium glass jar, a mini scented candle (vanilla or lavender), a herbal tea bag or cocoa sachet, rolled fuzzy socks, a chocolate square and a small card. Line the bottom with tissue, arrange the rest, and finish with a tag that says “Pause. Sip. Glow. You earned it.”
Homemade Christmas gifts for coworkers
Homemade food is the classic bulk Christmas gift for coworkers: one batch, a stack of bags and a roll of ribbon. Check for allergies in the team before you bake anything with nuts.
13. Cinnamon rolls, ready to bake
Hand these out on the last workday before the holidays, so they get baked on a morning off. They are unbaked cinnamon rolls in foil tins with clear lids, each tied with a velvet ribbon, a cinnamon stick and a sprig of greenery. The round tag says “Merry Christmas” and lists the baking directions.
14. Better than anything toffee
Toffee keeps well and travels well, which makes it good for the office. This version is a layer of buttery toffee with chopped nuts under a coat of milk chocolate, broken into rough pieces. The recipe is on Mom On Timeout. Pack it in tins or small bags lined with parchment.
15. Two-ingredient chocolate bars
Melted chocolate poured into a bar mold, plus one topping: crushed candy canes on white chocolate, toffee bits or nuts on milk or dark. Wrap each bar in kraft paper with a sprig of rosemary and a printed label, and it looks like something from a shop.
16. Cookies in a jar
Ten kinds of cookie mix layered in mason jars, from chocolate chip and M&M cookies to funfetti, s’mores and salted caramel. Each one needs a tag with what to add and how long to bake. For coworkers, this is the gift that waits patiently in a desk drawer until the weekend.
17. A cookie basket from a paper plate
Cut four short slits into the rim of a paper plate, fold up the sides, tape the corners and you have a shallow basket. The four photos on the pin show every step. Fill it with a dozen cookies and tie a ribbon around the middle.
18. Snowman soup
If the office has a kettle, snowman soup can be drunk on the spot. It is a white cup with a snowman face, filled with a cocoa packet, mini marshmallows and a candy cane for stirring, all in a cellophane bag with a red bow. The poem on the tag ends: “Add hot water, sip it slow. It’s sure to do the trick!”
19. Snowman cocoa jars
Two round jars stacked into a snowman: the top one full of mini marshmallows, the bottom one full of cocoa mix. The face is black dots and an orange carrot nose stuck on the glass, and three more dots on the lower jar make the buttons. Add a tag with how much cocoa goes into one mug.
DIY Christmas gifts for coworkers
20. Paw print ornaments
For the coworker who shows dog photos at lunch. Salt dough is flour, salt and water, rolled out and cut into circles. Press the pet’s paw in, bake until hard, then paint the print pink and add a ribbon. You need the pet for a minute, so this one works best for a coworker you know well enough to visit.
21. Scented mason jar lamps
Mason jars packed with pinecones, dried orange slices and red berries, topped with a wick. The tutorial behind the pin explains the oil and the wick, so read it before you start. These burn with an open flame, which makes them a better gift for a coworker’s home than for their desk.
22. Coconut, lime and mint sugar scrub
Sugar scrub with coconut, lime and mint, in a small jar with a spoon. The blogger behind it says it “smells like a vacation in a jar”. In December that is a good pitch. Small jars bought by the dozen keep the cost per gift low.
23. Stovetop potpourri
Fresh cranberries, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves and a sprig of rosemary in a cellophane bag, closed with a red ribbon. The tag tells you to tip everything into a saucepan with 2 cups of water over low heat and to refill the water as needed. It smells like Christmas for a whole afternoon and costs very little to make in bulk.
24. Snowman wine glass candle holders
Turn a wine glass upside down, paint the bowl white and the stem black, and add a carrot nose, dots for eyes and pink cheeks. A tea light sits on the flat base on top, and a ring of red berries becomes the snowman’s scarf. Thrift store glasses work, and none of them have to match.
25. Dried orange butterflies
Four dried orange slices make the wings, two cinnamon sticks make the body, and twine ties them together with a loop for hanging. A star anise sits at the top, with two curls of orange peel for antennae. Dry the slices in a low oven for a few hours, and one bag of oranges makes ornaments for every desk on the floor.
