Holiday Gifts That Your Coworkers Will Love

Last year's holiday season was kind of a bummer. No get-togethers with friends and family, no smoochies under the mistletoe, no "parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, or caroling out in the snow," as per Andy Williams' mellifluous tenor (via YouTube). It was our first -– and we sincerely hope our last — very socially-distanced holiday. This year, thanks to a Christmas miracle brought to us by Pfizer, Moderna, et al., (and let's not forget Dolly Parton!), many of us have been able to return to school, work, and all the fun stuff: restaurants, bars, concerts, movies, and sporting events. While we still need to be cautious since we're more or less back to business as usual.

This means that the office holiday party is most likely back on the calendar instead of a lame Zoom celebration like last year. One possible downside, however, is that you can no longer get away with an e-gift card for your the coworker you're secretly santa-ing. Gifting friends and family is tough enough, and you have the added advantage of at least knowing most of these people. With coworkers, though, you may not have a single clue as to what they want or need, but you don't want your gift to come off as being too generic. The following short list of present possibilities was carefully curated to appeal to a wide range of people without breaking the bank, and will make you seem like a pretty cool Claus, to boot.

What's the first thing you do when you get to the office in the morning? Pour a cup of coffee, right?  And it will inevitably grow cold on your desk while you get caught up in all the day's busy-ness. Help your coworker avoid a similar dire fate by gifting them a desktop coffee warmer. Wirecutter recommends the Bestinkitts brand, saying it can fit almost any mug and will keep coffee warm for hours.

Purchase the Bestinkitts Smart Coffee Warmer on Amazon for $29.99.

When we working from home, we had no need to surround ourselves with photos of kids, pets, and/or significant others. Chances are, they were right there in the same room for family togetherness out the wazoo. Now that we're back in the office, pictures are back on desks. Help your coworker display all their favorite photos without adding to the clutter — as The Strategist points out, a digital photo frame will allow them to do just that.

Purchase the Egzuiovs Digital Photo Frame on Amazon for $59.99.

If your office culture is such that everyone is always eating at their desks, either because the work pace is so frenetic that there's never time for meals or because you're lucky enough to be employed in a food-related job with abundant free samples, things can get kind of messy. Women's Health suggests you help your coworker keep things clean with a mini desktop vacuum cleaner.

Purchase this Fineinno Desktop Vacuum Cleaner from Amazon for $14.95

Is your office always freezing in winter? Perhaps it even resembles the inside of a refrigerator in summer with the A/C always on full blast. If you're tired of listening to your coworker's teeth chatter, buy them one of these warm, soft faux fur throw blankets that Women's Health lists as a top office gifting pick. The blankets come in a wide range of sizes and colors, but be aware that not all varieties will arrive in time for the holidays.

Purchase the Lochas Faux Fur Blanket on Amazon starting at $16.98.

Okay, so a desktop sandbox isn't really the next best thing to a day at the beach, but round-trip tickets to Tahiti would blow that Secret Santa spending cap. Country Living suggests this mini sandbox as a great gift for anyone who's overdue for some vacation time, which should just about cover everybody at the office.

Purchase the Be Good Company Executive Mini-Sandbox on Amazon for $12.99.