Good Christmas gifts for coworkers are small, useful and easy to share: something for the desk, something to eat, something they will use up. Keep it modest, keep it the same for everyone on the team, and skip anything personal.
Food is the safest bet, as long as it isn't the fifth tin of cookies in the break room. A jar of pickled crimini mushrooms with a ribbon around the lid stands out in a month of sugar: whole caps with garlic and thyme, savory, and something they take home to a cheese board instead of eating at their desk.
Below: the simple rules of coworker gifts, which jar suits which coworker, twenty-five coworker gift ideas from food to desk gifts and DIY, what to give your boss, Secret Santa picks, and what not to give.
The rules of coworker gifts
- Keep it modest and even. Give everyone on the team the same kind of thing, so nobody compares.
- Give to the whole team or do it privately. Handing gifts to two people in front of eight others is awkward for everyone.
- Gifts go down, not up. The usual etiquette is that managers give to their teams; for a boss, a group gift or a card is enough.
- Things to use up beat things to keep. Food, coffee, hand cream and candles don't clutter anyone's desk.
- Think about allergies. Label anything homemade, and choose things whose ingredients you can tell people.
- Nothing personal. No perfume, no clothing in sizes, and no alcohol unless you know the person well.
Which jar for which coworker
Golden Grove makes five pickled mushrooms, so you can match the jar to the person:
- Crimini, with garlic and thyme: the safe choice for anyone, from the new hire to the whole team.
- King oyster, thick meaty coins with truffle oil: for the coworker who talks about restaurants.
- Shiitake, the most savory, with tamari in the brine: for the one who eats ramen at their desk.
- White shimeji, bright and delicate: for the office party host.
- Black shimeji, savory and tender: for the salad-for-lunch person.
Each jar's ingredients are printed on its label, which helps with the allergy question.
"The shiitake had a really deep savory flavor and the crimini were firm instead of soft like a lot of jarred mushrooms."
— Maya C., Golden Grove customer
Our jars come in packs of two, four or six, which makes the math easy: a 2-Pack is two coworker gifts, and a 6-Pack is six, all from one order. Tie a ribbon around each lid, add a tag that says "for your next cheese board", and the team is done. Start with a 2-Pack of pickled crimini for the two people you sit next to, or choose six different jars in a Build Your Variety Pack for the whole team.
25 Christmas gift ideas for coworkers
Food gifts
1. A jar of pickled mushrooms
The gift above: savory, unexpected and ready for a cheese board. A sealed jar keeps in a cool, dry place, so it can sit in a desk drawer until they take it home.
2. A good chocolate bar
One very good bar from a craft maker beats a big box of so-so chocolates.
3. Coffee or tea
A small bag of whole beans from a local roaster, or a tin of loose tea for the tea drinkers.
4. A hot cocoa kit
Cocoa mix, mini marshmallows and a candy cane in a mug or a jar. Cozy, cheap and easy to make in bulk.
5. Spiced nuts
Pecans roasted with rosemary, brown sugar and cayenne, packed in small bags. Label them, since nuts are a common allergy.
6. A small hot sauce
For the coworker who brings their own bottle to lunch.
7. Local honey
A small jar from a local beekeeper, perfect for the tea drinker on the team.
Desk gifts
8. A small succulent
Hard to kill and nice to look at. Choose one in a simple pot.
9. A really good pen
A smooth gel pen in a nice color gets used every single day.
10. A notebook
A plain, well-made notebook for meeting notes and to-do lists.
11. A desk calendar
A page-a-day calendar with jokes, facts or puzzles, for the year ahead.
12. A mug
A good-looking mug, with a tea bag or a coffee sachet inside.
13. A cable organizer or phone stand
Small, practical and something most people never think to buy.
Cozy and practical gifts
14. Hand cream
Heated office air is dry in winter. A small tube of hand cream lives on the desk all season.
15. Lip balm
Cheap, useful and easy to give to a whole team.
16. Warm socks
Fun patterns for the friendly team, plain wool for everyone else.
17. A travel tumbler
For the coworker who commutes with coffee.
18. A small candle
A gentle scent in a tin, for home rather than the office.
DIY coworker gifts
19. Cookies in a tin
Sturdy cookies like shortbread or biscotti, layered with parchment. Add an ingredients card.
20. Cocoa mix in a jar
Cocoa, sugar, milk powder and a pinch of salt, with mini marshmallows on top and the instructions on the tag.
21. Infused salt
Flaky salt with rosemary and lemon zest, made a week ahead in small jars.
22. Homemade granola
One batch makes a dozen gifts. Pack it in jars or bags with a ribbon.
Gifts for the whole team
23. A team breakfast
Bagels, cream cheese, fruit and good coffee on the last morning before the break.
24. A break-room snack basket
A basket of savory and sweet snacks for everyone to share through December. Our gift basket ideas show how to put one together.
25. A cheese board for the office party
Bring the board instead of a gift: cheese, crackers, salami, grapes and a bowl of pickled crimini. Our charcuterie board ideas include a simple fifteen-minute board.
What to give your boss
You don't have to. If you want to, the safest options are a card with a real thank-you in it, or a group gift from the whole team, so no one person is seen to give more. A food gift works well as a group gift: a box of five pickled mushrooms, a basket of good coffee and chocolate, or a nice bottle if you know they drink. Keep it modest and the same as you would give anyone else.
Secret Santa gifts for coworkers
Stick to the spending limit the group agrees on, and choose something useful, fun or edible over something personal. Good Secret Santa picks from the list above: a jar of pickled mushrooms, a hot cocoa kit, a page-a-day calendar, a good pen, a succulent, warm socks or a small hot sauce.
What not to give a coworker
- Perfume, scented lotion or clothing. Too personal, and too easy to get wrong.
- Alcohol, unless you know the person drinks and your workplace is fine with it.
- Gag gifts that could embarrass anyone or be read the wrong way.
- Unlabeled homemade food. Always list what is in it.
- Something far pricier than everyone else's. It makes the exchange awkward.
Order in time for the office party
Our orders usually leave within one to two business days, and most arrive three to five business days after they ship. We ship within the US, to home or to the office. For gifts before the holiday break, order by the second week of December.
Coworker gift questions
What is a good Christmas gift for coworkers?
Something small and easy to use up: a food gift like a jar of pickled mushrooms or good chocolate, coffee, hand cream, a desk plant or a nice pen. Give everyone on the team the same kind of thing.
What are good inexpensive gifts for coworkers?
Hot cocoa kits, homemade cookies or spiced nuts, lip balm, a good pen, a small succulent, or one jar each from a 6-Pack of pickled mushrooms.
What are some DIY gift ideas for coworkers?
Cookies in a tin, cocoa mix in a jar, infused salt, granola and spiced nuts. Make them a week ahead, pack them in jars or bags, and label the ingredients.
Are food gifts OK for coworkers?
Yes, and they are among the safest, as long as people know what is in them. Label homemade food, and choose bought food whose ingredients are easy to check, like our jars, whose ingredients are printed on the label.
Can I send gifts to coworkers who work remotely?
Yes. Send something that travels well, like sealed jars, coffee or chocolate, straight to their home. Our jars ship within the US.
The short version
Keep coworker gifts small, even and easy to use up, and choose food over anything personal. A jar of pickled crimini with a ribbon around the lid is savory, unexpected and ready for a cheese board, and a 6-Pack covers six desks. Order by the second week of December. For more ideas, see our stocking stuffer ideas and Christmas food gifts.